Meet Our Beautiful Grandmothers

Vogue's September issue celebrates "Hope" across 26 countries. We wondered what hope really looks like. We photographed grandmothers around 100 years old from Suncheon, Gurye, Gokseong, and Damyang. Their lives weren't always easy, but don't they shine like flowers and give us hope?

It started with a single photo sent by visual creator Seo Young-hee. A grandmother holding flowers close to her face, silver hair tightly tied back, her wrinkled face beaming with a smile. This image connected to "hope."

At that time, Vogue across 26 countries was preparing their September issue around the theme "Hope." We had spent months brainstorming—from abstract imagery to specific people—wondering what hope really looks like. To me, hope was the grandmother's face.

We decided to photograph real grandmothers around 100 years old living in the countryside, not models. We wanted to dress them in beautiful hanbok at their rural homes, create stunning portraits with flowers, publish them in the magazine, and gift framed prints as keepsakes. Most grandmothers don't have many pretty photos of themselves at home—just group wedding photos, 60th birthday party shots, or portrait photos for funerals.

Grandmothers sometimes asked, "Why would you want to photograph old people like us?" We answered, "Because your faces are the most beautiful. When young people see your faces, their hearts feel lighter."..

Source: Vogue Sep 2020 Issue