How can retired women believe in themselves again? Story from Poltava

A person can feel beautiful and attractive both at 16 and 95, you just need to want it. The number of years you've lived is never an obstacle. To prove it and give joy to people with most of their lives behind them, the No Age charity project is being implemented in Poltava for the third year in a row.

Wanting to be well-groomed and beautiful unites many women. Psychologists have long noticed that the reflection in the mirror plays a huge role in how a woman feels, both emotionally and physically. However, there's a phenomenon as a "retirement crisis." It's a feeling of loss and spiritual emptiness after retirement. A person loses meaning in life because before, everything revolved around work. Retirement for many symbolizes practically a sentence; the best life period has passed, all that remains is to write oneself off, delve into home and garden chores, live only in the joys and successes of children and grandchildren.

Anna Boiko, the founder of the No Age project, says that youth lasts as long as you know how to rejoice, and any age after 60 can be the starting point for creating a new "me" — interesting, full of energy, beauty, and positive emotions.

Getting out of the routine

Anna is a hairdressing stylist, has her studio, Anna Boiko's Style, has been working in the beauty industry for about 20 years. She was inspired to create the No Age project by her parents. "I saw that routine life sucks my family and many of their peers down. I wanted to add some color to their lives, show our moms and dads that you shouldn't forget about yourself at any age, be modern, beautiful, and stylish perhaps without looking at the numbers in the passport."

Anna says that three years ago when the project was just beginning, it wasn't easy to find people who wanted to change their appearance. She posted ads on social media looking for adventurous people, aged 55+, who wouldn't be afraid of change in their lives. Some of the citizens were skeptical about the project, writing that "it's just for their people," didn't believe in the complete free-of-charge basis of the initiative. But despite this, the skilled hands of masters of reincarnation — hairdressers, makeup artists, stylists, and photographers — were trusted by the first 8 people of advanced age, including one man. Anna Boiko invested in the first project herself, and she was helped by like-minded people, relatives, and friends.

"When the project started, my friends and I were no less worried about the participants," says Anna. "Although we tried to think things through in advance, we still had to learn a lot on the go. On breaks, I encouraged wonderful adventurers, who were very worried, prepared sandwiches for everyone, and wrote down in a notebook the emerging nuances to make our next event even more convenient and interesting for all its participants.

But most of all, the team of like-minded people was pleased with the first positive reviews. Participants were delighted: "I don't pay attention to myself at my age so often. And here is an opportunity to distract from everyday affairs. Yes, there is nowhere to go from age-related changes in appearance, but this project brought me back to youth and beauty. When eyes are not painted, they are dim. And here they immediately played"; "Thanks to the new image, I lost at least 20 years"; "I want to live, create, inspire and develop."

For the second and third years, the organizers had to conduct a casting among dozens of applications, otherwise, the masters wouldn't have time to cover newcomers in the allotted time. The project was joined by sponsors, Poltava entrepreneurs: stylist Yana Leib, photographer Oleksandr Fostyk from the Sereda photo studio, a complete three-course meal was provided by the Healtsy Food healthy food delivery company.

Last year, 10 people took part in the project, some even came in pairs, and this year, there are 12 women. It was planned that there would be 15 participants, but this time not everyone was able to feel like a model; they were prevented by illness. However, one of the participants found the strength to come to the beauty festival with a broken leg because the positive emotions can not only transform, but also heal.

The age of the participants of the No Age project ranges from 55 to 90 years. The organizer says that the most difficult thing was to refuse those who sent interesting stories and described what they wanted to be because there aren't enough places. The project team hopes that new masters will join the next events and the number of participants can be increased.

How does the make-over take place?

The project itself usually lasts a week. First, seven days before the shooting, hairdressers Anna Boiko and Yulia Borysenko dye women's hair and make new haircuts. Afterward, they have a pleasant work with stylist Yana Leib, who each time carefully chooses an individual image for each of the participants, creating full-fledged looks for them, from hats to shoes, gives general advice on clothing and accessories for "post-project" life. And in a week, on the culminating day, all the beauties will have the most pleasure: make-up, hairstyles, and a professional photoshoot.

