Potential models for the Dove ad try out in Chicago.


Would you pose nude on a billboard in the middle of Times Square? One 64-year-old grandmother did just that! The new Dove® Pro-Age™ campaign—which is aimed at making women of all ages feel better about their appearances—features women over 50 years old in nothing but their birthday suits.

In October 2006, Dove put out the call for women in cities around the world—and in this audition, wrinkles, age spots and stretch marks were welcome. Some women were a little bashful, but others were ready to show the world their beauty! "I actually feel like I'm better looking now at 53 than I was at 23," says one woman.

Watch the auditions.

The decision was tough, but after casting calls in cities around the world, the hopefuls were narrowed down. In the end, six women were picked to bare it all for the Pro-Age campaign.

Mary, a 64-year-old grandmother of four


When Mary, a 64-year-old grandmother of four, heard the news that she was going to appear nude on a billboard, she was so nervous she was shaking. Mary says she was embarrassed when she had to wear a bathing suit to the casting call, and now she was going to pose in her birthday suit!

"They actually showed me a picture of someone [posing nude], you know, very nicely, and they said, 'Would you do this?' And I—at first I said, 'Oh, you're kidding. Me? You want me to do that?'" Mary says. "They explained that everything would be in good taste."

Days later, Mary is whisked to New York City for her photo session with legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz. Finally, the moment of truth has arrived—it's time for Mary to take off her robe. And it doesn't take long for the grandma-turned-model to pose like a pro. "I feel like a nearly 65-year-old Cinderella!" Mary says.

Mary's Dove ad


After months of anticipation, Mary travels to New York City with three of her children and her 6-year-old grandson for the debut of her billboard in Times Square. "It's like a Cinderella story. At my age, here I am on Broadway," she says.

Mary says the whole experience was surreal. "You know, when you're a little girl, you think, 'Oh, I want to be a movie star,' and that's all a dream," she says. "I can't believe at my age that I have a picture of myself that really looks good in Times Square."

Dove® Pro-Age™ models Wendy, Daniela, Athena, Mirenete and Mary


Wendy, Daniela, Athena and Mirenete were among the women who bared it all for the Dove® Pro-Age™ campaign. Not all of the models were enthusiastic about modeling in the nude at first—Daniela even backed out a few times before deciding to bare it all! But now, she says she is happy to be a part of the campaign.

Wendy, who regularly swims—in a swimsuit!—in the San Francisco Bay, says she didn't know when she auditioned that she would have to pose nude. "I saw the younger campaign with the women in the white bras and underwear. I loved that campaign because it dispelled the myths about beauty in particular and body size. They had women of all sizes and shapes, and I thought, 'It's about time,'" Wendy says.

Athena and Mirenete


Fifty-two-year-old Athena—who says she was initially told she looked too young for the ad campaign—says she didn't know she was going to have to reveal so much at the audition. "I got there and they said, 'OK, take your clothes off.' I said, 'My clothes off?' They said, 'Yes.' So I had on underwear and a bra basically," Athena says.

"[It was] a little uncomfortable, but I warmed up to it…I knew for sure that I wouldn't be picked so I didn't think about it any more," she says. "I was like any other woman. You don't feel like you are the most beautiful. You think, you know, you have bulges here and there or you're too skinny there."

Fifty-four-year-old Mirenete says when she showed up to the audition in a bikini and a robe, there were about 10 people looking at her. "I said to them, 'Are you all going to look at me with my bikini?' They say, 'Yes, Mirenete.' I say, 'Very naughty of you!'" Mirenete jokes. Now, she says she's glad she got to show the world her true self. "I'm so glad Dove gave me the opportunity to show my layers like that and my beautiful skin."

Elaine practices Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu to keep her body in shape.


Forty-one-year-old Elaine says she has gotten stronger over the past 10 years—both physically and mentally. "I don't feel like I've aged. I just feel like I've expanded," she says. A self-described "late bloomer," Elaine says she decided at age 25 that it was time to change her body, so she took up Tae Kwon Do. "I was married at the time. I was working on my doctorate. I was a pianist. And I was experiencing a lot of stress and personal unhappiness…discontent, but I didn't know what it was," she says.

Elaine says her physical training in the martial arts helped her to improve her mental and emotional life, as well as toning her muscles. "As I was getting stronger physically, I realized I was getting stronger mentally," she says. "I think because I had been training physically to build a stronger body, I felt confident enough that I could actually take physical action to change my life." Elaine decided to leave her marriage, put her belongings in storage and travel the world for a year and a half to follow her dreams.

