Denise Boomkens is a beautiful lady behind Instagram account and.bloom who shares “a beautiful journey into aging,” as her Insta bio reads. The account is dedicated to celebrating the beauty of women over 40 years old and we’re absolutely in love with it.
“&BLOOM is a beautiful journey into aging. Photographer Denise Boomkens is (SELF-)portraiting fierce women over 40. A digital place for inspiration and recognition. The focus of &Bloom is on positive, beautiful and (here and there with a little help) natural aging,” we read on her website.
Boomkens is on a mission to get more women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. portrayed as beautiful without having to be ashamed of getting older. We’re all getting old, she says, so why does everyone wish to stay impossibly young?
Boomkens shares self-portraits and portraits of other women over 40 in an attempt to show that all women are beautiful and that all women deserve to look and feel their best, no matter their age. Follow her on Instagram to see more.
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This is Lenny (71). During our photo shoot I asked her to tell me a little about herself. .⠀⠀ Lenny: “I would like to tell you, in short, a little about my life. I got married in 1970 at the age of 20 and had 2 sons. I wanted to be there for the boys as much as I could, when they were little, so I worked mostly in the evenings in a nightclub in Rotterdam, I stood at trade fairs as a hostess. .⠀⠀ After being married for almost 18 years, my marriage broke down. To create a stable living environment for my children I changed jobs and I worked for 20 years at the ABN-AMRO bank as an executive secretary. With that job I was able to provide for myself and my children. In 1990 I married for the 2nd time, with Rob, my recently deceased husband. .⠀⠀ In 1997 it turned out that I am genetically responsible for the BRCA-1 breast cancer gene. After a lot of research about this hereditary breast cancer gene, I have written a book about it in Dutch called "The Right Choice" and published in 2006. My sister unfortunately also carried this bad breast cancer gene and died in 2001 of the effects of breast cancer. . ⠀⠀ In 2007 my husband got 2 cerebral infarctions which had a considerable impact on our both lives. At that time I noticed that all the attention went to those affected. For the partners of the victims, who were also suffering immensely and who were often hardly able to cope with the care, was strikingly little attention. .⠀⠀ I decided to write another book (in Dutch), specially for the partners. This book was published in 2010 and is called "It shouldn't get any crazier”. By seeing the reactions on my website this book is a real support for all caregivers who have a partner with NAH (Non Congenital Brain Injury). Because of the many much-needed vacations that we took, I was able to sustain life. Unfortunately my dear husband passed away in December 2018. .⠀⠀ Despite the many setbacks in life (and there were many), I still feel so cheerful, strong and full of life. I look forward with an optimistic curiosity to what life still has in store for me. . #womenempowerment #womenofinstagram #andbloom #agepositive #over70 #fashionover70 #womenscrusheveryday #aging #powerwoman
A post shared by Denise Boomkens (@and.bloom) on Feb 18, 2020 at 10:08pm PST
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The women I photograph for AndBloom are all beautiful in their own way. They are interesting, smart, sharp, have their own style, have incredible personalities and unique stories. They have confidence in themselves and their journeys. They are role models to me, living proof of the beautiful journey into aging. And hopefully they are role models for future generations because having role models is important for everyone. . To see confident women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond when you’re younger has to have an impact on what you think of aging, especially the way they age. That aging isn’t something to fear or fight, but a natural and beautiful process that allows you to uncover more of your true self. . As we live our lives, we must constantly try to shed what does not serve us, I know shredding keeps me pretty busy at times… Our society's view on aging is one of those things. And when we do so, there is a frivolity that comes in return, a frivolity often associated with youth. That allows you to feel and do things you never would have while you were burdened by someone else’s ideas of what or who you should be, or look like, for your age. . Aging is something we should take gratitude in. I have found that with aging comes natural truths that only years of life experiences can reveal. The older I get the clearer lots of things become, like a haze that disappears. Even though the passage of time doesn’t always happen as gracefully as I would like, I really try to see it as a chance to learn, grow, and uncover my truth. .. #selfloveselfie #thisisme #womenover40 #over40andfabulous #40plus #womenempowerment #agepositive #agingisaprivilege #proaging #perfectlyimperfect #moregratitudelessnarcissism
A post shared by Denise Boomkens (@and.bloom) on Feb 3, 2020 at 10:07pm PST
