When a group of sixty year old women take to the runway show | model competition | silver haired models | elderly people

Beauty 144 is about to make her debut.

A tall and gorgeous figure appeared on the runway. Chen Zhaoxiu, who was 169 centimeters tall, stepped on 14 centimeters high heels, his feet tightened, his toes pointed forward, and his steps were extremely solemn. The cat walked to the front end of the runway, and Chen Zhaoxiu stood still, posing with her slender arms supporting the large cuffs of the dress, slowly opening on her chest in a graceful posture.

Chen Zhaoxiu is 60 years old this year. The Ruichi International Silver Hair Model Competition she participated in was a "very fake" tourism project. The diamond shaped stage built in the scenic area of the Qin King Palace at Hengdian Film and Television City is several tens of meters long, equipped with professional lighting, sound, LED screens, directors, and judges.

The most important thing is that this runway has extremely serious contestants - hundreds of sixty year old women who spare time to practice walking, self pay to prepare competition costumes, and spend thousands of yuan to participate in this game closer competition.

You can call them "aunties", but they prefer to be called "sisters".

In Shanghai, a giant city with a permanent population of 25 million, one out of every four people is elderly.

How should people age elegantly? The 60 year old sisters put a lot of effort into it. After bidding farewell to the era when material resources were scarce and personality was suppressed in youth, the moment that belonged solely to oneself began to become particularly important.

A rare opportunity

In the scenic area of King Qin's Palace, a T-shaped platform is erected horizontally at the entrance of the Four Seas Unification Palace, and the beautiful ladies of the show are preparing to make their debut.

In the scorching summer, the temperature at the outdoor runway soared to 35 degrees Celsius, and sweat made dressing up exceptionally difficult. "Hurry up and help me take off this clothes. It's my turn soon. It's too late and I need to get a headdress. Hurry up!" The backstage was filled with anxious cries for help.

The track where Chen Zhaoxiu is located has a starry sky theme. The dress has two thick wide sleeves like blankets, glued to the arms. Sweat dripped down her arm, and her clothes clung wet to her body.

Seeing her companion walking into the backstage, Chen Zhaoxiu grabbed her and said, "Hurry up and put your hand in, help me pull it." Her clothes were shaken, and she finally didn't delay her normal steps. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Zhaoxiu's interviewee provided pictures

In fact, before arriving at Hengdian, Chen Zhaoxiu had already made preparations several days in advance. In order to participate in the competition smoothly, as the pillar of her family, she carefully arranged the daily life of her parents for the past few days before departure, but still felt a bit flustered.

"Daughter, it seems that the air conditioning is broken and can't be turned on. Come and take a look." On the day before the competition, Chen Zhaoxiu, who was packing up and preparing to go to the high-speed railway station, received a call from her mother.

She immediately jumped onto her bicycle and rushed to her parents' house under the scorching sun. It turned out that my mother accidentally touched the timer button on the remote control, and the air conditioning automatically turned off after running for a period of time, not because it was broken.

"I was so scared that my heart pounded. If I had to fix the air conditioning, I definitely wouldn't be able to catch up with the competition," Chen Zhaoxiu said with a bitter smile.

After a few simple reminders, Chen Zhaoxiu rushed to Hongqiao Railway Station without stopping and boarded the high-speed train at the last moment before departure.

"The opportunity is rare." This is the consensus of the participating sisters.

Most of the sisters who come to Hengdian, like Chen Zhaoxiu, need to settle down with a big and small family before they can squeeze out a small piece of time for themselves. Most of the time, they are daughters, mothers, wives, as well as grandmothers and grandmothers. Sometimes, they need to look at their parents like children and actively extinguish their hobbies when they need to fulfill their maternal duties.

"I really want to come to this event, but I've been playing too much lately and my son-in-law has objections." Before the competition, my sister sent a message to Fang Yuan.

One of the partners of Ruichi Fashion Club, Fang Yuan, is the training teacher for her sisters and also the young man they call impressive.

Compared to teachers and students, Fang Yuan and her sisters are sometimes more like family. She takes care of every aunt's feelings carefully, and one sister once told her, "My own child has never been so good to me.". Fang Yuan felt very touched, "I was a bit worried about not being able to handle it before, but their enthusiasm made me feel that these worries were unnecessary."

