Batsheva Hay Collection (from website)
Fashion designer Batsheva Hay has had enough of seeing just young girls wearing her designs on the runway. So, for New York Fashion Week she only wanted women over the age of 40.
This is a stunning blow to one of the last vestiges of discrimination. Ageism.
While age discrimination is technically illegal, it is still the norm in anything connected to pop culture. This is most evident in Hollywood and in the world of fashion modeling.
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So, why women over 40?
Well, Batsheva Hay gave her reason for this telling the New York Times saying, “Because I’m 42. I find that aging is a big preoccupation for me and my friends. It’s an area of discomfort in fashion.”
Batsheva Hay is an American fashion designer who founded her eponymous label in 2016. She is known for her feminine, Victorian-inspired dresses with demure silhouettes, exaggerated frills, and exclusive prints.
Hay went on to say how she is now old enough to be the mother of most of the models who present her fashions.
She also told the New York Post, “I feel like as I’m growing and evolving, the fashion industry isn’t necessarily loving women who are aging,” and that she is no longer “preoccupied with being young, with being cool.”
“One of the things about being forgotten or invisible is that you can also just do whatever you want, and so it’s kind of fun actually,” she added.
One of the models was none other than the actress Molly Ringwald who is 55 years old. She was a teen idol in the 1980s, starring in movies like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club
“It was my first [runway] walk in a while,” Molly Ringwald told Women’s Wear Daily. “It felt really great, I really loved both of my looks and I’m so happy to be included in this incredible group of women. I find it really inspiring. The first look I was thinking of Jackie Kennedy wearing the widow’s weeds. The second is kind of Victorian meets the ’80s.”
“I found everyone was excited to feel seen and included and participate in getting dressed up,” added Molly Ringwald. “A lot women are left out of fashion so to be invited in was a thrill. And I think the clothes really reflected that. They are kind of covered but playful–how I am. I’m not trying to be young or cool, it’s just all the shapes with the fun flourishes that feel exciting to me.”
Batsheva Hay was born in Queens, New York, and raised in a secular Jewish household. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School, and then went on to earn a B.A. from Stanford University, an M.A. in psychology, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
After working as a lawyer for several years, Batsheva Hay decided to pursue a career in fashion. She launched her first collection in 2016, and quickly gained a following for her unique designs. Her dresses have been worn by celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, and Lena Dunham.
In 2019, Hay was named a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. She has also been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar.
Batsheva Hay is currently based in New York City, where she lives with her husband and two children.
