I recently saw this photo
and it blew me away.
The model is Carmen Dell’Orefice and she is an 83 year old model.
83 years old!
There is no doubt whatsoever that she looks incredible. Unbelievable really.
Previously when looked at fashion magazines I’d see all these very young, very beautiful girls and but no longer felt the pressure to compare myself to them because I was 25-35 years older.
Now though…I don’t have that luxury. The bar has been seriously raised. In fact the bar has been set in another universe. Unattainable to the average person without time travel.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased with the media’s new found love affair with older women. I’m excited they are putting older women on magazine covers and no longer ignoring them. I appreciate that she is beautiful to look at. And yet upon viewing the photo I immediately thought, “I’m not good enough. I’ll never be good enough. I have more lines on my face than her and she is 35 years older than me! How can I keep up? What is wrong with me?”
Undoubtably the photo has been retouched and I read that she has had cosmetic surgery, but it didn’t quell the negative feelings in the back of my mind.
Then I saw this photo of Cindy Crawford who is the same age as me…
What came to my mind? No thoughts of inadequacy, but rather a feeling of sisterhood. I can relate to her. She feels real to me.
I applaud her bravery. Showing the whole package is much more courageous than simply showing a face and neck.
Both of these women are models and have been blessed with very good looks and genes.
One is showing the truth, one is showing an altered version of the truth.
Which do you prefer looking at and why? Do you struggle with the thief of joy? Comparison?
I felt the same when I saw Carmen’s picture, Suzanne. I don’t look anything like that at age 59 let alone 20 years from now. But fashion and beauty magazines will always have unrealistic images on the covers, that’s what they’re selling. I adore Cindy’s photo and I have to say it made me feel pretty darn good about myself too, comparisons be damned. xox
Don’t you love that photo of Cindy Crawford? I posted it on my Facebook page the other day. Kudos to her because it’s real and it’s what we all look like. Sometimes I think photoshopping is the devil.
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
PS…I was showing my husband the photo of your flower wall the other day and he saw you and said, “Wow, you two really look alike!” #twinsies
Wait till we manage to meet-up in real life. (Hopefully this summer!) Everyone will think we’re sisters.
I love the picture of Cindy Crawford! She is slim but real. I love her teeny bit of fat on her strong belly. Yay Cindy, and Yay Suzanne for posting this!
I agree 100%. I definitely struggle with comparison. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t. It’s normal but it’s definitely not a good thing. The first image, while she is a gorgeous woman and looks absolutely amazing, is possibly photoshopped and unrealistic for most. I loved seeing Cindy’s photo. It’s real and it gave me, like you said, a feeling of sisterhood.
It’s nice to see older women become valued, but what gets to me is that they’re still models. They had gorgeous faces, hair, teeth, bodies to begin with, so it’s not surprising they still look fabulous as they age. I do applaud Cindy Crawford for being honest, but I’d like to see more everyday women in magazines, too.
I too saw Cindy’s photo and loved it. I’m looking forward to more images just like that! It’s encouraging, hopeful and inspiring. Carmen’s photos are beautiful as art, but not realistic. I would rather be moved by the beauty of the march of time across our faces and bodies.
Carmen Dell’Orefice’s beauty has always been almost super-human. Norman Parkinson’s photos of her back in the 1950s are utterly spectacular, her bone structure is incredible, you could cut diamonds with those cheekbones. Air-brushed it may be (and aren’t all magazine covers doctored in some way?) that is a striking image.
I don’t read fashion mags so I haven’t seen that Cindy Crawford photo, but she exudes confidence in it and that’s what makes a woman sexy, isn’t it?
I’m just an ordinary looking woman from a working class town in the UK, I don’t compare myself to models any more than I do gymnasts or brain surgeons. Be the best you can be and sod the rest of them. xxx
I need to just crawl in your head and live there for a while Vix : )
This is EXACTLY why I love blogs. Real people looking beautiful and real.
Two extraordinarily beautiful women – but of course they are, they are models. The photo of Carmen Dell’Orefice is wonderful, but has obviously retouched; Cindy Crawford is rocking that pose and oozing sexiness. Do they make me feel inadequate? No, of course not! They are two women who won the genetic lottery and have made their living out of their looks; comparing myself to them would be like comparing myself to another species! When I look at images of preternaturally stunning women, I don’t relate their looks to me at all, I just see them as fabulous works of art! xxx
Comparison is truly the thief of joy! Woman have been suffering with this forever. Just when will I outgrow it???
Carmen is a practicing model and has had extensive plastic surgery. Her choice, her face, and she looks phenomenal.
Cindy is no longer a practicing model and obviously very comfortable in her gorgeous skin. The fact that they’re both models is important. They’re beautiful no matter what they do.
I’d be thrilled to look like Cindy, but the fact is I need to be thrilled to look like me.
