How Old is "Sexy?"

Photo by Geoffrey Wade; Artwork by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Do you still feel sexy? 

I'm sitting here in my bathrobe shoving popcorn into my mouth at the moment, so um, no, sexy isn't quite the adjective I'd use to describe myself right now.

But sometimes... SOMETIMES...

"I'm sexy and I know it!

When I walk into that spot, yeah 

this is what I see, ok 

everybody stops and they starin' at me."

OK, maybe not that sexy. LMFAO! (get it?)

But every now and then...like once every four blue moons...I look in the mirror and say, "Hot Damn, girl, you still got it"...or something that is vaguely reminiscent of my former "it." 

I might even still turn a head or two...

in the "60 to Dead" demographic, but hey, heads are heads.

So when do we become "un-sexy?" Or don't we?

My friend, Jacky O'Shaughnessy, whom I've known for 30 years, seems to be getting sexier as she gets older...and, at age 62, has become a worldwide phenomenon...

...as a lingerie model!

Photo by Marsha Brady, courtesy of American Apparel

Now, THAT's what you call "I'm too sexy for my shirt!"

The tag line for the American Apparel lingerie ad is...

"Sexy Has No Expiration Date"

Don't you love that???

Jacky has been modeling for American Apparel for just about 2 years. Not just undies...in fact, most times, she is fully clothed. 

If ever there was a story to prove that dreams can come true an any age, this is it. 

Photo by Marsha Brady, courtesy of American Apparel

Jacky and I met back in 1983. I was working at a television network, and we hired a temp to do secretarial work. In walks this 6-foot tall woman, wearing a man's coat, men's galoshes, men's glasses, a baggy dress, no makeup, and her hair up in a kerchief. My co-worker and I exchanged concerned glances... WHO did the agency send us? Even Jacky says, "I looked like I just got off a boat on Ellis Island." 

Just before lunch, she excused herself to the Ladies' Room,saying something about going on an audition.  When she came back, our jaws dropped. It took us a minute to realize this was our temp. We had witnessed a Cinderella moment.

She had popped in her contacts, put on some makeup, done her hair and changed her clothes. Jacky was...

Stunning.

Photo Courtesy of Jacalyn O'Shaughnessy

She ended up working for us for four years, and we were crushed when she decided to move to LA to actively pursue her acting career.  She did land some great roles (you can watch her 5-minute reel here) --Moonlighting, Night Court, Growing Pains, to name a few. Check out her professional website here. 

Photo Courtesy of Jacalyn O'Shaughnessy

Even after 24 years, LA never "clicked" for Jacky.  She missed her friends, family, and the change of seasons. So we weren't totally surprised (truth be told, we were secretly thrilled!) when she moved back to New York City in December 2011, just before her 60th birthday.  She just couldn't see starting a new decade in a city that never felt like home.

Jacky and her dog, Wolfie (2004); Photo Courtesy of Jacalyn O'Shaughnessy

As she was pondering a move back East, Jacky was also thinking about "next steps" in her career, and thought she'd like to try "mature modeling." Ironically, after all those years in LA, Jacky was back in NY for about 5 minutes a few weeks when she was "discovered" as a model.

"I was sitting on a stoop in the West Village late one night,  smoking a cigarette (I had one at night to help me fall asleep), when a woman, who was about to hail a cab, said, "You look very regal, sitting there smoking that cigarette."

Jacky's reply -- "I don't think many people would agree with you," meaning that most people wouldn't think smoking was "regal."  But as the woman got into the cab, she said, "YOU are beautiful." 

Photo by Geoffrey Wade

A few weeks later, Jacky was sitting at the bar in a restaurant in the West Village, when a woman who looked familiar walked in. It was the "taxi" woman.  She asked Jacky to join her for dinner and the two talked non-stop for hours. At one point she asked Jacky what she did. "I am an actress, and I'd like to try "mature modeling," having no idea that her dinner companion, Marsha Brady, was the Creative Director at American Apparel.

Nor did Marsha reveal herself as such, until a few weeks later, when she called Jacky for the first of several photo shoots...and the now "renowned" lingerie shots were taken. American Apparel, who is known for their provocative and artistic advertising campaigns, got tremendous response from this shot, as well as some critical comments...but Jacky says that during the photo shoot, she was told to "just relax," so she sat in the same position she's been comfortable in since she was two years old, with her legs...as we would say in Yiddish... "oysgeshprait" -- or spread apart.

Photo Courtesy of Jacalyn O'Shaughnessy

Jacky and I had dinner a few weeks ago, along with some other friends. (I cannot believe that I am posting that old photo of me -- but I'm "taking one for the blog post").

Amy and Jacky...Then and Now

She was telling us (modestly, I might add) about the online attention she is getting... Elle Magazine, Fashionista, Huffington Post, NY Daily News, Perez Hilton, as well as coverage all around the world....Vogue Italy, The Guardian (UK), France, Vietnam, Chile, Norway...There are way too many to name. She's pretty popular on Pinterest and Instagram, too.  

Not only that...she's been contacted by several very popular TV talk shows...in fact, she's going to be on the Today Show in a couple of weeks!
  
Has it gone to her head? Nahhh! She's still the same down-to-earth person she was when she walked into our office all those years ago. Better dressed, yes, but still "our Jacky" with the incredible wit. I'll have you know that she is a very gifted writer, and we keep trying to convince her to start a blog, or write a book. DO IT, JACKY!

So what does it feel like to go viral? Jacky says that she's "surprised" when she's recognized...like when the guys in her local deli pulled up a photo of her on Instagram, and said, "Is this you?"  

Surprised? Uh, Jacky, I think your silver mane and 6-foot frame kind of make you uniquely noticeable, make-up or not.

Photo by Marsha Brady, courtesy of American Apparel

But her favorite "fame" story is when a waiter in a local restaurant told her he showed Jacky's lingerie photos to his wife, and said, "This is what I want in 38 years." What he meant was, he wanted them to age like Jacky has, and hoped that when they hit their 60's, they'd have Jacky's energy and vibrancy. 

I guess that definitively answers my question of...

 "How old is sexy?" 

Photo by Geoffrey Wade

It's as old as we damn please.

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