FADING SEXUAL CURRENCY
In our world, beauty and youth can be everything. They are the currency with which we purchase social standing, connection, and admiration. When a person or an object is past what society considers its best, they can be overlooked and pushed aside despite what they still have to give. This is particularly true for women, who can be held to very lofty standards of physical beauty and youthfulness.
In truth, with age comes wisdom, achievement, even more beauty, and a sh*t ton of character. An older woman is a treasure—like a flower, she blooms after a long period of growing, preparing, and aging. This project was inspired by an incredible woman, Rachel’s mother Pauline. She loved peonies, and loved gifting them to people. Unfortunately, a peony’s life span is short, and so was Pauline’s—she died in 2013 due to cancer.
Life is fleeting, and it leaves no time to worry about how we are perceived as we grow into ourselves. The plant world is a fantastic way to represent this—I have captured stunning flowers which only get more beautiful as they get older.
You are beautiful, and you deserve to bloom beyond a “best before” date. With this project, I want to honour our older women.
