According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the fashion and cosmetics industry is seeing a surge in demand for older models.
sorry. Perhaps “explosion” is the trigger word. Some of the most seasoned models can have flashbacks of “rocket red glare, bombs exploding in the air.”
That is correct. When I say “old,” I’m not simply referring to hints of gray. Hiring.
(I’m still trying to secure an interview with a model. We’ll be cramming the runway until the oceans part.”)
For too long, mature women have let college-age influencers, teens, and even eerily sexual teen minors set impossible beauty standards. (“Wait. Before you take the bacon home and fry it in the skillet, be sure to split it and decorate Homecoming her float to warm it up.”)
Bless the women for whom “class” means anything other than copying school brain algebra tests.
With good genes, diet, exercise, skin care, and attitudes, society is full of stunningly beautiful older women. Can you help milk the yak? “
I’m glad we’ve broken out of the paradigm of models getting younger and thinner. I still talk about the ugly scenes when I get jealous.
One of the great benefits of hiring older models is that they are smarter and less likely to attract attention or glamor. Sure, there are other things that can cloud their judgment. (“Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as the one my grandson painted? If you can’t put this on the cover of the next lingerie magazine, my lawyers will contact you, Whippers Snapper!”)
Of course, new advertising campaigns must be adjusted to current realities. The model, who pleaded, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful,” in a 1980s commercial for Pantene, said, “Don’t hate me because I’ll deplete the Social Security fund before you get there.” Bwahaha
I have to admit that not all my friends are boarding the industry changes. The article touted “models over 50 whose faces tell stories”. Or the one about Guy Lombardo and wild taxi rides.
one with him. We need courageous models (men and women) who can inspire their contemporaries and those who aspire to that age in the years to come.
Perhaps you or someone you know has a bright future in modeling.
Be prepared for a highly competitive field that demands citations.
“As I said to Francis Scott Key, what happened at Fort McHenry remains Fort McHenry!”
Danny Tyree can be reached at tyreetyrades@aol.com.