Women of a Certain Age

For almost twenty years I have photographed the traces of human occupation in the landscape, history written visibly on the land. In this work I am photographing personal histories, the stories of women's lives, tales written in the folds and wrinkles of their bodies. Doing this, I have found myself less and less comfortable with the way American culture defines and portrays older women. As a woman approaching fifty, I have rejected these cultural limitations for my own aging. What does aging have to do with being a woman? How does each body delineate the passing of time? None of my friends would pose for me. My body is not beautiful, said one. Another delayed a shooting session repeatedly until she got in shape. If not them, who? Where are the images of older women? Who defines what is beautiful? Is beautiful part of the definition of who a woman is

Sociology · Architecture, Design, and Social History · Demography · Mathematics · Psychology