Director Anna Radchenko tackles the issue of ageism in her latest fashion film GRANDmothers. Filmed in Russia, the visuals depict the possibility of women being able to have children during older stages of life, all the while highlighting the beauty of style flair of each model in the video. Radchenko also challenges stereootypes of not only tradtional aspects of motherhood but also the standard perception of youthfulness. GRANDmothers feature a number of pieces by designers including Outlaw Moscow, Fakbyfak and Roma Uvarov Design.

Touching on GRANDmothers, Anna Radchenko mentioned:

“I was thirty years old when I became a mother. This made me think about how in the USSR I would have been referred to as an “Old Mother” on my medical card. Which is crazy when you think about it. Childless women over the age of forty or fifty are often seen as purposeless and they are encouraged to embrace a more sedentary lifestyle. On the other hand, men are perceived as getting better with age. This mindset is particularly true to Russia, though still very much present all over the world.

GRANDMothers is a reflection on this. It holds an element of criticism, but it’s also a positive reminder of how far we’ve come in terms of being able to make our choices. By having projects such as GRANDmothers published and shared online, I want to make a difference in shifting our mindset and allowing us to perceive ageing as something as valuable for women, as it is for men.”

GRANDmothers from Anna Radchenko on Vimeo.