Silver Haired Beauty: Karen Williams
Jacket - Mashell Goodluck
Dress - Dur Doux at The Confessional Showroom
Shoes - Philipp Plein
1. Name?
Karen Williams.
2. Where do you currently live and where did you grow up?
Born in Washington, DC, I spent my formative years in Jamaica, went to high school in Toronto, and college in the U.S. After completing graduate school in London, I lived in Paris, Milan, & Los Angeles. I currently live in NYC.
3. You started modeling at a young age. How did your early modeling career start?
When I was 13 years old, an assistant to legendary photographer Victor Skrebneski approached me and my mum at the airport in Toronto and suggested I model. This chance meeting led to Ford Models scouting and representing me a few years later.
4. You then came back to the modeling industry after a long hiatus. What propelled you to do so?
Jill Cohen-Perlman, who’d been my agent at Ford co-founded IconicFocus, tracked me down and asked me to come back. I readily agreed hoping that my presence would help increase visibility for women of color over-50 in beauty and fashion.
Left:
Dress - Bree Brilliter
Belt and Choker - Mugler
Right:
Dress and Shoes - Philipp Plein
Corset - 0770
Bag - Ew Leather
5. How did your social activism come to be?
Social activism has been a constant thread in my professional life. While acting and producing, I founded a non-profit production company that created programs for underserved youth. Returning to modeling, I noticed a glaring cognitive dissonance between my lived reality and what was being shown in popular culture. Most of the BIPOC women and men I knew were actively working, socially engaged, and/or contributing to their communities well into their 90s. Nationally, women over 40 have the most to spend on cosmetics & skincare, while women between 55 & 74 spend the most on clothes. And yet, aside from pharmaceutical ads and mostly white celebrities over 50, I saw few examples of dynamic, engaged mature people from different cultures and backgrounds being showcased. I was also inundated by the ubiquitous fear-based use of ‘anti’ before aging in cosmetic and beauty products.
6. Please tell us what “Empowered Aging” means.
“Empowered Aging” is how people ages 50 to 100+ are living and thriving even with challenges, and, in doing so, disrupting fear-based associations about getting older.
7. With your diverse experience in industries such as modeling, acting, and film producing, which area are you most fulfilled?
No one experience has been all-encompassing or singularly fulfilling; rather, each has contributed to the continuum of my creative expression, advocacy, and sense of purpose.
8. Do you have any advice for those trying to overcome the fear of aging?
Spend quality time with someone twice or even four times your age. Meaningful intergenerational exchanges are priceless opportunities to learn and grow for all participants. And, trust me, unless they’re in excruciating pain (which can happen at any age), not one of my elder friends spends a second fearful about living longer. Ageism like all ‘isms’ is a social construct invented so that some entity can profit. Just think about how many billions of dollars the pharmaceutical, beauty and cosmetics industries make because of the widespread fear of aging. At a time when we are trying to dismantle systemic, entrenched racism, sexism, classism, etc., ageism should be also be included in what needs to be abolished.
Dress - MiriMari
9. What does your day-to-day routine look like when you’re note working?
It varies greatly. I’m very spontaneous. Unless I have a set commitment, I’m not a stickler for pre-planning social activities and/or leisure. I much rather go with my instincts and impulses.
10. Would you mind sharing some of your favorite skincare products as of late?
Since quarantine, I’ve been experimenting in my kitchen. I’m currently using a home-brewed blend of raw shea butter mixed with assorted organic, cold pressed oils infused with wildcrafted essential oils.
11. Aside from your work life, do you have any hobbies or other interests?
I’m an integrative wellness practitioner with advanced certifications in Bioenergy Therapy (medical Qi Gong), Yoga, Breathing Techniques, Reiki, Essential Oil Therapy, Guided Imagery, Thai Yoga Bodywork and MBSR/Mindfulness Meditation. I incorporate these modalities in remote sessions with selective clients worldwide to identify blockages within the body, reduce stress, trigger relaxation, and help restore energetic flow.
Left:
Dress and Top - Pavlina Jauss at The Confessional Showroom
Dickie - Peter Do
Cuffs - Mugler
Bag - Nyblu
Boots - Balenciaga
Right:
Dress - MiriMari
12. What future do you hope to see for the fashion and beauty industry?
I hope the industry truly embodies the facts that beauty is diverse, and age is a necessary criterion for diversity and inclusivity. I hope that advertisers, marketers, content creators, visionaries, magazines, digital platforms, photographers, designers, beauty, and fashion brands depict diverse people from different cultures and backgrounds aging in their campaigns. I hope the industry recognizes the tremendous influence it has on transforming the way aging is perceived worldwide, and its impact on the resources that can be positively invested in life’s most natural and universal process.
13. Motto in life?
Kindness is a universal language.
14. Social media?
IG: @ksewilliams
Left:
Hat - Heather Marie Designs
Top - Vivienne Westwood
Right:
Dress and Top - Pavlina Jauss at The Confessional Showroom
Dickie - Peter Do
Cuffs - Mugler
Bag - Nyblu
Boots - Balenciaga
Crew Credits:
Photographer: Giovanni Martins
Model: Karen Williams at IconicFocus Models
Fashion Stylist: Jonzu Jones
Stylist Assistant: Anisa Atterberry
Hair & Makeup: Takashi Ashizawa at Ford Artists using MAC
Interview: Alison Hernon, Editor-In-Chief, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets: Casey Claros, Graphic Design, PhotoBook Magazine
