Born in Corsica, France on December 21, 1955, Yazemeenah Rossi has not only modeled but also acted in films including Timeless Beauty, Relevator, and The Grasslands.
According to Khaleej Times, “Her breakthrough as an ‘older model’ of renown happened in the mid-90s, when the Japanese department store brand Isetan featured her in their print ads and catalogues, pushing older women to the forefront. Having just turned 40 then, she wasn’t quite in the ‘old’ category yet, but her already abundant silver hair made her seem so.”
Before entering the modeling industry, she utilized her skills in crafting clothes, knitting, and providing interior design services to friends and acquaintances within her limited social network.
”I was a mother of two kids at 20, working from home, making clothes, knitting, and interior design for friends and private clients. I knew since teen that I would never work in an office or stay at the same place through all my life, so even at the time when raising my children I was very active and independent,” she told The Fashiongton
How did she become a successful fashion model in her 30s when most people retire from modeling, considering it a career only for those in their early 20s?
She said: “One day someone needed a model because their model was in emergency at a hospital, and asked me if I could start right away that evening.”
“I jumped into that because I simply love the unknown! I never worked outside my home and in front of the public before, so it seemed exciting to me, as well as made me smile,” added Yazemeenah Rossi.
Despite her mother’s belief that she couldn’t stand still for more than ten minutes and would never become a model, this mother of two and grandmother has proven her wrong.
“Thus, I started to work as a fit model. It was not glamorous at all at the beginning and was a hard first experience, though I kept my eyes wide open and saw an opportunity in it. It became better and better as more as I aged,” she said.
Although Yazemeenah Rossi has made a name for herself in the industry and has been recognized as the fittest supermodel in her age group, she maintains the belief that modeling is still primarily a field for the young.
“There was a time, some years ago, when I started to think things would gradually begin to change and we’d start to see more older models, but that did not happen. I do believe that men and women have the same concerns about growing old, although men might talk less about it. Nobody likes to see their skin give in to gravity. At the same time, growing old is something beautiful because you become stronger with the passing of time,” she told VICE.
Yazemeenah Rossi has never undergone any surgical procedures to improve her facial features or achieve a more youthful appearance, as of yet.
“I haven’t had any cosmetic surgery so far. The idea of going under the knife when I am perfectly healthy doesn’t make much sense to me,” she said.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, 67-year-old Yazemeenah Rossi expressed her intent to keep modeling until her last breath, with no plans to retire even as she turns 68 this year.
She said: “I will model until the end of my life…. But it’s not about modeling, it’s about witnessing, witnessing beauty, energy makes us alive.”
What do you think about Yazemeenah Rossi being hailed as the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Grandmother’? Share your thoughts in the comments below.