Advice to Self at 20

Advice to Self at 20

Pinson, Audrey

“Advice to Self at 20” is a portrait and interview series shaped by conversations with women in their 50s through 80s. Each woman was asked what she has learned over their lifetime, what beauty means to her now, and what advice she would offer her younger self.
The photographs emphasize presence over polish. Wrinkles, posture, poses, and expressions carry the evidence of time; of work, love, loss, endurance, and joy. The images visually explore what each participant discussed in her interview, whether through people, props, framing, or light. In this project, age is not softened or disguised; it is allowed to exist fully within the frame. The images are paired with words that reveal how aging reshapes one’s relationship to the self.
One woman described the moment she first felt old: “The first time I knew I was old was after I fell by simply just walking up my driveway and nearly broke my foot. I thought, ‘Oh God, the time has come. I’m old!’ That moment stuck with me; knowing my body wouldn’t bounce back like it used to. The journey to acceptance isn’t easy, it’s almost like a prolonged denial that I’m getting older. But adapting and taking my time and paying closer attention to my body has made me feel closer to it in a way. I double knot my shoes now, wear a brace by choice, and take life a little bit slower. But slow is not bad. Slow is intentional, slow is careful, and can be beautiful if you let it.”
In a culture that often stigmatizes older women as invisible, incapable, or burdensome, these portraits tell a different story. The women photographed here are thoughtful, humorous, reflective, and generous with their insight. Beauty emerges not from youth, but from wisdom.

2026