The Your Face, Your Story Project
The completion of the Your Face, Your Story Project.
The Your Face, Your Story Project was all about celebrating the lives of women over 40 and challenging the stereotypes of women and ageing.
When I first began, my goal was to photograph 40 women over 40 and I thought it would maybe take me a few months. In reality it took over two years and during that time I sat with 55 amazing women over 40.
There was endless inspiration for this project…...
* being kicked in the arse by perimenopause and watching dumbstruck as it completely changed my body
* my much loved sister and best friend in the world Tiney who left this world far too early and never got the chance to age.
* the magnificent woman who I could not stop staring at as she walked past my shop with a silver mane wearing thigh high boots and a fabulous outfit and the men who passed her and said loud enough for me to hear, which meant she would have heard it too, "that is mutton dressed up as fucking lamb."
* my friend Oday's beautiful sister Ameera in Gaza who just desperately wants to grow old
* the neurologist who 12 years ago in February chucked an MRI report over his desk at my face and told me I would not get the change to age so I should smarten up and take the drugs I had tried for a year despite the fact I told him that I was certain those drugs were killing me
* my friend's Nonna who at 93 would ride her bike to the markets every day
* watching as I took the step from the comfort of photographing dirt roads at sunrise to taking photos of people and noticing that the one demographic that was going to apologise for their existence in front of a camera was women over 40 and being angry about that because they were the ones that moved me most
* to the people who told me time and time again after I got my hair chopped off due to perimenopause that I looked younger and realising that looking younger was more important than being smart, brave, inspirational, creative, strong, revolutionary and kind.
This project was a chance for me to allow space for amazing older women. It was a chance for me to allow women to be heard, seen, loved and appreciated. For them to celebrate who they were, right then right now. A way to provide space with no constraints where they did not have to apologise for their existence. It was a chance to make it all about them for a little while. And if they walked away with one image that they felt like represented them, a legacy image, then that was a win for me.
I worked on the The Your Face, Your Story Project throughout 2024 and 2025 and it culminated with a project exhibition gathering on Friday 23rd January 2026.
