The rise of the 50+ model

For years the modelling industry lacked diversity, with catwalks, billboards and glossy advertorials representing much of the same.

Thankfully, that is finally changing. Enter the rise of the 50-plus model. From Dame Maggie Smith fronting a campaign for high-end fashion brand Loewe aged 88 to Dame Helen Mirren, 78, walking the catwalk at last year’s Paris fashion week alongside the likes of Kendall Jenner, 27, the industry is slowly but surely catching up. Here, we take a look at the women leading the way.

What does the #BecauseOfMyAge campaign mean to you?

It means an awful lot, it’s been fantastic. For a brand like Estée Lauder to call me up and want me involved was incredible. It’s a brand my mother used to use when I was growing up so to have that recognition, particularly as what they call a ‘late model’, was revitalising. I was confident before but it’s made me feel more confident and most importantly it’s so empowering for women out there to see that. To make them think, just because you’re not ‘this’ or are a certain age you can still do things, feel good about yourself and be confident while doing it.

I don’t want women who see the campaign to think, ‘Oh, well, you know, this is just beauty.’ It’s not. It’s a way of making yourself feel good. It’s a way of saying, ‘Listen, you know what? I deserve to take some time for myself.’ And when you keep yourself healthy and your skin glows, you feel more confident. It’s a great way to put yourself forward and say, ‘Yeah, I feel good about it. I’m gonna go out there and get things done because I’m feeling great.’

Were you nervous about modelling for the campaign?

A little, but I think it’s so important to improve the representation of older women in the media so I wanted to be involved. I’ve spoken to a lot of women who feel like reaching 50 is a deadline. They think, ‘I can’t do this now,’ or ‘I can’t go out and wear trendy clothes.’ But that is not the case. I hope we can show older women that there’s still a lot more you can do. Of course, you do get tired sometimes because you’re not in your 20s any more but it doesn’t mean that your life flow is limited. So I hope that by me taking the pathway to modelling now, it shows other women that life is for living.

What have you learnt with age?

Not to be too jealous of what other people are doing. Or, if people are saying something