For as long as the beauty industry has thrived, there has been a particular idea of what beauty looks like, and that has often been limited by age. That’s where Rosa Saito comes in, thriving as a runway model at 71 years of age.
Hiding gray hair. Filling in wrinkles. These are all necessities, as many women are told, for combatting aging and, thus, remaining “beautiful.” But Saito flaunts all the typical signs of aging and, after enduring tremendous loss through life, marches onward proudly to a philosophy of “If I don’t try, I’ll never know.”
Rosa Saito had passion and drive from the beginning
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Saito’s story began in Araçatuba, São Paulo. Born as Setsuko Saito, she had an early affinity for singing, drawing, and writing – anything that allowed her to express herself artistically. “I always knew I was going to pursue something creative, something I could invent,” she shared. “Everything I do I take to that side.”
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However, her dreams had to be put on hold before they even took flight. By the time Saito was 22, her mother was bedridden. For three years, it was up to her to take care of her. Eventually, Saito was able to start a family of her own, comprised of a husband and three children – but then her husband died and through that heartbreak, she had to fill the role of both parents for their kids. Saito turned inward for introspective hobbies like gardening to keep herself grounded until she was approached by fashion industry insiders.
“Twice it was by professionals from the Mega modeling agency and once by a photographer,” said Saito. However, even this dreamer had her reservations. “I let the idea mature for a year, after all, it had costs too. It wasn’t something I was going to get into just like that, blindly.” Saito was 68 years old when she embraced the opportunity to become a model.
Rosa Saito explodes onto the modeling landscape
Saito, who changed her name to make it easier to pronounce for all audiences, is glad to be a part of changing the system that makes the beauty industry feel limited and damaging. “I feel that slowly we are changing,” she said. “People are living longer, taking care of themselves more and companies really need to open up more in that sense and visualize these potential customers.”
Over on Instagram, she’s able to teach over 45k followers these important lessons and provide inspiration through her story.
In terms of maintaining her health, she lived a very nature-based lifestyle that completely excluded even one single aspirin. It was all “aloe, coconut oil, olive oil.” But inward compassion is also needed. “The beauty itself is in really taking care of your thoughts, your spirituality,” she added. “The person can become beautiful, captivating, friendly, this is much more than the beauty all stretched and perfect. It’s the content that counts, in my opinion.”