This reminds me of the photo Jamie Lee Curtis posted of herself sans airbrushing.
Airbrushing insidiously works to destroy young girls and women’s confidence. It’s an evil fact of life.
I’d also like to point out that Cindy Crawford has very obvious Breast implants evident in this photo. Again, her body, her choice and she looks fabulous.
I don’t know that I’d go applauding Cindy just yet. From what I read, she never intended for that photo to be released. It was “leaked” by Marie Claire Mexico-Latin America. Now that it has, she can hardly go back on it, now can she. And take a good look at her face, she’s had work done, no doubt about it. Frankly, I am SICK, SICK, SICK of these magazines touting older photo-shopped or seriously surgically altered ladies as some sort of attainable norm, when they are not. For this very reason, I do not buy fashion magazines. There are too many businesses (especially cosmetic companies), magazines and knife-happy plastic surgeons out there profiting on the insecurities of women. We should all just say ENOUGH!!! And save ourselves a butt load of money. There are no miracles. If we are so blessed, we will age, we will have wrinkles and loose bellies and flappy underarms. You know what I say to that? GREAT!!! I’m a 50 year old woman and I’m alive. Glad to be here. A fool and her money are soon parted. And I’m no fool.
I have never, ever replied to someone else’s comment on another blog before, but I had to do so now to say Best Comment Ever! Brava! xxx
Thank you for saying all this and getting real! I’m getting rather tired of seeing what amounts to ” the usual suspects” of older women, participating in what is supposed to be a change of heart in the fashion and beauty industries.
Too much money tied up in the permanent dissatisfaction of women for us all to be content and” happy in our own skins” as we say in France.
They both look amazing! I’m glad that Cindy’s showing it real though!x
I read some where that the picture of Cindy Crawford is doctored up. Her hubby posted a picture on his IG account of her pool side and the body looks completely different. Either way, she’s still a beautiful lady and it’s a picture that makes the “average” woman relatable to her.
I’ve never heard of Carmen but she is also stunning.
I am way too scared to go under the knife and hope that what I do to take care of myself will be enough. I try to be happy at myself at every size that I am at but I am always comparing myself to others. It’s human nature to do comparison in all aspects of our life and I have to always keep reminding myself that we are all made differently.
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Both of these women have been beautiful their whole careers, and I do enjoy their work. I try not to compare myself to models and actresses. Is it Cindy Crawford who says “even I don’t look like this when I get out of bed in the morning”? I think so. Anyway….I try to stay healthy and strong, and at almost 48 my husband still thinks I’m beautiful, which is all I care about in the end!
The Cindy Crawford photo has been all over Instagram and FB the last couple of days, and I have to say it didn’t make me feel better or worse about myself. As has been pointed out, she didn’t release the photo herself. She and Carmen have been beautiful their whole lives – it is their job to look beautiful. Like Jennifer and Val mentioned, I would prefer to see women like us, members of our blogger community, celebrated instead of the women who won the genetic lottery and have enough money to pay for personal trainers, chefs, stylists, plastic surgeons, etc.
I do admit to feeling like you Suzanne, when you say that you don’t feel any pressure to compare yourself to the pretty young things that are in most magazines, but it’s a different story when you start seeing these fabulous-looking women who are 10 and more years our senior. It does give me a bit of a twinge when I see women in their 70’s who look like they are in better shape than I am.
I wonder whether Cindy’s photo is true. Or whether somebody “composed” it.
And of course the 83 year old is photoshopped. I have seen other photos of her and this is not the truth.
Ah well, they can do whatever they please, I don’t care.
Greetje
I published a comment, but something went wrong. So here it is again:
I wonder whether Cindy’s photo is true. Or whether somebody “composed” it.
And of course the 83 year old is photoshopped. I have seen other photos of her and this is not the truth.
Ah well, they can do whatever they please, I don’t care.
Greetje
I love Cindy’s pic and I love Carmen’s too.
I think, as women we are actively encouraged to be insecure about our looks and bodies, advertising makes billions from it. It’s anarchic in a sense to say ‘fuck it’ to advertising. But it does us the world of good. It’s difficult for me to write how I feel competently about this (I’ve tried to write this 5 times!) we are all unique in our gifts, our appearance, our goals, everything! our achievements are unique and incredible, different and equally wonderful, like we are. It’s like comparing diamond and platinum, different but equally beautiful. Like us. x x x
Really interesting post – are we to be inspired, or to feel inadequate? I really hope I embrace a more European attitude as I age and keep wearing bikinis and letting it all hang out even though my body has changed. It’s quite refreshing being on hols in places like Spain and seeing that the new mum, the 90 year old granny, and the girl that’s always been a bit heavier, don’t give a monkey’s and are still strolling up and down the beach in their little two-pieces. Very thought-provoking x