How older French women are redefining the aesthetics of ageingWrinkles could once wreck a public career in France. Not any more
AT THE SAINT LAURENT fashion show in February models paraded in le naked dress: folds of transparent organza, tulle or chiffon, draped over bare breasts. At September’s event the most arresting devotee of the look was not on the catwalk but in the front row. Aged 61, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, the French star of the Netflix hit “Emily in Paris”, bared all through a translucent midnight-blue gown. It showed, said critics, that even in France you can be sexy at 60.
Older French women are casting off unforgiving codes about femininity and ageing. Two journalists approaching 60, Valérie Trierweiler, former partner of François Hollande, an ex-president, and Constance Vergara, have penned an ode to single women in their 50s. “I’ve got more wrinkles,” says Ms Trierweiler, 59, “but one can still be attractive.” Another book argues that women in their 60s, freed from the “weight” of the gaze of others, are at their most liberated age.
Women in France have long been squeezed between the injunctions of their country’s post-war feminist theorists (defy the patriarchy) and the objectification served up by its film and fashion culture (conform to it). Wrinkles could once wreck a public career. Today many older French women are redefining the aesthetics of ageing.
Elisabeth Borne, a 63-year-old ex-prime minister, and Christine Lagarde, the 68-year-old head of the European Central Bank, embody silver power. A recent poll said 24% of French 25-34-year-olds had undergone an aesthetic nip or jab; for 55-64-year-olds the figure was just 13%.
Perhaps the Netflix show, which the French pretend to loathe, has tapped into more than clichés about Paris. Ms Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Sylvie, a marketing boss with caustic put-downs and swanky outfits, had thought casting agents would judge her too old. Instead she has shown France that you can age gracefully and still get the best lines.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Sexy at 60” (Nov 14th 2024)
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