A retiree says she spent her life with low self-esteem, but now she can be seen on catwalks after a stranger approached her on the street, wanting to take a photo.
Irishwoman Anne Flanagan had never modeled before and always thought of herself as a serious person.
But after a chance meeting in January with a photographer in Belfast, she found her confidence—and a desire to have a little fun.
“I saw someone coming towards me with a camera,” said the 70-year-old, who is always happy to help a tourist by giving directions.
Christopher Ward didn’t need directions. He told her he runs the Instagram page Model Strangers, and wanted to snap her photo. Once he showed her the account, she said yes—and the post went viral.
Anne was delighted by the commenters saying how empowering the photos made them feel. Soon, people began recognizing her on the street.
“I was stopped in a coffee shop, and this lady said, ‘are you Anne?’
“They love seeing an older person being given a platform.”
SWNS reported she was “quickly snapped up by a modeling agency, a clothing brand, and a shopping centre fashion show”.
“The photos taken of me give me a boost,” said Anne. “If I’m able to represent older women, I’m thrilled with that.”
The mother of two spent her life working—as a career counselor, a social security officer, and a corporate services director—so after she retired, her daughters said she should be doing something a bit more fun.
After seeing her photos, a local boutique contracted Anne to model their clothes in April.
“The day of the shoot, I felt so sick and unprepared.” But, she went in, just being herself and ‘enjoyed it enormously’.
“That was my very first foray into this bizarre world.”
She is also booked to model at the Victoria Square ‘Park and Stride’ fashion show, this Autumn.
Anne says her favorite part about her “new career” is proving to herself that life doesn’t end at 70.
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“It’s not over as soon as you hit 70,” she said.
“I’ve been absolutely overjoyed by the amount of older people who stop me and say things to me.
“They say it’s ‘great to see someone our age, who’s been spotted for standing out.’
“I just think it’s great that an older woman is getting so much good publicity.”
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