Let yourself shine through

There is no such thing as flawless beauty, unless on Photoshop. Every imperfection is perfect the way it is

Angelika Buettner, fashion and beauty photographer and author of I AM: Celebrating the Perfect Imperfect, a photographic journey of women from 40 to 99 years old

Courtesy of the Google algorithm, I recently stepped into I AM: Celebrating the Perfect Imperfect, a brand new book by the German photographer Angelika Buettner. Or, I’d better say, a co-creation of the artist and over a hundred women on both sides of the Atlantic. Aged from 40 to 99, these women seized the opportunity to explore and expose their real selves in front of a fashion photographer’s camera. With seven years in the making and thousands of pictures shot, I AM is not “just” a book about naked female bodies in the full variety of ages, shapes, sizes, and colors. While this would already be something in a society that systematically blackens out our aging bodies, Angelika offered her models much more than visibility.

She asked them how they wanted to be represented, leaving the entire playfield to them to answer a key question: who am I? Of all the answers that emerged, there’s not one similar to another, but they all share some common elements. There are awareness, pride and a sort of a delicate kindness for one’s self. It is more than self-acceptance because it is infused of an element of surprise, as if the portrayed woman exclaimed: “Oh, so that’s who you are!”

Talking with Angelika is refreshing: she’s welcoming and generous and I can imagine how, with her finger on the shutter-release button, she managed to become a medium herself. Very similarly to Socrate’s metaphor of the midwife, who helps others to give birth to the wisdom that is in them, Angelika’s work brings new awareness to life. And this applies to the onlookers too, used as we are to a sexualized view of the female body. Angelika and her women, instead, explore the full extent of the female-gaze: the strength, the marvel, the pride, the clarity, the liberation, the joy.

One last thing. When Napoleon asked his artist to paint him “Calme sur un cheval fuogueux” (Calm on a fiery horse), his equestrian portrait became a manifesto, with five versions of the same image. My wish is that I AM - The Movement will become a manifesto for our age, our aging, and that of those to come.

Why and how did you envision the creation of I AM?

I AM is a journey that was born when I was living in France. Working as a fashion and beauty photographer, I witnessed first hand how the campaigns for high-end anti-aging products employed models of 25-30 years old that were then retouched. I realized that there was no truth in these images, the same way older women were either blacked-out or portrayed as old grandmothers.

While highlighting some aspects and silencing others, I’m well aware that photographs have the power to tell a complex story. That’s how I began to think about the real representation of older women. My objective was to show them for whom they really were. 

Is this the reason why you decided to portrait them without clothes? 

I questioned if I had to shoot them nude or wearing some lingerie, shoes or accessories, but I realized that the second option would have meant to have them posing and I was aiming for the naked truth. Ours were one-to-one sessions, without a team, just the woman and me.

How did you recruit them?

We grow up believing that the only truly beautiful women are the ones represented in the magazines and the movies. I began taking pictures of friends and recruiting turned out easier than what you could think. Little by little, the voice spread and the women suggested the names of their friends and acquaintances. I started recruiting women over the age of 40, because it was a very important age in my life and I ended up photographing women up to the age of 99 (she has just turned 102).

Not all the women you photographed were models, correct?

With the exception of some, like Karen Williams, Violeta Sanchez, Sylvia Gobbel, and Jackie O’Shaughnessy, the model of American Apparel, who was discovered on NY streets by accident, the women I photographed were not models or ex-models.

As a photographer, my style and concept is that I do not look for the idea of classic beauty we see everywhere. Instead, I am more attracted by the edges of beauty, the so-called imperfections and probably this played a role in the realization that women, whatever their age, have the right to be seen, discover and portray their individual beauty and their personality. 

I think they accepted to be photographed naked, because they liked the idea of having a beautiful portrait.

It took you years to finish your project. How did it evolve during this time?

It took me more than seven years to complete 121 image sessions. This was the moment when I said to myself, stop, this sounds like a good number. It was an on and off project that grew with time and my changes of locations. The idea of turning the images into a book was there from the very beginning. From the first session I started collecting testimonials of every lady photographed.

The goal was to go beyond a nude portrait and give the women the possibility to express even more about themselves: their message or mission, their joys or struggles. This was important for me and I felt it would emphasize a less voyeuristic approach to the book. When I got in touch regarding the book with Karen Williams, the model and producer, she motivated me also to shoot video interviews of the women. That’s how the concept of The Movement was born.

