Cover story: Iconic supermodels in the ’80s and ’90s on beauty in a digital age

Foong is an icon. She’s been a north star for aspiring models since she established her own agency in 1985, grooming models in the country and eventually putting on full scale fashion shows. In her 38 years in the business, Foong has launched the careers of the buzziest names in the industry and cast hundreds of runway shows for fashion houses.

Her models appear in some of the most highly sought-after editorials and campaigns. In the process, she has been instrumental in driving rates up for talent in an industry that is not very lucrative. She adds, “I’m proud to be the first agency to grade local models, increase the modelling rates and churn out some of Malaysia’s finest top models and Asia’s first supermodel, Ling Tan.”

Adib, now a homemaker who supports her family’s business, recalls the early days before Foong established her own agency, when she and Foong paired up and got the contract for daily fashion shows in the early Eighties. “We didn’t have an agency then and yet we worked hard for our freelancers. We were proud that our models were some of the best-paid models back then.”

Toolseram, Chan and Azura also credit Foong for bolstering their modelling careers. Toolseram goes on to tell Tatler that without Foong’s mentorship, “I don’t think we would be having this conversation.” Meanwhile, under Foong’s agency, Cilla & Associates, Azura clinched a career-defining role as Dior Face of Asia in 2000 and 2001.

Chan describes what it was like to meet Foong for the first time in January 1987, when the latter was already considered a legend. “I wasn’t listening as I was completely enthralled by Cilla, this tall, lithe, classy lady sitting opposite doing her work... All I said to myself was, ‘When I grow up, I want to be classy like her.’”

In the Nineties, Lai also started modelling with other agencies for luncheon shows but says that she met Foong through the industry. Now an entrepreneur, Lai says that she stumbled upon modelling at 22. “I wanted to be a fashion designer and went to a modelling agency for a grooming course. One day, a model didn’t turn up for a show, and I was recruited to take her place and I continued to model until I was 26.”

Having known each other for decades, Foong, Adib, Toolseram, Lai, Chan and Azura, now all in their 40s-60s, had a warm and cosy reunion at the cover shoot. Their combined industry experience is 114 years; the energy at the photography studio was all laughter, love and light. Here, they open up on what it’s like to age gracefully as former models under the critical gaze of society in this unbridled digital age.

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Foong: Like everything else, the modelling industry has changed dramatically since the 1970s. There has been a sharp shift in what it was and what it is now. Back then, modelling was not a mainstream career option. The fashion and beauty industry was much smaller: a handful of local designers and very few international brands. As such, there were not many fashion shows or fashion weeks, fashion magazines or TV commercial shoots. There were the weekly luncheon shows, which served more as entertainment for businessmen than showcasing fashion apparels.

Adib: I believe height wasn’t an issue as well then. As long as you had the charisma and confidence, you could definitely score jobs.

Foong: And we weren’t paid a lot either: RM40 fee for a luncheon or tea show. We didn’t earn big bucks.

Chan: We shot on film [for print campaigns] and all we had to check the lighting was Polaroids. And we never saw the pictures until they got printed in a darkroom and there was only so much they could touch up. We had to hold the pose for very long and every detail had to be perfect. Now it’s much easier; we see the picture immediately and we can cut and paste the head of another picture into the pose of the picture that we like. It’s much more fluid now.

Lai: In our era, Malaysian models had to invest in our own make-up and shoes. We had to have a certificate in grooming, deportment, hygiene and catwalk [training] before going on any stint.

Foong: Models had to carry their portfolios with their tear sheets when they went for fashion shows or shoot castings. It was very important for them to fill their portfolio with a lot of photos of their jobs or shoots. This is like their testimonial or CV of their work.

Foong: With the explosion of social media platforms and focus on visual content, it has facilitated a new tool for models, fashion designers, photographers, creative industries, retail and media to market themselves. It has also presented new avenues into the modelling industry, where you can be picked for your online presence rather than the opinions of modelling agents. The fashion industry has expanded phenomenally, which has resulted in much more work for models.

Toolseram: The modelling industry these days is a bit contradictory. The contradiction lies in the fact that social media glorifies the modelling industry with some exaggeration, while it is [also] true the industry has loosened its standards in regards to body types, etc. The effort required to stand out is equal if not more than that of our era.

