Glamour Photography Session Interview #1

Irene (Beauty Photographer):

Okay, so let's start by you telling me who you are and where you're from and how old you are now and what you do all that good stuff.

Rose:

I am Rose and I am originally from Brazil, but I have lived in the US for 30 years now. Married for 27 of those years. I have a daughter, she's 12 and she's the love of my life. My job also brings me great joy. I work with federal contract consulting so my career is very important to me.

I just turned 50 and decided I needed a change in my life. 

Irene (Glamour Photographer):

What kind of change are you looking for?

Rose:

I want to focus a little bit more on myself. I want to enjoy myself. I want to figure out what brings me joy and focus on that.

Irene (Beauty Photographer):

And that's kind of why you're doing this beauty photography project.

Rose:

Right. That's what enticed me. It was just this new beginning.

Irene (Glamour Photographer):

Do you think that over your 50 years, your values have changed over time? What do you value now versus before?

Rose:

I think I've always been very goal-oriented… really sort of an overachiever. I just wanted the perfect marriage, perfect family, perfect job, everything. And now, I just value JOY, love, and being at peace with myself rather than just trying to continuously challenge myself. So my values have changed. 

Irene (Beauty Photographer):

When do you think that shift happened?

Rose:

I think this is when my marriage started going the wrong way and we had worked so hard to get to a point in life where we could just relax. We were like, "This is great," but it wasn't great!

It was a life-changing moment for me and it's taken me a while to even process that change. So last year, when I filed for divorce, I was really ready to say, "I can't work on this anymore.” I just wanted to enjoy life. I don't even want to work on myself. I just want to enjoy myself. 

Irene (Glamour Photographer):

Have there been any other significant points of change in your life?

Rose:

Oh, yes! Coming here [to the U.S.] and having my daughter. I had fertility problems so it was very challenging to have her but she brings so much joy to my life.

…Some of the changes that I have experienced, especially regarding the way that I've handled my life… sort of focusing on work goals or focusing on the marriage. I realized that she would essentially repeat the same mistakes that she was growing up and observing me.

I didn't want to be the role model of a person who sacrifices and settles for anything. I want her to always go with her gut and never settle for something just because she feels bad or because there's external pressure. I realized I was not doing her a favor as a mother by trying to live a construct that wasn't good for me or for her. 

I think she came into this world to tell me that I need to stop and change.

Irene (Beauty Photographer):

So you've just turned 50 recently? How do you think that your generation is perceived by other generations?

Rose:

I think, our generation, my generation, we tried to do it all...  the career, the child, we wanted it all and I think a lot of marriages are falling apart because doing it all comes at a cost. I don't regret anything. And I would never have sacrificed my career. But I do feel that our generation is kind of stuck in this... the women being all things to all people. Then you have the husbands who are a little bit all over the map there. I don't see that with the millennials. I see them more empowered.

Irene (Glamour Photographer):

What do you want employers to know about women who are 50 plus?

Rose:

Women who are 50 plus were in the workforce when they were taking care of their kids, and grandkids, or taking care of older parents. So I think that employers need to understand that we can be very productive but with flexibility. I see it with a lot of my friends, who are not in a flexible work environment and then they burn out. That flexibility goes a long way to keep everyone's mental health and productivity. 

Irene (Beauty Photographer):

So now what if an employer says, "because of that, I want to hire someone younger who's not dealing with all of that." What do you want to say to that employer?

Rose:

Experience. Younger generations don't stay long enough to have that experience. So they lose by not having those people that are structured and hold the knowledge. 

Irene (Glamour Photographer):

In your 50 years, when do you think you felt the most attractive and have your perceptions changed of what being attractive means over time?

Rose:

Yeah, I think I feel more attractive now than I did. I'm more conformable being me, I feel more confident in myself.

Irene (Beauty Photographer):

Well, we just finished your style and concept consultation for your beauty photography session. What excites you the most at this point?

Rose:

The whole experience! When I saw your ad on Instagram, I was in a moment where I was thinking about all the things that I'm doing for myself. I was also looking at headshots for my company's website. 

I was like, I need to do this! I had this instinct that I needed to do this. And after being here and talking with you, I feel even more strongly that I'm giving myself the best 50-year-old birthday that I could have imagined. So I'm really excited about it. It feels like this is meant to be.