The training class in Fangyuan will start from 2pm to 4pm on Thursday afternoon. Some people will come over at 12pm with dry food and practice in advance. After the class ends, they will practice more. She was moved by this enthusiasm and wanted to help them do better.

Fang Yuan remembers that there was an older sister who always enjoyed singing and dancing, but her father was serious and conservative, and he never realized his dreams when he was young. When I came to the training class for an interview, my sister happily said to Fang Yuan, "Now that my dad is in his 90s, he finally can't control me. I can do whatever I want."

Before teaching her sisters how to walk on fashion shows, Fang Yuan was a director at a professional modeling runway. Compared to her previous job, she prefers the feeling she has now. For professional models, runway shows are a job, but older sisters are purely passionate about it.

"Sometimes when I work overtime until 8 o'clock and turn off the lights before leaving, I can still see someone practicing hard in the classroom," Fang Yuan said. "At that time, you will feel that taking these sisters on a runway is much more exciting than taking a professional model."

In addition to his own training class, Fang Yuan is also a teacher for the senior university model team. The courses in senior universities are closer to public welfare, so they are extremely popular. Every semester, course selection is often open for registration at 9 o'clock and the quota is full at 9 o'clock.

As of December 31, 2022, there are a total of 289 elderly schools in Shanghai. There are more community streets, and under the vast volume of elderly entertainment, the vast majority will have the presence of elderly model teams.

In 2019, the People's Daily Online held the Shanghai Fashion Contest, recruiting a total of 120 senior model teams. There are actually more, with around 300 to 400 models in Shanghai, and the number of groups can reach 30000 to 40000.

However, the relatively rigid standing posture and fancy clothing are almost the way traditional modeling teams showcase the charm of middle-aged and elderly people. This is not the stage that sisters most want.

For this reason, Fang Yuan specially designed a "one by one" runway show for the competition. Although it is time-consuming and laborious, what Auntie yearns for - no need to grab a C-spot, no need to act as a supporting role, no need to cooperate, and enjoy the entire stage alone.

"Nong, come and watch the show." Before coming to Hengdian to participate in the competition, the sisters warmly invited their family and best friends to come and observe. One sister paid for it herself and brought six relatives and friends over.

Sisters are rehearsing. Photo by Li Chuyue

Changes at the age of sixty

Halfway through the competition, the dress display segment followed closely behind the horse face skirt show, with less than 20 minutes of dressing up time. The weather conditions made the originally scarce time even more tense.

The hairstyle has been done, but the collar of the clothes that need to be changed is very small, and the temperature is so hot that the clothes are tightly attached to the body and cannot be taken off. The aunties had no idea in an instant.

Chen Zhaoxiu immediately decided to go to the front desk to get scissors. "Cut off this clothes!" The staff couldn't provide the scissors, so she immediately asked the aunt behind her to go downstairs to the supermarket to buy a pair of scissors. In order to ensure a successful dress change within the limited time, she decided to sacrifice the clothes she was wearing.

"When changing clothes, help each other in pairs, first wear a headband, then wear jewelry, and finally put on clothes for each other." This was another arrangement arranged by Chen Zhaoxiu at the same time. Afterwards, she remembered that she felt as if she had returned to the workplace and swiftly assigned tasks.

"I'm still useful, I can arrange these things in an orderly manner," Chen Zhaoxiu laughed. As a former leader in the workplace, she used to frequently coordinate and arrange work in a short period of time, and respond to unexpected situations on site.

Sisters are dressing up backstage. Photo by Li Chuyue

"I was born in 1963 as a rabbit." Before retiring, Chen Zhaoxiu ran her own advertising company. In the first two years, she discovered a fat tumor on her thigh that rapidly expanded. After the surgery in the hospital, the doctor told her that the nerve on the outer side of her left leg was damaged, and "some people can recover, while others cannot.".

Chen Zhaoxiu decided to stop the company and fully devote herself to her rehabilitation training. There happened to be a senior college near her home, and Chen Zhaoxiu enrolled in a modeling training class. However, due to the pandemic, she didn't participate in offline classes a few times and switched to online classes. She practiced hard every day at home, facing her phone, and enjoyed it tirelessly.

