The Ageless Beauty of Women

Societal standards for what makes a woman beautiful constantly shift: heavy black eyeliner in Ancient Egypt; white powdered faces in the 18th century; or a curvy feminine shape in the 1950s.

Over the last couple of decades, fashion media, which predominantly promoted thin, young models (a look made popular by Twiggy in the 1960s), has tried to include some plus-sized models and women over 50 (although generally thin with nice teeth, like Helen Mirren). Despite this move towards greater diversity in the media, many women over 50 feel invisible and unattractive.

Victoria portrait photographer, Regina Akhankina, is working hard to change that mindset by inviting women over 50 to be part of the 50 Over 50 Project, a photo shoot complete with a hair and make-up session. With this venture, Regina wants to celebrate the essence and wisdom of women in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond to prove that beauty does not diminish with age. Launched in the spring of 2018, the project will wrap up when 50 women have had photo shoots, culminating with an exhibition, where all participants will meet each other to celebrate.

When INSPIRED Magazine’s publisher, Barbara Risto, was approached about the 50 Over 50 Project, she wholeheartedly endorsed it (and yes, Barbara will be a participant).

“Since starting the magazine in 2004, I’ve wanted to offer a different perspective,” says Barbara, “that age is something to celebrate and honour as a rite of passage. This project was one I felt I needed to support.”

The idea for the 50 Over 50 Project was hatched when Regina realized her 59-year-old mother hadn’t had a portrait done for over 10 years.

“My mom is a beautiful woman, but it breaks my heart that she can’t see that,” says Regina. “She considered herself old when she was in her late 30s. So, when I was in Russia recently, we did some portraits together. To my surprise, she liked herself in these images.”

Regina has also struggled with her body image over the years and believes we should talk more openly about the issue. For her, the turning point was walking into a Pilates class when she first moved to Canada.

“That’s where I learned about absolute acceptance of my body, and that’s what I wanted for my studio – no judgment. I don’t care about your age or weight or if you prefer jeans over designer dresses. It’s our job to make you feel beautiful and have fun.”

So far, Regina’s objective seems to be working. Jeanne Millis, one of the 50 Over 50 participants, learned about the project on Facebook.

“The title intrigued me, so I clicked on the website and was impressed with Regina’s work,” says Jeanne. “I decided to apply. Had the post merely been advertising photography, I likely would not have pursued it. The project was the hook.”

Although Jeanne had had professional portraits done throughout the years, generally for work, her most recent was a family portrait when her only daughter graduated high school.

“I am glad we had these family portraits taken, but I would not say I loved them,” she confides. “I am very uncomfortable having my picture taken – and am satisfied if it isn’t ‘horrible.’”

But Jeanne’s experience with Regina was different. “Initially, I was slightly nervous the make-up and hair would be overdone; I usually wear minimal make-up. However, as soon as we started, I felt at ease and frankly, just started having fun.”

Another participant, Willy McCrea, learned about the project in her fitness class. “I thought it would be fun to celebrate women over 50 — with me being over 60 and feeling good,” says Willy. “I was totally excited, but I was also nervous. I have never felt photogenic in any way, so this was breaking out of my comfort zone.”

“The day of the shoot, I gathered my favourite items of clothing and jewellery and arrived at the studio,” Willy continues. “The makeup and hair artist made me feel glamorous, and Regina, with her brilliant photography using natural light to capture the look and her guidance to create the best pose for the shot, put me at ease. The hardest part was learning to relax and to trust her implicitly as to how I should stand, tilt my head, and so on, which turned out to not be so hard after all. Regina really created a platform to make me feel glamorous and to see myself from another perspective – we are all beautiful in our own way, no matter what our age or ethnicity.”

Because Jeanne was so unsure about the portrait process, she didn’t tell anyone about it until it was over.

“My women friends were curious about the process,” she says. “When I showed them my photos, they felt as if I was sharing something very intimate (many have now scheduled their own photo shoots with Regina). My family became quite emotional when they saw my pictures – my daughter got tears in her eyes. They were very moved, as I was. I love my photos, they make me feel good about myself, my age and how I look. I can’t remember when I could last make that statement.”

Willy had only told her husband about the project. He was so proud and supportive of her participation that he joined her at the end of the shoot, and they had photos taken together as an anniversary gift to each other.

Even though Jeanne lives on Vancouver Island, a place that she believes to be more progressive with respect to aging women than some other parts of the world, she says there’s still a long way to go.

“I would like the views of aging men and women to be more in line – that with age comes wisdom and that beauty occurs at any age. I’d also like to see less of women trying to be beautiful by erasing their age – like obvious hair colours and cosmetic surgery.”

Like Jeanne, Willy thinks the view of women’s aging in society is slowly improving. And she agrees that women’s aging is viewed differently than men’s.

“Silly, isn’t it? Women are gorgeous at any age,” she says. “I have been teaching fitness for 32 years. The fitness industry has certainly been one of the key factors in women feeling stronger, mentally and physically, and taking charge of their health. I have slowly seen women start to accept and become proud in how they look and embrace their age. I hope this trend continues – finding women that other women can relate to, who can inspire and encourage other women to be the best they can be – like Regina is doing with this project – that’s my wish.”

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