NEW IMAGES OF AGEING
SILVER SOCIETY
EXPLORING TABOOS
PHOTOGRAPHY & STYLING
SILVER SOCIETY
EXPLORING TABOOS
PHOTOGRAPHY & STYLING
CONCEPT
Our society seems so fixated on the beauty and the adventures of young people, that it is hard to find the fun when thinking about our own ageing process. Many amongst us are afraid of losing their mobility, beaer" is a popular phrase, ageing often comes with a heavy weight of societal expectations and misconceptions.
Our society seems so fixated on the beauty and the adventures of young people, that it is hard to find the fun when thinking about our own ageing process. Many amongst us are afraid of losing their mobility, beaer" is a popular phrase, ageing often comes with a heavy weight of societal expectations and misconceptions.
But people around the world are getting older and staying fit for a longer time of their life. The Silver Society megatrend describes the diverse effects of this demographic change, which presents society with enormous challenges - but also opens up great opportunities for a new socio-cultural vitality. In order to successfully master the demographic transformation, new social framework conditions are needed, as well as a new mental approach to ageing.
That's why my friend and colleague Luisa Zieglmeier and I dedicated ourselves to creating new images of ageing. We set our focus on eroticism, self-love and body image at old age, which is currently still very stigmatised. We had so many questions on this topic: What can we learn about body-image and self-love from the elderly around us? Or: Why is there such a discomforting silence around the sexual lives of seniors? And lastly: Will we ever be able to walk confidently when we're old?
PROCESS
Meet Vedrana, our remarkable model who fearlessly defies the conventional image of ageing. We met up with her a couple of times, she made us lunch, talked about her life and showed us her apartment, photo albums and underwear.
Vedrana's story is as captivating as it is empowering: She was born in 1948 to a strict and catholic family in the Croatian part of Ex-Yugoslavia. Her rebellion was evident early on, she recalls hanging out with friends and decorating a Christmas tree with lingerie, much to the dislike of her family. At the young age of 20, she decided to leave her home, family and the communist regime of Yugoslavia behind, seeking a life of her own in Switzerland. First, she worked as a nurse but because she fell pregnant soon after, she was forced to marry and move in together with the father of her child, a farmer. It was a wild marriage, they had to function as a couple and coworkers on the farm at the same time and both struggled with monogamy. A second child followed a few years later but after roughly 25 years of ups and downs, love and hate, lust and distrust, they decided to get divorced. These many tough years could've made her crumble but instead she came out of this marriage a strong, independent woman. She was finally on her own, her kids had grown up and moved out and she could focus on her optician shop.
She's been living by herself ever since, sometimes casually dating while always maintaining a healthy relationship to herself and her own body. She knows what she wants, doesn't let anyone tell her what to do and always puts herself first. She's confident, sexy and gives 0 fucks. In her own words: "Moi, je m'aime. Amen!", which translates to "Me? I love myself. Amen!".
Meet Vedrana, our remarkable model who fearlessly defies the conventional image of ageing. We met up with her a couple of times, she made us lunch, talked about her life and showed us her apartment, photo albums and underwear.
Vedrana's story is as captivating as it is empowering: She was born in 1948 to a strict and catholic family in the Croatian part of Ex-Yugoslavia. Her rebellion was evident early on, she recalls hanging out with friends and decorating a Christmas tree with lingerie, much to the dislike of her family. At the young age of 20, she decided to leave her home, family and the communist regime of Yugoslavia behind, seeking a life of her own in Switzerland. First, she worked as a nurse but because she fell pregnant soon after, she was forced to marry and move in together with the father of her child, a farmer. It was a wild marriage, they had to function as a couple and coworkers on the farm at the same time and both struggled with monogamy. A second child followed a few years later but after roughly 25 years of ups and downs, love and hate, lust and distrust, they decided to get divorced. These many tough years could've made her crumble but instead she came out of this marriage a strong, independent woman. She was finally on her own, her kids had grown up and moved out and she could focus on her optician shop.
She's been living by herself ever since, sometimes casually dating while always maintaining a healthy relationship to herself and her own body. She knows what she wants, doesn't let anyone tell her what to do and always puts herself first. She's confident, sexy and gives 0 fucks. In her own words: "Moi, je m'aime. Amen!", which translates to "Me? I love myself. Amen!".
RESULT
The photos captured during our time with Vedrana radiate an undeniable sense of confidence. Her story proves that old age, body-positivity and a vibrant sex life can very much coexist and shouldn't be taboo. Motivated by her confidence, we now carry more optimism with us but also demand change to happen. How about including more older women in underwear campaigns for example? Or have more actresses play sex-positive grandmas like Grace and Frankie to normalise the thought of old people having sex?
The photos captured during our time with Vedrana radiate an undeniable sense of confidence. Her story proves that old age, body-positivity and a vibrant sex life can very much coexist and shouldn't be taboo. Motivated by her confidence, we now carry more optimism with us but also demand change to happen. How about including more older women in underwear campaigns for example? Or have more actresses play sex-positive grandmas like Grace and Frankie to normalise the thought of old people having sex?
That being said, "Moi je m'aime, amen!" is a passionate call to defy the stereotypes that have held us back. It's an invitation to confront our own anxieties about growing older and to approach life with the same spirited rebellion that Vedrana embodies. We want to encourage people of all ages to question the norms and prejudices that surround growing older and to embrace a more open and positive perspective on life's different stages
This project has been featured in Hochparterre Campus, to read the the (german) article, click here.