When she was a child, Chen Zhaoxiu was sent to a sports school by her parents to exercise, including sprinting, softball, and golf. "Sports have always been very good." During menopause, due to long-term desk work, she had no time to exercise, and her waist, back, neck, and knees no longer moved freely. "My whole body is going downhill, and my mood is also the worst."

Work once brought her a sense of achievement, but after retirement, she returned to a mundane daily life and lacked ways to realize her self-worth, which made her feel somewhat disappointed.

After the epidemic, she immediately found a training institution to register for offline courses. "Just half a year, I feel like I've changed a lot."

After retirement, changing one's way of life is a common goal for many sisters.

Zhang Weiping, a "new Shanghai resident", lived in Shanghai for 30 years. When she was young, she was a capable female white-collar worker in a foreign company. She started small potato and worked as an HR manager before retiring.

"At that time, there were more professional attire and dressing up, but not very personalized attire." Zhang Weiping said, "Foreign companies have a fast pace of work, and every day is like a war, so I can't calm down and think about these things slowly.".

In 2020, Zhang Weiping just retired. She signed up for a runway training class, once a week, practicing for 2 hours each time, and became addicted from then on.

Another sister on the runway, Li Li, used to be an academic affairs teacher at a university. For the past few decades, she has been traveling to various cities for her family, following her husband's footsteps to Germany, and has also lived in domestic cities such as Nanjing and Shanghai. When it comes to the first half of her life, she feels like she is living a very mechanical life, following the rules, dressing simply, and never showing off.

After retirement, walking onto the runway was Li Li's first time living for herself. She learned makeup from scratch like a little girl and boldly tried colorful clothing.

In the model training class in Fangyuan, there is also an older sister who became a board secretary of a listed company in Shenzhen 30 years ago, earning an annual salary of 500000 yuan. When she was in her thirties, she returned to Shanghai to get married. Afterwards, wherever her son went to school, she worked nearby and never had a complete career life again. Now, my husband is a top executive in the Fortune 500, and my son works for a well-known American company.

"It sounds like a perfect family that people envy," Fang Yuan said, "but behind this is a woman's need that hasn't been seen for twenty or thirty years. She needs her own stage."

What is hidden is not only the usual dedication to the family, but also the unattainable childhood memories hidden in the heart.

Among the contestants who came to compete in Hengdian, one sister had experience in a professional modeling team, but at that time, her job as a professional model was abandoned due to "instability". "If we keep walking, maybe we'll become the second Ma Yanli and the second Chen Juanhong?" Fang Yuan felt regretful.

Sisters are waiting backstage to play. Photo by Li Chuyue

The balance between family and individual

Under the background music with a strong sense of rhythm, the sisters dressed in traditional Chinese clothing rushed out in unison. At least in these few minutes, they can forget whose daughter, whose mother, whose wife they are, regardless of which school they used to be a teacher, which company they worked for, or which production line they worked for.

Most of the time, older sisters must balance the relationship between family and individuals like springs, and worries about their children cannot be easily let go. Even if there is an aunt helping to take care of grandchildren, they always feel uneasy and need to lend a hand, sometimes feeling like they have a second child.

Every Thursday morning, the modeling class at Changning Senior University ends at 12 o'clock. Initially, Chen Zhaoxiu had to take half an hour off each time and left early at 11:30.

Later on every day of class, Chen Zhaoxiu would wake up early and cook her parents' lunch before going to class. I have arranged everything at home, so I can feel more at ease during class. Sometimes when she misses class and doesn't know much about certain movements, she will proactively send a WeChat to ask the teacher for advice and practice more on her own. "I am usually very busy, but if I want to do a good job in the runway show, I definitely need to put in more effort than others."

Chen Zhaoxiu remembers that one time she signed up for a runway show at Shanghai Fashion Week. The designer gave her a beautiful white dress, but in the end, she changed to another one because her figure didn't fit. This incident touched her deeply.

She began to focus on improving her image, constantly practicing her steps and losing weight, hoping to have a good curve when standing.

In order to showcase themselves as perfectly as possible, the training of the modeling team is not easy, but the sisters are willing to put in time and sweat for it.

