Simone Lueck | The Once and Future Queens 

I am fascinated with the extant performance that is played out through the ceremonies and rituals of every day life. For the past year, I have been making pictures of women posing as glamorous movie stars. The series, The Once and Future Queens, includes pictures of individuals who answered an online ad soliciting older woman to pose as glamorous movie stars:

Seeking fabulous, striking, interesting older woman to pose as a glamorous movie star for photo series. Please submit a photo and describe how you would pose as a glamorous movie star. There is no pay, but images will be provided. All types will be considered. Thank you! (Craigslist post, 2009)

The pictures are collaborations: Each participant is asked to provide her own makeup, hair and wardrobe. As active players in the affair, the women are able to shape their individual portrayal.

- Francine found a vintage Bob Mackie at a second hand store in Burbank. The shiny gold gown was allegedly once worn by Linda Evans on Dynasty. 

- Claudia wanted to shoot in the park; she said she would like to pose as Gina Lollobridgida. She brought a blond faux fur coat to stretch out on and donned a matching blond wig. 

- Mara bathed in a bath of bubbles at her home in Rancho Cucamonga (a glamour bath à la Brigitte Bardot).

The shows are fantasies, and the performance reflects each woman’s perception of glamour. Through these private exhibitions, a culture of faded glamour emerges. The women are understood to be motivated by the desire to perform, as though this essential desire had been left idle and unfulfilled. While posing as a glamorous movie star, each woman is, for a moment, fulfilling her fantasy.

In addition to glamour shots, the series includes captured moments where the participant is doing something and is unaware that of the camera. These pictures add context and provide distance from the fantasy and a more spontaneous and natural look at the women in their chosen environment. 

The series reveals parallel worlds where fantasy may be the reality, where desires remain unfulfilled, and where faded glamour is glowing, harsh and beautiful.