The makeovers are impressive. Those who participated in the experiment don't hide their emotions or age, thank the co-organizers for the opportunity to compare what you see in the mirror every day with what professionals can see in you. Some recall that at first, it was a little scary, some were surprised by the result, but pleasantly surprised, others regretted that they didn't dare to participate in the project before.

The oldest participant in the No Age project was ninety-year-old Ms. Motrona, who was involved in the project by her granddaughter after seeing an announcement about the contest on Instagram. The woman watched the process of becoming a model with a smile, saying that she didn't even think that this could happen to her. According to Anna Boiko, not only Motrona Kasianenko but also many participants had never done a professional make-up and photo session before, for them this experience was the first and most pleasant, not only driving but also very inspiring.

Changes outside and inside

One of the formulas of beauty from Coco Chanel was the saying: age for a woman is not the most important thing: you can be beautiful in 20 years, charming in 40, and remain unsurpassed until the end of your days.

"Sometimes people say, 'Oh, I'm so old!' And I perceive every year as a gift of destiny, and the older you are, the better," Tatiana Samoilenko, a participant in the No Age project, confirms the words of the famous fashion designer. "Some of my classmates have already passed, and I'm still given to live and rejoice. It's such happiness! And when you are 60+ and you can look like that, you feel great! When I was dressed, had my hair and make-up done, even my own children didn't recognize me when I sent them a photo on my phone. My kids said it was great, and we, the participants, felt it on our own skin."

"It was emotionally cool," said the initiator of the charity project. Everyone was content. As masters, we didn't try to embarrass and shock them with the result. We wanted to emphasize the natural beauty of women so that everything was harmonious and organic. On the day of the photoshoot, everything was waiting for the participants in the salon: make-up artist, hairdressers, clothes, shoes, accessories. It was a pity to part with things or the show, but it's very gratifying that after the advice of stylists, the vast majority of women have changed their image. Looking at our beauties, I realized I want to be the same in the age of wisdom just as my models are now."

But the real miracle for all participants of the project was that after such creative experiments, not only appearance changes but also the inner world. Participants said that No Age not only allowed them to look at themselves from another angle but also returned to them a thirst for life.

The photos were sent to all participants and shown on social media. In the summer, based on photos from No Age, the organizers plan to make an interesting exhibition in the salon, "so that it's not just a gallery of portraits, but really something creative and unusual."

The connection between the masters and the participants isn't broken after the end of the project. Former models communicate in groups, make friends, come to the salon to bring beauty and guests.

Positive emotions are needed not only in old age. In parallel with No Age, Anna Boiko introduced two other projects: Teach Me To Live, for those who have overcome or are still fighting cancer, and Feel Your Beauty, for blind women.

"I learned a lot from talking to these extraordinary women," the stylist said. Such projects help us all understand what people who are fighting for their lives can give us. When I was preparing the Teach Me To Live project, I thought that I would help them, encourage them to live, but it turned out that they taught me. The courage and resilience of women with cancer are staggering.

Feel Your Beauty is a project for blind people. Such people very rarely order a make-up, photoshoot. My team and I tried to give them a sense of beauty. The participants tactfully got acquainted with their new selves, they said, I feel I'm beautiful. From these women, I learned that the blind also needed important photos. There are special programs that describe photos with voice: posture, facial expression, color, hair length. But the most important thing about my discovery is to support those who need it, not only for them but also for ourselves, so that we can go down to earth a little and remember what an invaluable gift we have: our health."

The caring Poltava woman, who in 2019 became the Person of the Year in Poltava and a cavalier of the International Order of Queen Anne for conscientious service to Ukraine "Honor of the Motherland," doesn't stop there. A beauty project for mothers of children with autism is planned for April 2, the World Autism Awareness Day, at the Anna Boiko Style Salon. The co-organizer of the next charity project will be the head of the NGO Balance Olena Yakimenko, the mother of a special child.

Anna Boiko is sure that believing that everything will work out for you, giving good emotions, and sharing what you have is a mission that everyone can accomplish. We all come to this world for something. A woman's mission is not only to have a child, have a family, a job, or a stunning career, but also to find something that makes you and the people around you happy. Only then can you understand why you are here.

The publication uses photos from the archive of Anna Boiko