The beauty of aging - Stories of women on significant birthdays

Interviews and Photography by Rebekah Joy Lund

Henriette 55

It was classic Danish spring weather. Cold, bright, and windy. Henriette arrived at my Copenhagen studio with her cheeks flushed from the breeze and a calm, open energy that immediately grounded the space.

We began with portraits. Nothing overly styled or posed. She moved with quiet confidence, graceful and present. In true Danish style, she wasn’t overly forthcoming with smiling expressions at first. When I showed her a few of the initial shots, she quietly noted that she looked a little sad. We laughed about it, and something shifted. She tapped into the energy she was truly feeling. Hopeful, grounded, alive. And she let it show. The difference in the images was unmistakable.

After the shoot, we settled into the couch in my studio with coffee and birthday cupcakes. The conversation unfolded gently, full of thought and presence.

“I think I’ll remember this age forever,” she said, hands wrapped around a warm mug. “I read that when people in their eighties are asked what age they still feel, they say their fifties. Not thirty, not forty. I love that. So I’ve decided this is my age now. Even when I’m older, this is the one I’ll carry.”

Henriette had just turned 55. She spoke about this moment in her life not as a midpoint but as a beginning. She talked about her work, her family, and the shift that comes with knowing yourself more fully.

“I’ve always been curious,” she said. “About people, about cultures, about how we connect. I love creating space for those conversations. But I also need time alone. I’m an introvert at heart. I recharge in stillness.”

We talked about beauty and how it changes. She described moments when she feels most herself.

“In summer, in Spain, I’ll wake up, throw on something soft, and walk outside. No makeup, just color in my cheeks from the sun. That’s when I feel beautiful.”

Now that their children are grown, she and her husband are learning to slow down again. They’ve promised each other they won’t fall into the rhythm of long office hours just because they can. This season is about something else.

“There’s more ahead. I don’t know exactly what, but I’m open to it.”

Henriette isn’t holding onto youth. She is moving into something richer. There is no rush in her voice, no resistance to time. Just clarity, presence, and a sense of unfolding.

This is what the project is about. Not just birthdays. Not just portraits. But witnessing women as they grow into themselves. Fully, honestly, beautifully.

Becky 35

Becky described herself in three words: driven, determined, and after a thoughtful pause, evolving. At 35, she’s in a season of transition. “This is the first birthday I’ve had postpartum with more than one child,” she said. “I’m not pregnant again. I’m not in the trenches. I’m just starting to feel like I can come up for air.”

She speaks about change with clarity. It’s not dramatic or loud, but intentional. “I’m making new decisions about my career. I’m redefining what this part of my life looks like. Everything feels a little different right now.”

What she wants most, she said, is balance. “I’ve worked too much before. I’ve missed time with my kids. But I also don’t want to lose myself. So now it’s about figuring out how to do both. Be present for them, but still have something that’s mine.”

She acknowledges how easily mothers are swallowed up by roles and routines. “It’s not always a choice. We don’t mean to lose ourselves, but it happens. I’m trying to change that for myself.”

Becky feels most beautiful in two ways: when she’s confident in her own skin and when she’s with her kids, completely unfiltered. “They’ll tell me they love me when I’m wearing my worst clothes,” she laughed. “That kind of love changes the way you see yourself.”

Her relationship with her body has shifted too. “I used to care how it looked. Now I’m more conscious of what it’s done. This body has carried humans. I lift weights now. I see muscle. I feel strong.”

Strength, for Becky, is emotional too. “I love that about women,” she said. “We’re so many things. Soft, kind, powerful. There’s a real connection in that.”

When asked what age has brought her, she didn’t hesitate. “Intuition. I’ve learned to listen to myself. That’s taken time. Especially now, when it’s so loud everywhere. Social media, opinions, pressure. But tuning in has become something I really value.”

She’s letting go of caring what people think. At least, she’s trying. “I’m working on it. It’s not easy when you’re building something new, like a business. But I remind myself it’s okay to listen to your gut.”

And to her younger self? “Just try. Don’t overthink it. Don’t rewrite the ending before it begins. It’s going to be okay.”