Jacky O’Shaughnessy, American Apparel’s newest model. In her latest ad for the brand she wears lace lingerie and holds one leg up extended over her head. It sounds like more of the same, only O’Shaughnessy is 62. American Apparel, the retailer, known for courting controversy with their provocative ads, surprised everyone by casting an “advanced” model, Jacky O’Shaughnessy, as the face of their “advanced basics” line. Like all of American Apparel’s models, Jacky is gorgeous. Unlike most of the young hipster twenty-something nearly-nudes that tend to grace AA’s billboards, Jacky has long grey hair.
O’Shaughnessy used to be an actor, and had only just moved back to New York from Los Angeles when she struck up a conversation with the woman sitting next to her in a Greenwich Village restaurant. Her neighbour turned out to work for American Apparel, and she was invited to do a shoot. The first set of images included one of her sitting, fully clothed, with her legs wide open. “A morning talk show said it was distasteful to see a woman my age – I loved this! – in that position. Here, I thought, was rampant ageism.” At the same time, O’Shaughnessy has found herself enthusiastically liked on Facebook, mainly by young women who find her inspirational. “A lot of them said, ‘I want to look like her when I get older’, and were encouraged that things don’t have to be a downhill slide.”
American Apparel’s new lingerie ad has stirred up controversy for bringing “sexy back” in a whole new way: a 62-year-old grey-haired model posing in a blue lace bra and red panties. With the tagline, “Sexy has no expiration date,” model Jacky O’Shaughnessy strikes a relaxed pose sitting in an empty white room with red stained lipstick on her lips and flowing grey hair.
“I was game the whole time,” O’Shaughnessy said of the latest campaign shots. “I’m comfortable. I don’t feel that any of this is inappropriate. When people talk about age appropriate hairstyles, and age appropriate dressing, well, whose age? And who are you?” Her couldn’t-care-less attitude comes across in the photos. It’s a kind of confidence that only comes with age. “When I was handed the lace underwear, it was like, yeah, sure, let me have it,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Want me to sit on this stool? Fine. Legs in the air? Great, lets go.” She admits that it wasn’t always that easy to say “let’s go” though. “Like anyone, I have had aspects of my body that I have been not pleased with since I was 13,” O’Shaughnessy admits. “When I grew up, the models of my day were Veruschka, Twiggy, and I remember very clearly a shot of Diana Ross and she was in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt and she was absolutely skeletal. And I remember thinking ‘Oh, I want to look like that, I don’t want an ounce of fat on my body.'”
At some point, O’Shaughnessy says she just made “a conscious choice” not to accept certain limitations and stereotypes that are attached to women of a certain age. “At one point I just didn’t feel like cutting my hair anymore,” she said. “I thought, why?”
O’Shaughnessy has been modeling for American Apparel for the past year and a half (American Apparel’s creative director Marsha Brady spotted her in an NYC restaurant), but her latest lingerie shots riled up the Internet.
“I think blogging is a format for a lot of people who just love to get on and just rip things apart,” O’Shaughnessy said. “When I look at the most critical, it’s very young women, not guys, yet very young women are also some of the biggest proponents. The amount of negativity is so small compared to the positive reactions.” And it’s true: a quick scan of the comments under O’Shaughnessy’s photo on American Apparel’s Facebook page are overwhelmingly positive: “This rocks,” “This lady is flipping beautiful!!!,” and “Bravo!!! Much more gorgeous than their other models.” In this case, we find ourselves agreeing with the commenters.
About doing What’s Underneath, 62-year-old new-to-modeling Jacky O’Shaughnessy said, “It’s time to take the jacket off of the book and get to the essence. There’s an epidemic of poor body image for women, especially at my age.” You may have seen Jacky in her sexier-than-any-20-something-model American Apparel ads, but what you may not be aware of is the heart-wrenching lifetime of struggle she has had with self-acceptance that finally brought her to where she is today. Six feet tall by high school, Jacky couldn’t find anything that fit her except for men’s L.L. Bean, and it wasn’t an Annie Hall fantasy, she admits.