"Raising, retracting, heel and shoulder, kicking out is a step." When it comes to training, Chen Zhaoxiu remembers the key points to pay attention to each step. After class, she sometimes carefully ponders on her own. The crotch needs to be lifted, the gluteus maximus needs to exert force, the legs need to be straightened, the center of gravity needs to move up when the heels land, and the wrists also need to exert force. The standing posture should be five points and one line. When viewed from the side, the shoulders, ears, hips, knees, and feet should be in a straight line. Don't strain your knees too straight, don't raise your hips too high, and walk with your hips lifted.

Every time after class, Chen Zhaoxiu's forefoot swells up on time the next morning, and her groin also hurts. She needs to apply plaster to recover and not delay her next training. After the competition, the aunties of the modeling team all limped along the way, "Many of their heels have worn off," Chen Zhaoxiu sighed.

She doesn't feel tired. "I often need to think for others, and only on the runway do I need to focus on myself." Chen Zhaoxiu believes that runway shows give me the opportunity to showcase my elegant temperament and shine. She enjoys the pleasure of being noticed and appreciated, feeling happy.

In order to realize his new dreams, Zhang Weiping did not care about the cost. She needs to commute 4 hours a week to take 4 subway shifts to attend dance classes. After learning how to do fashion shows, she spent 30000 yuan to buy two handmade and embroidered qipaos. Just waiting for the qipao to be completed would take two months.

A moment that belongs to oneself

"This competition is more like inviting oneself, who loved her dearly at the age of 20, to a grand banquet at the age of 60. Sisters are releasing their long suppressed selves." Fang Yuan said that even though they have received good education and achieved success in their careers in middle age, they have experienced a period of resource scarcity when they were young, and pursuing beauty at that time was not accepted.

For a long time, people have had a stereotypical and negative impression of middle-aged and elderly women pleasing themselves. Fang Yuan said, "You can see your sister taking photos and checking in on the rocks, lobby reliefs, and even hotel benches in the scenic area." They were dressed in colorful clothes, ironing exaggerated large instant noodles, holding scarves to take photos in the wind at the scenic spot, and dancing in the square as if no one was around. But the need for sisters to pursue beauty and showcase themselves should not be ignored.

When time and material resources were no longer limited, the sisters decided to plan their retirement days according to their own wishes.

At the competition venue.

In the past, Chen Zhaoxiu's means of transportation for going out was by car. Now, in order to have more exercise, she has started walking, taking the subway, and even buying a bicycle.

Gradually, she felt the changes in her body. "My person stood up straight, the blood supply to the brain improved, the headache disappeared, and the back pain also improved." She no longer relied on painkillers and walked effortlessly, standing tall and upright.

She felt like she had regained control of her body and her mindset was different. The runway show is like a gas station, giving me the courage and energy to continue facing the monotony of daily life.

"Although I have wrinkles on my face, I don't allow wrinkles to be on my heart," Chen Zhaoxiu said. She doesn't want her image to be a resentful woman who only knows how to do housework, is unkempt at home, and sighs all day. "I insist on coming to the runway because I am beautiful and exquisite on the runway, which is the true me. Although I have stopped doing my job, it is like continuing in the workplace, and the joy and sense of value after completing it are the same."

Zhang Weiping made new friends in the training class and had many new dreams, such as learning to play the piano, dance, and even painting.

After his son got married, Zhang Weiping moved to a hotel style apartment in Lingang and successfully applied for the position of volunteer guide at the Maritime Museum, participating in volunteer service every month.

Award ceremony.

Outside the runway, Li Li also began to be herself again. She wore a Barbie pink T-shirt, white sneakers, and combed her hair into long braids, full of vitality.

"Even my height has changed," said one of the contestants, Li Li, with a smile. "It used to be 1.68 meters, but now it's 1.71 meters. In the past, I used to feel that being tall was a burden and a bit insecure. After the runway show, I was afraid that I was too short, so I kept pushing myself up. People have also become more outgoing and confident."

As we chatted, she smiled brightly and spoke in a rising tone, "My colleagues who used to be in school before retirement were so envious. Wow, you seem like a different person now, making us all want to retire."

The model competition in Hengdian had not yet completely ended, and Li Li, who had won the championship trophy, hurriedly left. In Shanghai, the choir she is joining is about to perform, so she needs to hurry back and join the rehearsal.