Glam Grandmas: “Feeling Yourself” at Any Age
Hot Mamma – © Sinjun Strom
For many of us, reconciling the conflicting natures of age and beauty is a lifelong struggle. The reality of aging, which is often fraught with indignities and compromise, is about constantly ceding to forces beyond one’s control. Sinjun Strom, a Brooklyn-based visual artist, challenges traditional tropes and conventional fashion photography by creating analog film series that deconstructs beauty standards in our society. Growing up as a Latina woman, she told me she was unable to “find herself” in fashion photographs, both physically and metaphorically, feeling alienated by the homogenous photographs of white, thin women. Sinjun’s Hot Mamma series aims to create an experience – from shooting to viewing – where women from different age groups and backgrounds can “feel themselves.” These words slip out of her mouth like honey, as she laces them with sensuous elocution that mirrors the essence of this lush and chromatic project.
Hot Mamma – © Sinjun Strom
The world Sinjun Strom creates is a chaotic, intensely hued playground for the viewers and the constructed characters. As I flip through the photography series, it’s as if I’m peering through a kaleidoscope into the window of a nursing home – seeing the youthful spirit of each woman shine vibrantly, splashing Sinjun’s film with their colorful auras.
The design of this kaleidoscope is no accident. It’s a result of highly meticulous work, bordering on obsessive: handcrafting each item in the shoot – from fashioning the brightly-colored lamp-shades, designing and printing the floral wallpaper, to hand-sewing the garments and doing the makeup and hair of each model. It’s clear that Sinjun is a purist, someone that likes to touch and perfect every part of the photography process, from conception to execution. The photographs are shot on large format 8x10 film, which demands a relentless procedure of high attention to detail for each exposure, and can require days to achieve one final print.
Hot Mamma – © Sinjun Strom
“People often underestimate me because I look so cheerful all of the time,” Sinjun told me, bitingly emphasizing the word “cheerful,” then laughing into the phone. I asked Sinjun about her perception of the standards women must adhere to be considered beautiful by society. She hesitated, as if venturing deep into her childhood memory box. “I remember one of my friends told me that it was time for me to shave. At this point I was playing sports, playing outside, not even remotely thinking about how I looked, so my first thought was: But why? For what purpose? When I asked my stepmom, she said, there's no real reason why women shave their legs. It's purely for vanity's sake and to please men. So if you don't care, then don't do it. I remember this being the first decision to live in a way that makes me feel comfortable instead of doing things for others. And I think that's a healthy way to live. Whatever I do is for me, and that's it. If you like something, then just do it.”
Hot Mamma – © Sinjun Strom
The obsession that contemporary, American culture has with youth and beauty is not universal, of course, and therefore can be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. In many West African cultures, age is celebrated, not hidden. Women enter their middle age with a sense of accomplishment and power. Birthday parties therefore are authentically celebratory, without the snide comments and anticipated sarcastic condolences, as they are now women of substance, experience, and wisdom. Sinjun’s series is a tribute to the sensuality and sass that remains in every woman, regardless of her age.
You can find more of Sinjun Strom’s work here.
