Rapunzel or the woman who got fed up with waiting

Photographer: Chris Hutchinson

I did a great shoot the other day - no images yet. It was inspired by the tale of Rapunzel , the princess with very long hair who was imprisoned in a tower and waited for her prince, who'd climb the tower using her long tresses as a ladder and eventually carried her off.
But my Rapunzel in the story board created by Caroline Michael grew old while waiting for her prince, who never came. So what did Rapunzel do?
Caz (Caroline) has been shooting fashion and editorial for years then last year decided to do a MA Photography at the London School of Fashion. Rapunzel is the project she has been working on in connection with her degree exhibition.

Photographer: David John Green

She approached me to be Rapunzel. I was intrigued by the story and accepted. Caz's Rapunzel is an old woman about 60 to 70 years old living in a dingy council flat in the East End. She is quite deluded, living alone and afraid of going out, still waiting to be rescued by a man from the tedium of her life. She has a vast wardrobe of clothes and changes constantly in order to be ready for her prince. But he never comes. And one fine morning too many Rapunzel realises that there are no princes, cuts her grey tresses off and ventures out of her flat, all alone, to go to the local shops. A final act of defiance.
I loved being Rapunzel. They made me look a good twenty years older - I truly looked like an average seventy year old, quite wrinkly (Jane Fonda looks amazing at 69 but she has had a few nips and tucks, your average seventy year old does not look that amazing)- and made my hair longer with extensions. During the shoot I felt so sorry for my character, I began to cry and my make up became undone. This made the shoot different, Caz welcomed the display of emotion. I particularly loved the final scene, when Rapunzel cuts off her long grey plait, dons a  cardigan and some hand gloves, takes a pretty bag and goes out of her flat, out into the outside world - this was still a fashion shoot so the clothes and accessories were all by designers.

Photographer: Alan Bassett. Retoucher: Jade

I hope to show you the photographs soon.
The Rapunzel story is still relevant today. Even today far too many women find themselves trapped as they dream to be rescued by a man. It just does not work that way. Rapunzel has finally realised that waiting for a prince to save her is a complete waste of time...most princes tend to turn into frogs and remain frogs, no matter how often they are kissed...

(All photos modelled by Alex B)