This Grandma Will Change The Way You Look At Runway Beauty
By Erin Cunningham
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY FASHA FROLOVA
It’s no secret that when it comes to age and diversity, the fashion industry has some serious issues.
After witnessing firsthand just how soul-crushing the unrealistic physical expectations can be, New York-based photographer and actress Sasha Frolova decided to take on the fashion world’s incredibly narrow definition of “desirable” by turning her lens on one of the most beautiful women she knows: her grandmother.
Makeup artist Carson Stern painted Frolova’s grandmother’s face with makeup looks from the most recent runways of Altuzarra, Hood By Air, Marc Jacobs, Jeremy Scott, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and Rodarte. The result? A haunting photo series that challenges the idea that runway beauty is restricted to young models only.
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3.1 Phillip Lim Fall/Winter 2015
Why did you select these particular shows and their beauty looks?
Sasha Frolova: "Beauty, by definition, reflects ‘the qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind.’ By this standard, beauty does not necessarily emphasize attractiveness in the classical sense — qualities like symmetry, elegance, and simplicity. I chose these particular shows based on their innovativeness and willingness to explore the boundaries of beauty."
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Altuzarra Fall/Winter 2015
Where did the idea for this project come from?
SF: "I wanted to address the arbitrary yet incredibly specific standards of beauty perpetuated in fashion, so I re-created the six makeup looks from New York Fashion Week on my grandmother and captured them in a ‘backstage look,’ as well as a large-format editorial image.
"When I got the courage to ask her to model for my shoot, she was willing yet tentative, and questioning herself as a candidate. To me, she was the only person who could satisfy the project’s needs; I wasn’t only looking to contrast the fashion industry’s fascination with youth. This made me ask myself, Why does this woman who has always exemplified grace and glamour feel inadequate to represent beauty?"
Rodarte Fall/Winter 2015
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Tell me a little bit more about asking your grandmother to participate. How did you make her feel more comfortable?
SF: "My grandmother and I are very close, so when I asked her to participate in the series, she was immediately enthusiastic to be of service. When she was my age, she had just moved to a cold-water flat in New York City and was waitressing, acting, and living the routine we romanticize in today’s nostalgia.
"It wasn’t until I started to elaborate on why I felt the series was important that she became tentative. This ultimately became my main inspiration. It pushed me to contrast the elements of her day-to-day routine (or comfort zone) with the runway looks she no longer identified with."
Hood By Air Fall/Winter 2015
Where do you think these unrealistic standards come from? Why do you think there is such a fascination with youth?
SF: "I’m not sure that there is a single source responsible for the fashion industry’s fascination with youth or, more specifically, female youth. I do, however, think it stems from a societal pressure on women that associates the completion of life markers as a reflection of self-worth; for example, reaching a high career status early enough to also comfortably take care of [one’s] assumed offspring.
"These contradicting expectations for females and their achievements lead to a glorification of youth, as there are lowered expectations and an idea of limitlessness associated with a younger age. Today’s girls, [who enjoy] years of legislative progress of [their] feminist predecessors, are told they are hypothetically capable of anything, and in this way become an idealized blank canvas."
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Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2015
Do you think this fascination is shifting, with the recent inclusion of people like Joan Didion and Joni Mitchell in high-fashion campaigns?
SF: “Yes, I think the fascination is shifting, as many campaigns feature artists or emphasize a model’s interest outside of modeling. Saint Laurent, in particular, is doing a great job with this, featuring not only celebrities like Joni Mitchell, but also less universally known musicians like model Julia Cumming and her band, The Sunflower Bean.
"However, I do find this complicated, as it can often [imply] that through campaigns like this, the problem [of ageism in the industry] is solved, and that the media no longer conforms to a particular ‘type.’ At the end of the day, girls of all ages, ethnicities, heights, weights, socioeconomic statuses — even hair types — should feel included and beautiful. I can’t say whether this will ever be achieved, but I think through transparency and variety in subject matter, there is certainly room for future progress."
Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2015
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