The magazine of the photo-essay
July/August 2022 issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
by Arianne Clément
During her meetings with 10 centenarians from the Montérégie region, Québec, Arianne Clement became interested
in the efforts that these women put into (or don’t), looking good and the many challenges that they face. She asked
them about youth, old age, feminism, sexuality, charm, appearance, love, etc.
Through these portraits, Arianne questions society’s obsession with youth and beauty standards. She also seeks to
give a voice to these women whose beauty is rarely acknowledged.
“I personally find myself beautiful, and when I don’t, I do my best anyways!! I like to have
my hair neatly styled and wear dresses, jewellery and other accessories. I’ve always paid
attention to my appearance. In fact, I’m known as ‘la fraîche’ (the trendy lady)”.
Marie-Berthe Paquette, 102 years old, Montreal, 2016.
“When I was young I had long hair, nice legs and curves. Young ladies today all strive to be
skinny, but I think that real beauty is natural beauty. We are who we are, and that’s all that
matters..”
Anne-Marie Pronovost, 100 years old, Sutton, 2016.
“I’m a very rational and level-headed person, and I’m not very sensitive to beauty or art. I
come from a very poor family. Spending money at the hairdresser’s or on unnecessary
beauty accessories was completely out of the question. I only sewed by necessity. For
instance, I made dresses for my sisters using cotton pouches that had been used for
storing sugar.”
Alida Provost, 101 years old, Granby, 2016.
“I definitely find myself ugly. Beauty fades as we get older. Our noses and ears get bigger,
our gait changes, we get hunched backs. Some are worse off than me, but I’m not
beautiful at all. Still, I enjoy life and I look forward to the future, even if it’s a short one when
you’re 100 years old. I like to fix myself up and wear beautiful clothes. I used to put on
makeup before I lost my eyesight. I liked to curl and crimp my hair with the iron so it
looked like I had a lot of hair! I also wore girdles and steel-boned corsets because it was
trendy to have a small waist. I can tell you that I was quite happy to take them off at the
end of the evening! But the important is to stay positive; if you do so, you can overcome
anything, even disease. I go out a lot, I take Pilates classes, I sing in a choir, I love people,
bands, having fun.”
Jeannette Ballard, 100 years old, Granby, 2016.
“My husband was a very good-looking man. He had beautiful curly hair, and was nicknamed ‘Willy la coche’, (Willy the
good-looker). It was very important for him to be always well-dressed. When he went out to work at the lumber camp,
he’d sell his suit and buy and brand-new one when he returned. On the other hand, he was a flirt and a bit fickle: he
loved all women and drank too much. But it’s important to be able to forgive.”
Anne-Marie Pronovost, 100 years old, Sutton, 2016.
“I actually care more about beauty today than when I was young. I like to dress rather well, in pretty, simple, and practical
dresses. I put on foundation and perfume in the morning, lipstick after each meal, and I go to the hairdresser’s every
week. I’m also careful not to eat foods that are either too rich or too sweet. It’s important to not let oneself go. My
biggest complex has always been my big nose, but it’s just something I have to live with! I used to enjoy wearing
necklaces, but I can no longer attach them, so I gave up. As a young lady, I could not afford to be frivolous. We were poor
and had to work all the time. We had to takepart in day-to-day chores, pick the raspberries, take care of the babies, cook,
help with the harvest, do housework and bathe the children… and all of that without electricity. We didn’t have time to
think about beauty.”
Solange Racine, 101 years old, Granby, 2016.
“Even though we constantly told her that she was beautiful, my mom had always found herself ugly. She often said that
she had a monkey face and that she didn’t like her plumpness. My mother regularly dieted. There were stretches where
we went without potatoes, bread, or desserts. She also tried different weight loss pills. She wore girdles and corsets that
she’d buy at Mrs. Dinovitzer’s store. I think her weight had always been her biggest fixation. she was very stylish and
competitive. She was in love with my father and I think she worried about not being good enough. She always wore
lipstick, blush, high heels, earrings, perfume, and curled her hair. She’d rub baby oil on herself and bought Madame
Avon's rejuvenating creams. In the evening she went to bed with cotton strips wrapped under her chin and fastened on
the top of her head, hoping to lift and tauten her chin and cheeks.”
Lise Provost (right) about her mother, Laure Saucier (left), 101 years old, Acton Vale, 2016.
“My father was a painter and craftsman and he shared his love of art with me. I believe that everything that is artistic is
beautiful: theater, picture frames, poems, paintings, flowers, songs. In a person, it’s the character, the silhouette, the
smile and the eyes that count. That said, my biggest regret is not getting an education. Doors open for you when you’re
educated. Otherwise you feel shame. Regardless of the situation, I would advise young women to educate themselves.”
Marie-Berthe Paquette, 102 years old, Montreal, 2016.
“Of course I’d rather be good-looking rather than ugly! But back when I was young, I
couldn’t be bothered with beauty. It was vanity. It was a sin. What really mattered was the
family, putting food on the table, and making sure that the children were bathed and
clothed. People always told me how beautiful I was, but I didn’t pay any attention to that. I
used to get a lot of offers to go out on dates, but I have only ever loved one man. I still do
love him, long after his death, and always will.”
Isabelle Gagné, 103 years old, Clermont, 2016
“When I was young, like all women, I wanted to be attractive. I curled my hair, wore the
beautiful outfits my mom made for me and suffered in high heels. Still, I never wore
makeup; I felt like it was fake. I married my husband because he was handsome, which I
ended up regretting. He wasn’t a very good partner and I ended up kicking him out. When I
was young, I always had my nose in a book and I wrote. I don’t mean to brag, but people
envied my writing skills. The word beauty invokes great classic French authors, and music. I
like Mozart a lot, but it's Beethoven who really makes my heart sing. Beauty is also the
memory of my father holding me in his arms when I was young. He was a very good-looking
man who passed away when I was only five years old.”
Madeleine Beaugrand Champagne, 101 years old, St-Bruno de Montarville, 2016.
