Recording the passing of of time

I had a short shoot yesterday of a friend of a friend who had seen my online portfolio and wants to get into modelling. She is 26 (for real, I checked her ID but she could be younger and advertised herself as being 22), too old and not tall enough to get into fashion photography, but she is very sweet and sexy, as a nude model she will make a killing.

It was a short shoot because it was a cold day and in my "studio" the only heating is offered by three electric heaters (the electric installation can't take more) so it was quite chilly. Not a bad thing per se for the quality of the pics, the cold increases the texture of the skin and makes nipples contract, but you can't keep a model in the nude in that temperature for more than 15 min or so without risking her health. You can technically keep her naked for ten min., then ask her to warm up for 15, strip her again etc. but it's a lot of work and the best pics will be in the first session anyway.

So, I had her modelling for all of 20 min then she dressed back up and we looked through the shots - some are quite good, she liked them a lot so I didn't undress her again and let her go. The pics were very standard ones, classical nudes and nude catwalk, but when I asked whether she wants to do also erotica she was hesitant. I gave her the password to my erotica port and today she called, timidly, to tell me that she would like to try it, but she currently has no partner. Well. I'm sure I can find some volunteers to help her out, she is open for insertions, soft BG and GG.

But then I had a great idea. How about recording the effects of time on my body. I put a camera at 4m from the wall, in front of one of those mug scales I had prepared for another project, at a height of 1.5m, then I stripped naked and asked T, who was seconding me, to zoom as necessary and press the button while I modelled. I could have used a remote, but T was very helpful to make sure I hit the right poses. Which were very simple and only aimed at recording my current appearance and compare it with the future ones. We chose together ten positions, four frontals (straight, arms along the body; arms behind my head; arms out and legs apart; on a stool, knees as far out as they would go), two profiles from each side (one arms down, one arms up) and two from the back (straight and bent over, legs apart). Ok, the open legs ones were more as a present for T, I know he likes them, I am not so interested how that body part will evolve in time, but the frontal one can be useful to check for hips flexibility: I can still do the splits, but only after tons of warmup and stretching.

I had zero makeup and didn't cheat at all, didn't try to make myself look better in any way. And from now on I intend to repeat this exercise every six months in exactly the same conditions and positions, then compare. No usual post-processing, just cruel harsh shots. I could post those pics, but number one, the mods will delete them and number two this is a group about elegance and there nothing elegant about those pics.

I do regret that I was 30 when I first accepted to be shot nude (by D). I wish I had started at 18, or even at 16, those would have been some nice reference pics. I can show you some pics -dressed of course- from when I was 16 and you would be surprised how good I looked. I was stupid to be so complexed about how tall and skinny I was and how big my boobs were, I now think I looked very well in the nude, a pity that I have no proof about it.

But yesterday's pics gave me a big confidence boost. No makeup, no cheating, no sexy poses but I looked fine. Sure, the pics are high resolution, if you enlarge them enough you will see some skin imperfections, but nothing I would want to brush out in the resolution I post here. It's hard to compare as I don't have pics in similar positions from ten years ago but looking at what I have I suspect my nipples may have got down by less than 0.5 inch - but I can still afford an inch or so before I would even start to consider a possible lift. Butt still has a reasonable apple-like shape, nothing to lift there. I am now at my trimmest (December is the month I start to put back the 3 kg I lose in February-March, and that's likely because I'm more tempted to drink mulled wine than going to the gym). But I think I have good genetics, just like my mom (she also has great skin for her age) but nothing like D's - he was still asked for an ID in US bars when he was 45... I was 40 a couple weeks ago and I revealed my age to my friends and they were surprised. Or just played the surprise to be nice to me, who cares.

I have a small city car which I adore. It's fast and cute and it's in impeccable condition. A model which didn't meet the success it deserved so whenever someone (especially a foreigner) gets inside, he thinks it's almost new. It's 15 yo but I cream its leather seats every year and that smell of fresh leader is well... Perfume. I take good care of it and I hope to get old as graciously as she did.

Anyway. This was my weekend's feel-good exercise. But of course, from now on I will see clearly the effect of time. What do you think I should do, other than diet and exercise, to look good? I could use lips filler (my lips probably got a bit thinner in the last decade but nothing I can't compensate with a bit of "duck beak" and lipstick) in some (hopefully distant) future. Or, if my boobs become unsightly, I could give them a lift and a second youth. Maybe liposuction if I develop cellulites? Dental veneers if my teeth become small and yellow ? (luckily, the former is unlikely, I have big teeth, I was really complexed in my teens about their size...).

I often see women who have done one or several of these. It has always looked a bit puzzling to me. I don't condemn them, I know where the wish of eternal youth comes from, but until now I have never considered growing old in any other than the very natural, but as elegant as possible, state.

What do you consider as acceptable and advisable for an aging lady? Light touches like Botox and lips fillers? Heavier ones like breast lifts? The Full Monty of whatever aesthetic surgery has to offer? Just lipstick and makeup? Nothing at all, everything au naturel?

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