Jan, 52

A large part of the beauty of women over 40 is their connection to their true selves – something that only comes with age and experience. Recently I had to run from an abusive partner: the physical and mental wounds pushed me to my limits and I nearly lost myself. Bordering on despair, I went on a long hike in Sweden. While climbing the stark, strenuous Arctic trail, I reconnected to myself and the woman I was before life dealt a few rotten blows. Finding that person again gave me strength and hope.

I have often been asked how it is that I am a woman and I climb mountains. The truth is, all women should climb mountains. It is far and away the best training for giving birth: I have three wonderful children. If you can have a baby, you can climb a major mountain. The focus, determination, preparation, and that point where with your whole soul you pray, “let’s just get this damn thing over with!” are uncannily similar.

It was particularly important to me to wear my hiking boots in the shoot. I’ve had these boots since I was 19 years old. Though I am a new equipment junkie, I have always held on to these boots, and I hope to wear them until I die. Like the lines in my face, their scuffed-up and totally uncool appearance represents experience, wisdom, and at last arriving at a place where I don’t give a damn about looks. Visually, I liked the contrast between these tough, rugged boots and the soft (but tough!) femininity of my body.

Irina, 33

I was a very skinny professional model, but then I decided I don’t want to be on a diet all my life. I think you can look beautiful with a rounder shape. The magazines and videos suggesting that you have to be skinny are wrong. Those images just stick in your head! They make a lot of people feel insecure about themselves. If you are healthy, you look beautiful. If your shape is not skinny, you can’t make it skinny. If you try to make your body something it isn’t then you are not going to be beautiful.

I like myself. I think maybe a few less pounds would not be bad for me, but otherwise I’m fine. I don’t have a complex about my body. I think that is what makes me feel free to do this shoot in the nude. Sometimes I buy magazines to see a beautiful woman’s body. I think the female form is beautiful in general. So why not me, too? If others can be beautiful, why not me? (Laughs).

To have a woman be herself: that is beauty. Size does not matter; people have different taste. Not everybody likes skinny bodies. There are people who like round bodies like mine; we should not feel any lesser. We should take care of ourselves and be beautiful from the inside out.

Christy, 40

In my experience, beauty isn't about how the world sees me but about how I see the world. If I seek out the positive aspects of life, the people who matter tend to see my positive attributes.

I have a twelve-year-old niece, one of the most kind-hearted and thoughtful kids I have ever met. She has been cruelly teased at school about her weight and her family. What kids hear from their peers can be damaging, especially at that age.

I hope to show my niece that she is a thing of beauty in the world: her beauty is the kind that touches the whole person, not just the eyes. I want her to see through the stories of these women that there are many different ways of being complete. I can see my niece’s positive attributes, and I want to help her see, and feel comfortable sharing, those pieces of herself with the world. With that empowerment, I come full circle: I am using her positive attributes to make the world more positive; this makes me more positive, and on it goes (laughs). Who knows, maybe I do have the power to make things better for her after all….

Exploring Beauty, the book, is now available!

Exploring Beauty by Erik Robert Hagen | Make Your Own Book

Eva, 43

I am a “package deal”.

Growing up, I never perceived parts of my body as being attractive or unattractive – it was the whole of me that was courted, tucked in and loved. Chiseled manners, skilful and intelligent flirting, laid-back wisdom and forgiving loyalty were the hallmarks of good women and men. A robust sense of humour, joie de vivre, smouldering sensuality and a certain inner attitude in the face of adversity were some of the most coveted assets. In those days behind the Iron Curtain you weighed your words and dreams, not your body.

As a child, I used to spend many summer vacations at the Black Sea. The sun, the wind, the waves and the moon  caressed our bodies; and most of my family was there, on the nudist beach. It was a time of innocence, and it left me with the gift of having seen all seasons of a human body with un-judging eyes.

For the past twenty years, I have been living in Western Europe and battling an eating disorder; I have gone back and forth between size 36 and 48. I am still amazed and insulted by men who believe they can have this but not that in a woman. I am frightened and hurt by the hostility many women afflict upon themselves and each other when it comes to body image: how everybody assumes you must be on a diet if you are curvy. Wanna know what really happened? I have swallowed too much anger, too much sorrow, too many words that should have been said.

The way forward is to stop seeing the mosaic and focus on the big picture: all of me, the whole of me. A pearl of wisdom from my grandmother: women are like pears – they are the sweetest where they are the broadest. 

Monique, 40

Turning 40 is new and also positive for me.  I started writing seriously this year. Both my kids are in school full-time. This is a new phase in my life and the focus is changing.  

I can't compare to what you see in the magazines!  After injuring myself last fall, I'm running again, and training for the Amsterdam marathon in the fall. The goal was to get fit and lose some weight.  While I didn’t lose much weight, I definitely feel fit. It’s also helped me become more accepting of my no-longer-20-year-old body.  I don’t want to beat myself up like I have lately. 

I have carried, birthed and nursed two healthy children and run a marathon and numerous half-marathons. I’ve earned this body.  This is a message I want to pass on to my daughters.  My six-year-old recently asked me why I run so much.  I told her: because I enjoy it and because it makes me feel strong and healthy.  And to myself, I added because it makes me realize how beautiful my body truly is. 

The opening exhibition at the Gallery Upstairs

The exhibition Exploring Beauty at the Gallery Upstairs was a great success!  The gallery was packed.  There were lovely words by the Mayor of Rijswijk.  The group Colla-Voce played beautifully.  We all had a great time.  We have some nice press and great pictures at  The Hague Online and local  press (in Dutch) with the Municipality of Rijswijk.  Thank you to all for coming to the opening of the exhibit.  If you have not had a chance to go, the exhibit will be open until November 25 in Rijswijk.  More information and opening hours for the exhibit is at http://www.thegalleryupstairs.nl/.


Here's the links
The Hague online link:  http://www.thehagueonline.com/essentials/lifestyle/2010-11-09/exhibition-exploring-beauty-at-the-gallery-upstairs
The City's coverage: http://www.rijswijk.nl/Actueel/Evenementenagenda/November/Tentoonstelling_Exploring_Beauty