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These over 40 models are from the UK
Dear Glam Gals,
I am really enjoying your blog and the information that you provide. I was just wondering why you continually use young models to display the clothes and styles you suggest women wear who are 40 and over? It seems counter intuitive to suggest that we embrace our age and aging bodies, yet all the styles are shown on young models, who have no bodies and are not anywhere near the age of 40! Of course we all know that clothes look better on models without curves, but doesn’t that just make it harder to embrace our age, our style, and reality? Just wondering…:-)
Thanks. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Sincerely, Wendy B
Hi Wendy,
We get this question all the time and we are frustrated too… you see to there are just no photos of “real women” out there in current clothes that you can buy! We want to be able to show you things that you can go out and buy, but all the stores insists on using ultra young and super skinny models!
A few years back, we were excited to start working with a NYC modeling agency for women over 40, but they went out of business!
That is why we try to find women on the street photos, but it can be frustrating for our readers, since most of the time the outfits the women are wearing was purchased a last season and can’t be found now.
One note, most of the styles that we suggest can be worn on most body types, it is just that they are being modeled by young, thin women!
If anyone has suggestions or ideas we would love to hear them!
Yes, you can be a model after 40! (photo credit: Jason Frank Rothenberg for More Magazine)
If you think that your life long dream of being a model is just that…a dream, then you might want to try out for this years More Magazine 2010 Model Search!
Thanks to More Magazine, there actually is a place that women can be hired to model, when in the fashion world most modeling careers would certainly be over!
So if you think you have what it takes, have fun and enter this years contest!
Over the years we have had letters from some of our readers of their modeling success stories.
We are so proud of you ladies that keep yourself glam and think, “What if? and Why Not?”!
(BTW, this is a wonderful book from our friend, Jen Groover, founder of The Butler Bag)
Andrea got her first modeling job at the age of 40!
We are so proud of our reader Andrea, who was inspired by our teleseminar with Judy Gross, author of Break Into Modeling for Under $20 to pursue her lifelong dream of modeling. Well here she is, gracing the covers of a Land’s End catalog, in all her fabulous after 40 glory!
We think Andrea looks great, and is such an inspiration for women who want to start their career in modeling, but think it may be too late. We are always excited to see real women, as opposed to super tall, super skinny, teenage string beans modeling clothes meant for the masses. The beauty industry seems to be starting to embrace mature models, as evidenced by the new TV Land reality show She’s Got The Look, which features women over 35 attempting to break into the fashion world a la America’s Next Top Model.
We encourage any woman with a dream to go after it! Here are a couple of photos of our reader, Lisa, who has always wanted to be a model. Isn’t she gorgeous? For a 44-year-old single mother of a college grad, she doesn’t look a day older than 25! We wish you the best of luck!
What are your big DREAMS?
We were so excited to get a note from one of our readers about how one of her dreams has come true! 
Andrea Bond runs her own Real Estate business, but has had a lifelong dream to be a model. So, recently, after listening to our Pod Cast with author Judy Goss on How to Be a Model No Matter What Your Age, Andrea took action. During the call, Judy shared with us that her good friend Christie Dinham was starting up a new modeling division for women over 35 with the NYC Red Modeling Agency.
So Andrea followed up and got Judy’s book and then tried out for an open call (for more info go to www.fashionhow.com). The good news is that Andrea is now one of the newest models signed with the new S-class division of the Red Modeling Agency! Congratulations Andrea!
Check out her fashion shoot!
The face of beauty is changing before our eyes. Advertisers are finally starting to feature women 40+ in fashion ads and on television.
The result- a huge growing demand for mature and sophisticated women.
The Red Model Management would lov e our readers to be a part of their new division of models who are over 40, called the S-Class Division.
They are looking for vibrant, photogenic, elegant women between the ages of 35 and 65, and taller than 5’8″. And get this: No experience necessary!
The first open call will be in New York on April 26th at their NYC offices:
Red Modeling Management
15 Broad Street
Suite 3320, 33rd Fl
At each open call the potential model will be asked to fill out an application, bring a current photo of themselves and pay a $45 processing fee. Participants will have the chance to meet with a Red NYC S-Class agent on the spot.
We asked our modeling expert Judy Goss if this is the real deal…and she said, “YES!, it absolutely is!”
JoJami was in New York this week and got to meet former model, Christie Dinham, the new director of the S-Class division and owner of Fashion How. “Chrisitie is such a remarkable women, she truly has a desire to help give women a chance to fulfill their lifelong dreams”, says JoJami. If you are interested in exploring modeling or other areas of fashion, check out her site for upcoming Fashion How workshops.
So please, keep us posted…we want to hear from all of you who go out there, and go for it.
Update July 2010- Sorry Ladies we heard earlier this year this agency CLOSED due to lack of business. What wrong with advertisers. Don’t they know that we 40+ GALS are the clients. We have money and are ready to buy but it’s tough to see products and clothes on 20 year olds and feel motivated to buy them. We need models our age so we can relate!!
If you ever wanted to try modeling, but thought you were too old, think again!
More Magazine, was recently on a nation wide search for 10 top models, all over the age of 40!
Judy Goss, More Magazine’s booking and castings editor recently told us that several of the women who entered the contest had many challenges to overcome to just enter.
Lani Ridenhour was one of those women!
We interviewed Lani recently to get the inside scoop on what it was like to enter a national modeling contest.
Lani topped 6 feet when she was in high school, and had to overcome all the teasing you can imagine that went with being exceptionally tall and having clothes that never fit right.
However, all along she had a deep desire to be a model.
Fast forward, to 35 years old, when she saw the More/Wilhelmina Model Search in her local store (westchester).Lani got in line, asked a million questions and they told her it was FOR 40+ women.
