A Song Yet To Be Sung seeks to challenge Western norms of female beauty and perfection, triggered by my own experiences as a woman entering the second half of life. It reframes middle age and menopause as an intriguing accumulation of experiences developed over time – and continuing to evolve.

Made during a time of self-reflection in southern France, the series is a declaration of the value and validity of female existence beyond the momentary ripeness of youth. The images are a rebuttal to the prevailing invisibility of women in mid-life and beyond, and to oppressive messaging surrounding middle age and incessant online advertising for products targeting menopausal “flaws” (“apron” belly, “unsightly” wrinkles, “sagging” jowls, anxiety and more.)

In defiance of this attempted erasure, this project reimagines female mid-life through a set of close-up images that combines self-portraits with captures of seemingly mundane nature and everyday life. Imperfections, banalities and “difficult” emotions are rendered important, vital and connected in front of the lens. The lines, the cracks, the damage… they have emerged over years, decades even, and they all have stories to tell. They are a testament to the passing of time and how it shapes appearance, experience and meaning.

Unlike the optimistic butterflies seen making their own brief dance with time, I embrace a different kind of beauty as I grow older. I draw on and celebrate the breadth of my experiences and inner life as well as my external presentation. In the same way, A Song Yet To Be Sung seeks to evoke empathy and appreciation for women at all stages of their existence and help them to reclaim their agency. A Song Yet To Be Sung encourages viewers to resist homogenized societal standards of beauty and perfection, and embrace the unlimited self.