Future Perfect

Supermodels and Estée Lauder brand ambassadors Adut Akech and Carolyn Murphy are embracing change and the evolving concepts of beauty

- TRINA EPILEPSIA BOUTAIN

“We’re not anti-aging,” muses 48-year-old supermodel Carolyn Murphy over Zoom. “In fact—if anything—you look at some of our products’ names, they speak for themselves: ultimate lifting, revitalizing—that’s a feel-good word.”

The “we” she is referring to is Estée Lauder, the iconic beauty brand for which Murphy has been the face of numerous signature skincare and makeup products. Most recently, the blonde beauty, along with fellow model Adut Akech and actress Ana de Armas, was revealed as an ambassador of Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ collection, the brand’s luxurious, collagen-boosting range of moisturizers. (“I feel like they took everything and put it in one product,” laughs Murphy, when asked to describe the collection).

It’s been over two decades since she first worked with the brand, so it’s not surprising to see Carolyn’s stunning face on their ad campaigns—except it kind of is. Recent years may have seen a reckoning in the beauty industry for diversity and representation in every aspect, from brand ambassadors to foundation shades, but this hasn’t always been the case. When Murphy first broke into the fashion radar back in the ’90s, a typical model’s career lifespan didn’t go beyond their mid-twenties.