Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

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A Gutsy Project on what beauty means to you?

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Julia Rice and her Gutsy project.

Julia Rice lives in Spain, and I had the pleasure of meeting her online about a year ago. Julia is an artist who started a bold project about women and aging, and how our definition of beauty changes with age.
I asked her to share her research on this topic and here’s what she said:

“I began this project on women, beauty and aging last year in San Francisco, USA. I interviewed women 60 and older, recording their recollections of how they viewed beauty in their 20s, their current ideas and how things changed over the years.

During the interviews, I took photographs of the women’s faces, from which I later created oil paintings on disposable surfaces. In the final San Francisco exhibitions, I showed the painted boxes alongside printed text selections from every interview. In my recent artwork, I’ve spent a lot of time with the modern advertising industry. Almost every woman alive today in Western culture has been surrounded to some degree by beauty images and advertising. I wondered on a deeper level how this has shaped us…how women of different generations are affected similarly or quite differently.

Alongside the physical interviews, I started an online blog called Beauty Queen Sheen with interviews from women of all ages and different countries. The blog now has over 60 such stories and interviews. I am currently working on the continuation of this project, interviewing, photographing and painting women around my new surroundings in northern Spain, exploring the depths of human beauty and story from different times and sides of the ocean.”

Julia Rice and her drawings
In one interview Julia wrote about an 88-year-old woman  and I was surprised to read,  “We all looked alike.” I guess I thought today’s media influenced younger women to look alike, and that this was different in the past.
Here are her three questions which I have answered myself and would encourage you to do too. Please visit Julia’s website and participate in her project. All women like to know what other women think about aging and whether it’s different in other parts of the world or not. What about when we’re 80 or 90? How do we feel about beauty? Julia has answers to that on her blog.
(My brief answers to Julia’s questions)
1.  What did beauty mean to you when you were in your 20s (and be sure to include details about fashion of the time, beauty products used, hair styles, advertisements, etc.)? These details make reading your story really interesting!
I remember tanning my face with one of those stupid and dangerous sun lamps and that was about all I did in my 20’s. I grew up in Europe and did not pay attention to manicures, pedicures, waxing, highlighting my hair and all the things girls did in the U.S., until after I moved to the U.S.

2.   What does beauty mean to you now?

Now that I live in the U.S., and I’m older, I do pay attention to nutrition, exercise, staying in shape, taking care of my skin with quality products, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

3.  If different, why have your ideas about beauty changed over the years?

I live in a superficial society (Southern California) where looks are more important than in other parts of the world. I feel sucked into trying to look as young as I can and sometimes wish that I didn’t care, but I do. I prefer to be honest and not pretend (like some women, especially those on TV) that I’ve been blessed with good genes so if/when I decide to have my face lasered or a face lift, I shall let you know about my Gutsy laser, or my Gutsy face lift. Perhaps it’s time for me to move to another remote island where people don’t pay attention to how they look.

I think we should encourage Julia to continue with her fascinating project and since it’s for women of all ages, why not participate by answering the above three questions and checking out how other women have responded on Julia’s blog.

Our very own “My Gutsy Story” writer Cheryl Stahle, has already responded to Julia’s beauty project and you can read it here.

Thanks Julia for sharing your project and I look forward to hearing what you think, as does Julia.

Remember to Vote for your favorite “My Gutsy Story” on the sidebar.

Comments

    • Sonia Marsh says

      Yes Barbara. I look forward to reading your story on this subject as you have an interesting perspective from your career in the fashion/model world.

  3. Joy says

    Thank you for this article.
    My daughter is a pre-teen and although I raised her with a focus on our bodies as a vehicle that transports us, and the idea of celebrating our bodies for all they enable us to “do”, I notice that mainstream still has quite an influence on her concept of beauty.
    We, too, live in So Ca–and are blessed with great genes–but in our local culture I see more focus on the external package more than the internal gifts..even when I speak through “Facets” people are often more comfortable commenting on my face than my message. Both are quite *joy* ful 🙂

    • Sonia Marsh says

      Joy,

      I think living in the U.S. is difficult for women, especially in certain parts, as you know. I am glad I don’t have daughters to raise in OC, as this is not a healthy environment. I’d prefer to raise girls in western Europe, where I’m from originally. I agree with what you say about being judged more on the “outside” than the “inside” and that is one reason why I have no problem living in other parts of the world.