When Lani turned 40, the timing wasn’t right. She was married to a marine and had a son entering high school. Lani had to support a husband who traveled all over the world and continue to raise her son.
In 2005-2006 Lani’s husband was in Iraq, she promised herself that if he made it back safely she would try to enter again. By the time, Lani was 44.
Still,after nearly 10 years since she first stood in line, she was back again! Her persistence paid off. Lani made the cut and became one of the top 10 finalists out of 14,000 women around the country. She even appeared on the Today Show and plans to pursue modeling full time.
“I just feel so blessed to be doing something that I love and am passionate about” says Lani. “I hope my story will inspire others not to give up on their dreams”.
To read more about the winners go to: www.more.com
If you’ve dreamed of being a model, but figure it’s too late. It’s not! The demand for 40+ models is on the rise.
Calling all models (even over 40)
Just ask Judy Goss, MORE magazine booking agent and author of:
Break into Modeling For Under $20.00
Judy, a former FORD model will be our special guest for a FREE one hour teleseminar to teach you how to get into the biz without getting ripped off and to answer all your questions about modeling.
This call is not limited to to mature models. If you have a daughter, younger friend or co-worker who would love to be a model too, be sure to tell them about this exciting FREE teleseminar.
How to Break Into Modeling, No Matter What Your Age!
Monday, Feb. 25th at 9:00pm EST (6:00pm PST)
For more details and to sign up, just CLICK HERE!
Interesting post at Newsweek about a new trend happening with models. It seems there’s a swing away from serious looking pencil thin young glamazons to more real looking models -everyday people of all shapes sizes, who exude their own unique kind of personal style no matter what they are wearing.
Apparently, it’s all because of bloggers like Scott Schuman, who we’ve written about before, from The Satorialist. His candid person-on-the street fashion photos have inspired the fashion industry to make the change.
First it was the Dove Pro-age ladies… now this. Looking forward to seeing many more magnificent midlife mamas and boomer babes!
(Let’s hope these real models smile and laugh a little. We’re sick of looking at photos of teenage girls with sucked in cheeks and sour faces. Life is too short to be frumpy and too short to be so serious!)
Dove Pro-Age Ad
We confess, we love to watch America’s Top Model. Its so fun to see the girls in the glamorous and not so glamorous settings, and how they can be transformed from a gauntly teen to a sultry vamp with some great hair, makeup and wardrobe. What is it about Tyra Banks’ reality show that has us all fascinated about the inside scoop of the modeling world?
There is a good chance that you know someone who either wants to be a model or wants their kids to model…but where do you go to get advice on the how, what and where of it all?
Meet Judy Goss, former Ford model/agent and author of the soon to be released book
, How to Break into Modeling for Under $20.00.
Judy Gross, model and author
Judy has worked in and around the fashion industry for over 20 years, and was surprised when so many people when learning of her past, always had so many questions about how to get into modeling. Moreover, Gross was shocked and disappointed to hear many horror stories of people getting ripped off by so called “agents” and “photographers” who made false claims and took their money with no results. This, and her love to help others, inspired her to write a book that would bust the all the myths out there about how to get into modeling.
“It’s really not that hard to get into modeling, no matter what your age or size. What most people don’t realize is that you don’t need to spend money on pictures or classes to get representation with a modeling agency. The agents actually prefer people NOT to spend money!”
This passionate mom of twin two year old girls, is committed to her mission to educate the public about getting into modeling that she also has a blog called, Modeling Advice: From Breaking In to Staying In , where she answers questions and give tips to those interested in modeling as well as parents of model wanabe’s … and best of all, its FREE!!
So all you gorgeous fashionistas out there, check it out before you shell out any money and find out if you might have a new career out there ahead of you! (BTW…there is even a section for modeling if your over 40!)
Judy is currently the booking and casting editor of More Magazine. Be on the look out for her book to come out in the summer of ’08, and our upcoming teleseminar with her!
It’s hard to stay motivated to keep looking great when you feel like you are invisible. Let’s face it, past 40 there are very few role models out there representing mature beauty and style… no one to inspire us or make feel validated.
That’s why we’re thrilled that MORE magazine, the sole publication that celebrates women our age is once again running their annual More/Wilhemena 40 plus Model Search. They’ve just come out with the finalists and these gals are fabulous-smart, beautiful and vibrant.
We love them all including Michelle Griffith Hilliard, a physician, wife, mother of six and a natural cover girl. Now there’s inspiration. She’s enough to shake any 40 plus woman out of a gloomy midlife crisis and motivate her to get going!
Reading over the profiles of these amazing women it is interesting to see that when asked, “If you could go back to your 25 year old self what would you say?”, all of these gals said basically the same thing.
Have faith in yourself, be confident, take chances, enjoy every moment. It’s something that seems so natural to us now, but be darned if we could have lived that message at 25 no matter how many times we were told it.
Thank goodness for this wisdom - It’s the best gift of aging.
Just got back from NYC and saw the new Dove Billboard of the nude “Grandmother” in Times Square.
If you haven’t heard, Dove has a new campaign out out that boldly challenges the “only-young-is-beautiful” stereotype. The campaign, called Pro-age, features real 50+ plus women tastefully un-covered, wrinkles, grey hair, curves and all.
Now when we first heard about this we wondered, “Do they really need to have these women naked on a billboard to prove that older women can still look great?”
But after seeing at the beautiful photos by photographer Annie Leibovitz, we’re thrilled that the issue of women 50+ being invisible in the media is finally being challenged.
It’s empowering to see these attractive, vibrant boomer women with real bodies up there, proving that you can be stunning at any age.
Bravo to the models. They really have guts! We applaud you for being trailblazers and helping so many women feel good about aging honestly.