By 23, she was hiding herself in muumuus, and each time she tried to shed the layers, out came the harsh criticisms regarding cellulite, fat ankles or any other number of taunts from men — a very sad commentary on the brainwashing of the ideal of what a beautiful woman is. One boyfriend even told her that she was too old to be seen in public with. We love the moment in Jacky’s video when she decided to finally release herself from the Dr. Kildare rubber gloves and let her drop-dead silver hair reign. “Learning to love myself was very hard; it took intention and practice,” she confesses. And it wasn’t until the actual day of shooting her American Apparel ad, after being discovered by them on the street, that Jacky was finally able to take a giant step into her powerfully gorgeous, status-quo busting shoes. “For the first time, I am good this way,” she states.
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All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness
Jacky O’Shaughnessy is an exceptionally talented ‘American Apparel’ 62 years old model. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: American Apparel’s creative director Marsha Brady spotted you in an NYC restaurant. You were 60+ then, this started your amazing career in modelling. You were featured in as the face of their “advanced basics” line of American Apparel’s which propelled your career to the height where you have been at the top of the world of modeling. Tell us something about this journey?
Two weeks later, I walked into a restaurant and this same woman was there. We recognized each other and decided to have dinner together. I had no idea she was the creative director for American Apparel. We talked for a long time about many things and exchanged contact information. Marsha then called me about two weeks later and asked me to do some photos.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: American Apparel has an image of you being dressed in a lace underwear posted on its Facebook and Instagram pages accompanied with the tagline: “sexy has no expiration date.” Many praised this as ‘an example of beauty and strength for women of all ages’, while a spokeswoman for campaigning group Models of Diversity applauds heartily: ‘I think it’s fantastic. Well done! I just wish more would follow suit.’ Elaborate on the ethos and your belief that goes in this thought provoking tagline?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: I believe more should and will follow suit.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You are now a leading media personality, model, actress and a brand ambassador. How you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: The key is to do what you enjoy.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: I fit exercise into my day with stairs and walking. Also, incorporating 20 minutes of Pilates and 5-pound weights for the arms. Stretching is very important.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: I follow what’s known as The Blood Type Diet by Peter D’Adamo. For my particular blood type (type O), getting off wheat and dairy has made a huge difference. I don’t believe in “strict,” per se, or depriving yourself. But eating foods that serve your body rather than taxing your body on a regular basis goes a long way. And you do have to watch portions. Apples are great but you can’t eat a barrel of them. That being said, I do, on occasion, have desert and enjoy it tremendously.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing smooth skin and gorgeous long grey hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: I’ve been a “ health nut” since the mid-1970’s. And I’ve been drinking purified water since that time as well. Eat right, meditate, and laugh as much as you can.
As to hair, I wash with a bluing shampoo for the grey and have a strong filtering system on my shower so my hair doesn’t absorb elements in the water such as chlorine that dry the hair and can cause the hair to absorb chemicals.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: Elaborate about the struggles, the concerns and what the women at 60+ should do to be as body confident, beautiful and successful as you?
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about your experience of working in American Apparel’s modeling campaign and also on being featured in ‘Entertainment Tonight’ (TV Series) ?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: Marsha Brady made the American Apparel shoots fun and rewarding. It was her vision that allowed me to represent older women so well. And E.T. was so much fun. LL Cool J is such a charming man. I’d love to meet him one day.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Who has been your inspiration in becoming a model at 60+ and then achieving the unthinkable?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: I’m inspired by every person I read or hear about who has ever come to terms with limitations and chose to discard them. One of my favorite quotes is George Elliot’s “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to the inspiring older fashion model women, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of modeling?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: If it’s something you want to do, give it a shot. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. Follow your heart.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have done bold photo shoots as a model. How you are so body confident and advice to your compatriots?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: I’m not 100% confident all the time. I have good days and doubtful days. I just don’t say “no” anymore.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Jacky O’Shaughnessy: Be kind to yourselves, always. Love your body.
To know the latest about Jacky O’Shaughnessy check her out on her social network: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacky-OShaughnessy
Women Fitness Team thanks Jacky O’Shaughnessy for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness