At 50, Geeta J is Walking Ramps And Questioning Ageism

Mumbai-based model Geeta J on ageism in modelling: Have you come across women wearing sports shoes and sarees and going out on walks? You must have. A 40 plus “aunty” is what comes to your mind. But take a moment and ask, can she go for a walk in activewear? Or can she choose to wear whatever she wants to at her age? What would your instant reaction be if you find her checking out fancy lingerie at a store? Why can women only appear as moms in ads after a certain age? This bothered Mumbai-based model Geeta J too.

At 50, she was the first runner up of a beauty pageant. Subsequently, she started a career in modelling, a dream she had been nurturing since she was a teenager. In a freewheeling chat with SheThePeople, Geeta J talks about how she wants to break the stereotype that age should not be a cage for you. She has even started an online petition that lingerie websites should use 40+ models for all kinds of products.

Geeta reminisces that as a teenager “I got an opportunity to be a part of a Gujarati movie, but my family refused, as it was not deemed right for girls from respectable families to join the film industry.”

Why can’t we normalise that women should have the choice of what they want to wear: Geeta J

Then, as life would have it marriage and children kept her busy for many years, but she had not given up on the dream of carving out her own identity beyond being a mother and a wife. When her kids grew up she did training and eventually started teaching at a pre-school. This job was also not easy for her to crack. As schools believed “younger teachers are more energetic” and therefore the right choice for this age group. Geeta’s fight with ageism has been a long and arduous one. At school also she was told that at her age, she should not be wearing chiffon sarees.

Picture Credit: India Brainy Beauty/ Gayatri Narayanan

Geeta J On Ageism in Modelling

In 2019, she became the first runner up for India Brainy Beauty. Now in the second season for 2021, she is one of the jury members. She says, “The title boosted my confidence. Once you take the fear of age being a deterrent then things become easy. I wanted to learn how to walk on the ramp and I did it at the age of 50.”

“I got a profile made after winning the runners up title, I got inquiries too, from startups and small brands. However, all of them backed out when they learnt my age.”

Geeta J points out that when it comes to plus-size models brands say they embrace body positivity and many 40+ models get to work in this segment. She says, “I felt this very odd that my fitness is what was going against me.”

She shares how once a brand after knowing her age wanted her to model for cotton bra and panties as it is more “age-appropriate.” She questions, “The kind of intimate wear I decide to wear is up to me, nobody else can decide it for me. Shouldn’t it be so?”

I know many women who wear western wear while travelling abroad but not while they are at home. I want them to have the choice of wearing what they want in their home too: Geeta J.

She says an online search for a pair of fancy lingerie and activewear made her realise that no Indian brand has mature models in these ads. She talks about how after a certain age woman become invisible even in pop culture they exist on the frills. So, isn’t it sending an “unconscious message that after a certain age you are not fit for wearing certain kind of clothes?” Adding “Why can’t we normalise that women should have the choice of what they want to wear?”

This prompted her to run an online campaign urging lingerie brands to include 40 plus models in their advertisements. You don’t stop loving your partner after 40. One doesn’t stop having fun after 40. Women don’t stop going to the gym or learn yoga or martial arts or after 40. So why should activewear ads not feature them? Forty-plus women should not feel their only choices are sarees and salwar kameez. And if a lingerie brand breaks this stereotype it will set a big precedent for all types of lifestyle brands. This she says is the thought behind the campaign.

Geeta J looks up to Helena Schargel, the 79-year-old model from Brazil and Ashton Applewhite who has been long campaigning against ageism. She adds many of these international celebrities have signed her campaign too.

Geeta says, “I know many women who wear western wear while travelling abroad but not while they are at home. I want them to have the choice of wearing what they want in their home too.”

Feature Image Credit: Mann Shinde