    • Julia says

      Hola to both Joy and Sonia!

      I really appreciated what you both wrote regarding focus of beauty (and how in some places there is so much more pressure on the external package). It’s been an adjustment for me in living these last few years in Spain. On one hand, there is more cultural encouragement on healthy eating and exercise.

      However, I’ve also seen/heard a stronger pressure on women here to be very thin (also a lot more smoke than I saw in the US). I’ve also heard that the rate of plastic surgery (for example, breast implants) has grown quite a bit here in the last years. So pressures are different, but also changing.

      I’ve worked as a teacher for a number of years and enjoy talking about media pressures/influences and body image with teenagers. It’s a hot topic :).
      (And Joy, if you’d like to write your thoughts in an interview, I’m happy to post!)

      Julia
      Julia recently posted..Beyond the BookMy Profile

  4. Bob Lowry says

    Would like an older man’s perspective, Sonia?

    In my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s my idea of beauty was the standard one “sold” by the media. It was purely external and involved obvious features noticed by most guys.

    Now, in my 60’s that is no longer the case. I certainly am still aware of a pretty woman in photos or movies. But, the women I am friends with (socially with my wife through church or volunteer work!) are attractive to me for very different reasons. They are intelligent and well-spoken. They take care of their appearance and clothing but seem to do so without making an obvious effort. They are usually married but not just an add-on to their husband. In short they are strong, independent women with a strong sense of self-worth and self-confidence. I know it is a cliché, but at my age the looks are a distant second to what makes an attractive and interesting woman.

    • Sonia Marsh says

      Bob, I am glad you commented. Thankfully, as we mature, other aspects become more important and I am glad that women grow more confident with age. That’s one perk of growing older.

    • Julia says

      Hello Bob,

      This is Julia of the project :). I would absolutely love to hear a man’s perspective. I have just one posted at the moment, done during one of the exhibitions in San Francisco…

      http://beautyqueensheen.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/beauty/

      I appreciate what you wrote in your above reply. It’s refreshing to hear the perspective from a man that many women agree with – that a woman’s worth is not just due to her degree of “youthful beauty”.

      Julia
      Julia recently posted..Beyond the BookMy Profile

  5. Lady Fi says

    A very worthwhile project! I hate the way the media is so pervasive and affects very young girls even on a subconscious level. My daughter’s school asked her class of 30 10-yr-olds if they were happy with their bodies. Apparently, a great many of the girls who were very slim or skinny, said no, they weren’t! Horrifying.
    Lady Fi recently posted..Merry coloursMy Profile

  6. Julia says

    Hello Lady Fi,

    Thanks for reading and sharing your experiences related to this project. I did a handful of interviews with 6 and 7 year olds at a local US school last year. It was very interesting to hear what those kids thought…for example, even at such early ages, how ideas of female beauty often did relate to how a woman dressed, but also to things like having a good smile.

    http://beautyqueensheen.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/lauren-age-6/

    Are you interested in sharing your perspectives in an interview (it’s open online to all ages :)?

    Julia
    Julia recently posted..Beyond the BookMy Profile

  7. Julia says

    Thanks again Sonia for featuring this project on your blog as well as the great interview! I totally agree with the importance of a good night’s sleep – I’ve learned how valuable this is as I get older :). I love your blog and all the interesting stories you post. Keep up the good work!
    Julia recently posted..Beyond the BookMy Profile

  8. Sonia Marsh says

    Julia,

    You really have a fascinating project going and what makes it so interesting is your “international” perspective.
    I was surprised to read your comment on how plastic surgery is increasing in Spain and also how LadyFi said that girls in Sweden weren’t happy with their body image. I’d like to read your research on how much is from the media, especially from the U.S. media. Most people on TV in the U.S. look like models, including the newscasters, unlike what I see on European TV.

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