Karen, as an empowered aging ambassador, hosted and produced the series of inspired conversations with the goal to disrupt aging and open an exchange for all women and touch them.

Why did you pick the name I AM?

At first, I was thinking about a German expression as a working title, that means being in the center. Unexpectedly, as a blink, the name arrived in a flash. I AM - and it felt right. The Movement embodies the fact that it’s about the women, not nudes. It’s a tribute to their beauty that I see everywhere and, from a certain point of view, a way to echo the cultural conditioning about beauty described by Naomi Wolf in her book The Beauty Myth.

I AM feels like a battle cry for women doomed to invisibility. Was it meant to be so?

It’s not a battle cry, it’s something that comes from within. I want to talk to society and the women portrayed in the book expect social recognition. It’s a way to say that we are not invisible. And all women in this book signed up to that mission, by taking away all fear of judgment from the outside. They are edgy and elegant, bold and authentic, unapologetic and strong, fierce and vulnerable. I am grateful for every single one.

Why did you feel the need to stress the relationship between perfection and imperfection in the title?

There is no such thing as “flawless beauty,” unless on Photoshop. Every imperfection is perfect the way it is. It’s like a claim, an invitation to stop comparing and accept our uniqueness.

We all witnessed the advent of the super models and the hyper sexualization of the female body. This gaze is probably the biggest obstacle to self-perception for aging women. Do you agree?

Absolutely. That’s also why my pictures are not retouched, not made up. They show women who feel comfortable with themselves, showing the truth. And they still like what they see!! This proves it is possible!

The dominant iconography, in which women are impersonators of a precise concept of sexualized beauty, is practically inescapable. Do you notice growing awareness for the "side effects” of these images?

We’re surrounded by totally sexualized images. When I decided to embark in this journey, I asked myself: if I show naked women, do I sexualize them? Then I realized that this is not the case, because I show them as they are. My gaze is not sexual, but it opens the expression of the female sensuality, leaves room for expansion, which is not destined to the outside but comes from the inside, not destined to seduce anyone. Every woman owns herself.

There’s something special about nude portraits, the personality shines through. The images were about them. I listened and approached every session with no pre-conceptions. I didn’t tell them what kind of picture I wanted. On the opposite: I asked them how they see themselves, where they feel the best, which environment could work best. I tried to stay as open as possible. They found the process liberating. 

The women I photographed didn’t see themselves as objects, but as subjects. We shot hundreds of pictures, then I presented my selection and my favorite and I had them all participate in the final choice, as by respect I want all of them be happy with their image. There was so much trust involved in this process. At first, some of them were shy, but soon they realized the need to pose in front of the camera for themselves. They certainly moved beyond their comfort zone, they challenged themselves, they wanted this to be an example for their lives. I am in awe for this trust.

Do you think that the dominant iconography prevents or limits the essence, the authenticity of the person to shine through? 

People are beginning to realize that there’s more diversity than the classic youthful beauty portrayed by beauty and fashion magazines. Diversity is still a theme, it’s not normal yet. But questioning the “graywashing” has to start somewhere. Social media are giving a hand, you see more diverse age groups, never-seen-before images. 

What came as a surprise in this intimate photographic journey?

How amazing mature women are. They are re-defining themselves, they imagine new directions for their future. Age does not matter. We are all on a soul journey. I hope everybody understands that just our physical body is transforming. I am so positively moved by the friendships that these images have promoted. There’s really more depth behind the images, our relationship, but also a real slice of themselves. Every image has its story and it was always fun to do it, allowing to leave space for the unexpected, unpredictable.

How has I AM impacted on your work as a fashion, beauty and advertising photographer?

It changed my perception of the photographic truth. I enjoy taking portraits and much more than before I’m looking for the profound in the person I photograph. It’s like as if my ego steps back to let the person shine through.

How has this project changed the way you view aging?

I consider aging as a process we can enjoy, respect and not hide. It’s a stage of life. I’m also much more aware of the need to go beyond one’s own age cluster. We need to mix, and to encounter other generations.

From what my daughter told me, her university friends were very moved by the message of I AM. It is in our hands to teach our kids a way to self-acceptance, self-esteem and tolerance to all beings. We are in this together and we’re beginning to realize it. Hence, the idea of a movement. It has just started and will move on with new exciting connections and encounters. Like my friend Jeanie said: Women, there is so much more than our beauty! And I think it’s so true!

P.S. While you can follow Angelika’s work on her instagram’s account, here’s a small gallery of the authentic selves she captured