Now, Elaine continues to take care of her body and mind by exercising and watching what she eats. She says she eats only when she is hungry and likes to drink Kombucha tea. In addition to the martial arts, Elaine continues to participate in athletic events around the world. She did a triathlon in Hawaii, a marathon in Paris and the annual Empire State Building Run-Up in New York City. "To me, 40 means a beginning," Elaine says. "I feel like I can do anything now."

Evonne says moisturizing helps her to look young.


With her smooth skin and youthful looks, Evonne's age is hard to guess—she's actually 70 years old! Evonne says she feels age is just a number. "I can't say what 70 feels like because I don't feel 70," Evonne says. "I don't feel 60, actually. I don't feel 50." Evonne, who has been single since 1958, looks so young that when she goes out with her 50-year-old son, people think she's his date!

When Evonne got a divorce at the age of 22, she says she decided to revolutionize her life. "I just decided I didn't like the way I was brought up and so on, and I was going to 're-raise' myself. I was going to have high life, condition in my life and energy, and I was introduced to the transcendental meditation technique," she says. "It opened the door for me seeing my inner bliss, and from then on, it's been up, up, up!"

Evonne has an active lifestyle in New York City, where she gets around by walking, riding her bike or Rollerblading. She also does Pilates and belly dancing. What's Evonne's secret to looking so incredibly young? "Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!" Evonne says. "Every morning [when] I get up, before I open the door to pick up my New York Times, I have moisturizer on."

In addition to taking care of her body, Evonne says living her life with passion and awareness has made all the difference. "Compared to 10 years ago, I feel marvelous. I feel more confident. I feel more beautiful. And I think it's because I've opened inwardly that I just feel the world's my oyster," she says.

Marcia says working with horses keeps her looking young.


Marcia, who is 55 years old, says people think she is in her 30s. "I look better now at 55 than I did when I was 35," she says.

After working in Hollywood for 18 years, Marcia says she began to rethink her life in her mid-40s. "When I was a little girl, I was horse-crazy, and we lived in the city so I never could get my own horse," she says.

So, Marcia decided to pick up and move to Austin, Texas, to reshape her life. "I bought my first horse just before my 47th birthday," and she got her Bachelor's degree at age 50. Marcia even turned her love of horses into a business—EquestrianSingles.com. "When you have horses, it takes up almost 90 percent of your time and it's hard to have a relationship. So I knew from the time I had the idea it would put people together who love horses, and it's a perfect match," she says.

Marcia says the things that keep her looking young are her attitude and the fact that she is doing what she loves to do. "For me, the key to staying youthful has always been following my dreams," she says.

Marilyn went from a size 22 to a size 8.


Some women age better than others—and a lucky few even turn back the clock! Ten years ago, Marilyn says she was "Mama Marilyn" at a size 22. Now she's a size 8! She says she was able to change her life by eating healthier and exercising more.

"There was a lot of weight externally, but there was a lot of soul weight as well. There was a lot that weighed down my heart. As I took off 100 pounds of bubble wrap, I also took off about 100,000 pounds of soul wrap," she says.

Dee Dee went from frumpy to gorgeous.


Mother of three Dee Dee says she said goodbye to "Frumpy Dee Dee" a few years ago. She says she used to neglect her appearance because she had just had a baby, worked a lot and always put her family first.

Now, Dee Dee always makes time to work out and focus on herself. "I just started taking the time, and if I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning, sometimes I do. If I have to do it at 8 o'clock at night [I do]," Dee Dee says.

Mariel Hemingway


While growing up in the public eye, actress Mariel Hemingway suffered many private struggles with her self esteem and body image. Now at 45, Mariel, a mother of two teenage daughters, says she has finally found a way of living that makes her feel beautiful inside and out.

In her new book, Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out , Mariel talks about eating mindfully by drinking green tea and avoiding sugar. She also makes sure to get some physical exercise every day. She says slowing down life is important for well-being. "Not like doing things so slowly, but doing them with intention. We can stretch time by taking moments by finding silence, and to sit in that silence and be grateful," Mariel says.

Watch as Mariel talks about finding peace.

"My biggest struggle in life has been really hating myself in the past," she says. "The voice in my head was saying, 'Uh-uh, you're just not good enough.' And the fact of the matter is now at the age that I am—and I'm 45—I no longer have that voice in my head."