Internet, meet Luisa Dunn, a 52-year-old model and photographer who is shaking up archaic beauty standards with her "Fashion Over 50" TikTok series.
As an ongoing staple on her account, Luisa's "Fashion Over 50" series is a space where she shows off dazzling outfits featuring bold colors, satin materials, prints, faux furs, body conforming silhouettes, metallics, low-plunging necklines, and just about everything else society does not usually see on women over 50 years old.
And that's the beauty of her craft. Through social media — her following of over 200,000 on TikTok and nearly half a million on Instagram — Luisa is able to reach women of all ages in a faster, more personal format than traditional media, which can leave a greater impact.
"Previously, we relied on marketing and advertising to see ourselves, and traditionally these images were not reflective of what women actually wanted to wear," Luisa told BuzzFeed when considering how women in their 50s are typically portrayed.
Now, with Luisa's reach, hundreds of thousands of people are seeing images that help reshape how we view women over 50 and the clothing options available to them. "I believe visibility and representation of all ages [is a] powerful tool in helping create a more age-inclusive social landscape," Luisa said. "One that helps flip the narrative we have been exposed to our whole lives [about] aging and women over a certain age."
"It helps address the invisibility many women feel by not seeing themselves represented in positive and uplifting ways," she continued.
As a model, it's this level of invisibility experienced by older women that she'd like to rid first. Through her work, Luisa urges modeling agencies to throw away practices that see models retire between 25 and 30 years old. Likewise, she'd like to inspire brands to feature older women regularly and as main features in campaigns instead of background characters.
Because — though it should be obvious — older women like cute clothes too, and they deserve to be represented. "I think brands are starting to realize that everyone deserves to feel included at all stages of life, and this is done through meaningful representation," she said.
But "I would love to see the modeling world continue towards meaningful inclusivity and representation for EVERYONE, not just age, ethnicity, and size. There are many people living in marginalized bodies that should also be able to see themselves in the products they use and the images they consume," the 52-year-old said. "I do see this happening already, but it would be wonderful to see this happen on a much larger scale."
"But for me and my own work, I hope women start to feel seen, valued, and celebrated more over 50," she said. "Age representation is a powerful societal tool to help push back against ageism and how women 50/60+ have traditionally been dismissed and written off as past their used by date."
Representation for older women in media would also help shift the way young minds view women over 50, Luisa said. "It gives us the opportunity to change the narrative for the next generation and make aging something fabulous to look forward to, not dread."
And through her online presence, she's taking her place in that movement. "By sharing both the good and the bad, authentically, women can see they are not alone in their midlife struggles and that our bodies are so much more than what they look like or the age they are."
Though it sounds simple, Luisa acknowledges that loving one's body in all of its forms can be a hard step for individuals to make — especially after decades have passed where they were previously encouraged to hide their aging.
She, herself, found her first gray hair when she was 16 years old, and when the grays began to dominate, she colored her hair for years. "Covering your hair to hide grey hair can, for some women, turn into an endless chore that comes around every two weeks. It can also have an impact on your body image when you are constantly fixing or covering up something about yourself every day."
"I decided at 49 I was ready to see if I could embrace my natural color, and the rest is history. I ripped the Band-Aid off and there was no going back," Luisa said.
In response to Luisa's posts, followers can't get enough. Applause and thanks can be seen throughout the comment sections. "Thank you for representing our generation," one person wrote. "Stay you!"
Another shared, "I hit 50 and finally stepped into my power."
And "You motivate me to keep my silver hair! Thanks!"
When considering why society may deem some fashion as "younger" and some "older," Luisa said, "If I’m being completely honest, I think part of it comes from society traditionally making women feel 'aging skin' needs to be covered up and hidden. I think that’s ridiculously oppressive, not to mention outdated ageist thinking. Dressing up is so much more than showing off your body. It’s about expression, creativity, fun, mood lifting, and confidence building."
And anyone who tries to disrupt the confidence she's stepped into? Well, they're quickly corrected.
