My name is Valeria Sechi, I was born in 1966, I have 5 sons, I live in Brescia (Italy), and I am Sardinian (and this is a not insignificant fact, because I come from a tradition of matriarchy and feminine strength that is not afraid to express itself).

After a differently easy life (as I like to call it), at the age of 50 I started working as a model, to bear witness to the beauty of women outside the standards of perfection and age.

I embarked on this career in order to be the testimonial I wanted to see in advertising campaigns when I was looking for reference models: for too long women of my age have been ignored, while in fact, contrary to what people think, today they are experiencing a new blossoming.

I could be called an age diversity model, but only in reference to an imaginary that still today, despite the ageing phenomenon of the population, wants young, thin and athletic models. Certainly not in reference to what is currently the social structure which, for the overwhelming majority, is made up of people over 40.

If for a man, once he has passed 'a certain age', it has never been a problem to find reference models to inspire him (considering that grey hair and wrinkles are commonly considered a source of fascination for a man), not so for the woman, who has been called upon to hide the same signs of time, dyeing her hair and contrasting wrinkles in every way.

My distinguishing mark is my long, natural grey hair: I have never dyed it and it is my flag, the banner that communicates to the world my relationship with advancing age (which I consider to be a great privilege that not everyone has been granted, and which I live as an extraordinary opportunity to always realise new projects). In fact, I believe that the best possible anti-ageing is to always have more projects than memories. That is why I strongly love the expression late bloomer, which represents me very much.

As a model I have taken part in several national and international advertising campaigns (among others: Bioderma, Clio Makeup, Goovi, Grohe, Mulac Cosmetics, N.A.E., Pantene x Moschino, Poltrone e Sofà, Schwarzkopf).

Long, natural grey hair is my main distinguishing feature, but I am not the only one. I have never had recourse to any kind of aesthetic medicine, not because I demonise it or am against it in an absolute sense: on the contrary, I am deeply convinced that every woman should finally be free to do what is functional for her own well-being, without worrying about judgement or criticism.

Every woman has the full right to deal with ageing as she sees fit, the fact that I do not wish to intervene on my body does not mean that it is wrong to do so or that others should not do so, it is simply something that does not belong to me. I fight so that everyone can at this stage of their life flourish as they see fit, no matter what age they are or where they start from.

My presence on social networks and the Internet represents and testifies to the possibility of rebirth for women over 40, starting from their own well-being, and not from social expectations or cultural stereotypes, and shows that reinventing oneself from scratch is always possible at any age.