Azura: Models nowadays get more opportunities to expand themselves compared to our time. In Malaysia, we are lucky to have a diversity of local faces in the modelling industry but exposure was limited in our era. Now, a new generation of models can learn, grow and expand with limitless opportunities to be seen on a platform such as social media.

Foong: The industry has undergone a powerful transformation, embracing diversity and breaking stereotypes. It is no longer simply a matter of race, ethnicity, size and age. It’s everything and anything. We are all models now.

Foong: I run my own fashion and lifestyle event services agency and I don’t think getting older is a hindrance to getting more jobs. Being older and in the business for a long time, I bring valuable experience to the table.

Chan: I will admit my job opportunities have lessened post-pandemic dramatically, and now, once again I have to reinvent myself, like I did when I wanted to emcee and act in 2002. [Maybe] it’s more like trying something else. And I’m always eager to learn and to listen. I don’t actually care that I’m not “seen” at the moment. And yes, in many other fields, age is a factor, though it is now also for men. It’s silly because the more mature we are, the more experience we have.

Adib: What I can say is, I see many my age who have remained active and they’re killing it. I think opportunities will always be there. They’re not the same as it was when we were in our twenties and thirties. It comes in different forms but it is there for someone to find.

Foong: I think opportunities dwindle for either gender when they get older. Companies always want to hire younger people and fresh new faces for their brand... they always target the younger market for longer spending power. In places like the USA, Europe and China, they are very inclusive and receptive to engaging older women to represent their brands. This is a great opportunity as there is a huge silver-dollar market out there. These women have careers, are retired and financially stable, and can afford to spend.

Toolseram: The biggest myth is the older you are, the more boring you get. In my opinion, I believe with age comes a greater appreciation of life. You learn to look at the small things and not care so much about what others think.

Chan: Another myth [though] is that you’re as young as you feel and your outlook. Ageing is very real, especially when I get up in the mornings and sometimes limp out of bed. I work very hard at staying healthy and sharp... I also started going to strength classes to lift some weights, as weight-bearing exercises are good for menopausal women. And that was another taboo—not talking about menopause.

Foong: People are younger as they get older: the [60-somethings] today are not the same as the [60-somethings] from the previous generations. Today they look after themselves well in mind, health and physical outlook. An older woman representing a brand is more inspiring to the silver-dollar market than a young woman in her twenties or thirties. Just look at the grandmas or grand-fluencers in China. They are embraced by society and inspire young girls in their twenties who want to age gracefully like them. And another very good example of older women still working is Carmen Dell’Orefice; she’s 92 now and the oldest model still working both on runways and shoots. She even posed nude at 91 for New You magazine.

Adib: Sometimes when people say to me and my daughter, “You two look like sisters,” I feel slighted as I’m proud of being a mother of a 34-year-old woman. Or someone will say “You look so good for your age!” or “You don’t look your age.” I believe many of us are very proud of our age and how far we have come, and the notion that there is a way you’re supposed to look like at any particular age is nonsense! I want to look like someone in her sixties, who is elegant and carries herself well. A glowing, happy, kind and grateful human being.

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Foong: People are judgemental in many ways. For example: “Look at this elderly woman, still trying to look young, wearing so much make-up or dressing so young,” or “Oh my goodness, she let herself go and didn’t look after herself.”

Adib: I think everyone is judgemental to some extent and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. But I do see a shift in perspective on ageing these days, which is great. Older people should not have to justify themselves for wanting to feel as beautiful as the youth these days.

Chan: Being vain is a good thing, especially in the more mature age group. I said it once: “Lose your vanity and you lose your beauty.” I meant it as a joke, though it holds true. I’m not about to let myself go, because I’m vain.

Lai: It’s not vanity but self-love and self-care.

Toolseram: I believe there is sort of a novelty [about] or rather an interest in elderly people who still allow their personalities to shine through, whether through clothing, make-up or whatever. I recently came across a social media page where there was this elderly lady still keeping up with the trends through TikTok dances, or other pages where they would show off their outfits of the day—and people are very surprised to see that. For many people nowadays, physical appearance is a good indicator of self-care and how much you value yourself rather than what you are trying to present to others. If you look good, you feel good, simple as.

Foong: I was in Paris recently and an elderly woman in her late seventies, I’m guessing, walking along Avenue Montaigne caught my eye because she looked so stylish and chic. Obviously, she keeps up with fashion and her entire outfit was so on-trend. I went up to her and asked for permission to take her photo. So, so inspiring.

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