29 photos prove getting older doesn't mean getting less badass.
They're like glamour shots, but better.
New York City seniors are all dressed up and ready to shut down some myths about what it means to grow up.
And just a heads-up, they're gonna make your selfies look like total amateur hour while they're at it.
Just look at 86-year-old Warren Bass Jr. He's so dapper in his suit.
Warren Bass Jr., 86. All photos by Richard Henry, used with permission.
He's such a Stylin' Senior. Officially, even. New York City says so.
Stylin' Seniors, a project by the NYC Department for the Aging, aims to celebrate the oldest and wisest among us.
For the past two years, photographer Richard Henry — a senior citizen himself — has been visiting senior centers and setting up "Stylin' Senior" photoshoots for those who want to show off their style and express themselves in a way seniors don't often get a chance to do.
Theresa Pepe, 83.
The photoshoots are just as fun as they are important. Many seniors are vibrant, active, and dressed to impress. And they have great stories to tell.
"There is often this idea that seniors go to senior centers just to eat lunch and play bingo and sit around," explained Jon Minners, director of public affairs at the NYC Department for the Aging. That's not the reality of it.
Here are 27 more photos from the project that prove getting older doesn't mean getting less badass:
1. Ali Riddick, 81, has "the look" down pat.
She enjoys going to Rochdale Neighborhood Senior Center and connecting with people.
2. Walter Kehr, 88, is the epitome of style.
What a look! I bet he even uses the hankerchief in his breast pocket.
3. Eduardo Roldos, 76, is from Cuba and has a Ph.D. in philosophy.
He also has approximately 125 suspenders, with matching ties.
That's quite a collection!
4. Vivian Smith, 92, takes belly dancing, opera, and Shakespeare classes at the Stein Senior Center.
5. Cheri Cummino Markle, 76, is a veteran, seen here with one of her four rescue cats.
6. Charles E. Lee, 83, loves the staff and the games played at the Robert Couche Senior Center in Jamaica, Queens.
7. Herbert Jackson, 70, wasn't about to let his recent cataract surgery stop him from his photoshoot.
He likes to reminisce on his hoopin' days.
8. Margot Neuburger, 88, made the coat she's wearing.
It's beautiful and very chic.
9. Bernard Dove, 75, is a professional line dance instructor and jazz dancer.
He's even performed at the Apollo Theater and Madison Square Garden!
10. Milania Zhornist, 75, and her husband of 51+ years, Vovik, 76, sure love dancin'.
11. Gladys Solano, 71, loves to cook, dance, socialize, and enjoy life.
12. Emily Basile, 90, says she's very glad to be in such good health.
She says the HANAC's Angelo Petromelis Senior Center is her lifeline.
13. Helen Savarese, 87, loves making friends at her senior center.
"The center is my second home," she said. "I come every day, except when I need to get blood taken."
14. Peter Cardella, 96, founded the Peter Cardella Neighborhood Senior Center in Queens!
What a guy!
15. Alice Brown, 84, says she eats mostly anything she wants.
I like her attitude.
16. Joshua Wolinsky, 79, has been a producer on independent radio and television, including producing "The Josh Wolinsky Show."
Celebrity sighting!
17. Irene Muchnick, 86, has gone to many centers but says Young Israel of Wavecrest & Bayswater is by far her favorite.
18. Edward Curtis Williams, 70, is known as "Happy-Go-Lucky" for a reason. Look at that smile!
"It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old. They grow old because they stop pursuing dreams."
19. Sylvia Nappi, 88, was once a showroom model and a teacher for the mentally challenged.
20. Peter W. Hung, 76, wasn't sure whether he'd fit in as one of the only Chinese seniors at his center. He was wrong. He fit in just fine!
21. Odette Benjamin, 88, was born in Cairo and has been an active member of her senior center for 25 years and counting.
22. Sang Takieddine, 77, moved to New York almost 25 years ago.
23. Stanley Wesley, 75, is as classy as they come.
24. Stella Ann-Marie Norman, 84, trained as a nurse in England before coming to the United States over 48 years ago.
She's seen A LOT of the world.
25. Myreille Hall, 80, and her husband, Jean Hall, 84, are so adorable. #couplegoals
26. Nancy Cruz, 61, said she wasn't much of a picture person until she posed for this series.
27. Betty Cooper and Shirley Brotman, both 83, are identical twins who friends still have a hard time telling apart.
For fun, they go by Betty Boop and Shirley Temple. Ha!
Shoutout to the Stylin' Seniors — on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr — for shining a positive light on aging gracefully and what the senior community is all about.
"This is for that person who is looking at a senior center, who is 60, and thinks, 'I'm not old enough for this,'" Minners says. "I want them to know it's not true. A lot of fun can be had, no matter your age."
How many times have you thought about something you want to try and thought: "Bummer. I'm too old to do that now." Well, you're not. And when you see the incredible photos Henry took of seniors crossing the line at the NYC Marathon, you'll remember why.
There is a multibillion-dollar industry that pushes us to try to look as young as possible. After looking at these photos and seeing how wonderful aging can be, it's clear we could all learn a thing or two from these seniors.
Now excuse me, I'm going to go call my grandma.
