Not long ago, 66-year-old model Alex Bruni had an interesting photoshoot with renowned photographer Rankin. She was asked to pose in a bath and pretend to have an orgasm for an advertisement promoting Coco de Mer sex toys. Bruni embraced the concept, recognizing the importance of acknowledging older women as playful and sexual beings.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Bruni enjoyed a thriving modeling career. She worked with prestigious brands such as Vogue Italia, Julien Macdonald, IA London, GQ China, and Starling Bank. She also walked the runway for various designers. However, since the world emerged from lockdowns about 18 months ago, Bruni’s modeling career has come to a halt.
According to Bruni, the pandemic caused brands to become more conservative, resulting in a decline in opportunities for older female models. She feels frustrated by the shift, as she believed that older models had finally gained recognition and equal opportunities. Bruni laments the ageist stereotypes that have resurfaced, portraying older models as eccentric rather than elegant.
Rebecca Valentine, the founder of Grey Model Agency, shares Bruni’s perspective. When she launched the UK’s only agency dedicated to models aged 35 and above in 2015, her models quickly gained bookings from international brands like Gucci, Prada, and Emirates. Even British labels, including M&S, recognized the value of older models. However, over the past 18 months, the demand for older models has waned, reversing the progress made in the industry.
Simon Chambers, the owner of Storm Model Management, has also observed a decline in bookings for older female models. He speculates that brands, facing budget constraints, may view using older models as a greater risk in today’s challenging fashion market.
Miranda Cantacuzene-Speransky, the agency director at Elite London, notes that while the demand for older male models remains strong, luxury brands have reduced their calls for older female models in recent years. She suggests that brands may now prioritize models with a strong social media presence, as it offers cost-free advertising. Older models, who might not be as experienced in building an online following, could be at a disadvantage.
Ira Iceberg, the founder of IA London fashion house, consciously incorporates older models in her shoots and runway shows. However, she has noticed a significant decline in other luxury brands’ embrace of older models over the past year. Iceberg believes that brands often struggled with presenting older female models, either concealing or revealing too much skin, as if trying to address the “issue” of their age.
Iceberg sees the future for older female models as uncertain but hopeful. She stresses the need to educate the next generation of fashion designers to be more inclusive and open-minded, challenging the selectiveness that excluded older models in the first place. She believes that real change will take time but is essential for the industry’s progress.