2007 MORE/Wilhelmina 40+ Model Search Semifinalists: 26-50

42 | Los Angeles, California

Why she feels fabulous: “I want everyone to know that 40 doesn’t have to be the new 30. It can be the same old amazing 40 that my mom once was.”

Counselor for at-risk youth | 50 | Phoenix, Arizona

Why she feels fabulous (in the words of friend Kendra Diegan): “Laura is youthful at heart, mind, and soul. As a certified yoga teacher, she is amazing! You would think the woman is in her 30s.”

Business owner | 43 | West Bend, Wisconsin

Why she feels fabulous: “Feeling fabulous at any age is about balance…I feel great because I have come to realize through adversity that mind, body, and spirit are all within my control.”

Housewife/occasional French pastry chef | 49 | Tallahassee, Florida

Why she feels fabulous: “I feel content with my womanhood. Maturity has brought a balance between physical and inner beauty, and I like myself more than ever.”

PR/advertising VP | 43 | Houston, Texas

Why she feels fabulous: “I’m finally comfortable in my own skin. I not only feel fabulous, I AM fabulous!”

42 | Henderson, Nevada

Why she feels fabulous: “Why not!”

Mother/actress | 45 | Altadena, California

Why she feels fabulous: “I have recently returned to acting after 13 years of raising two boys. I’m feeling fabulous and better received now, starting again, than I did in my 20s.”

Restaurant entrepreneur | 43 | Redondo Beach, California

Why she feels fabulous: “I feel fabulous after 40 because I look and feel the best I’ve ever been! I am the happiest and in the best shape ever!”

Disaster recovery analyst | 53 | Houston, Texas

Why she feels fabulous: “Some women, early in life, have the confidence to go after their dreams — I was not one of those women. Growing up, living life, and getting a little older has given me the ability to see the strong, secure, and caring woman that has always been in me…This is just the beginning!”

Attorney/nurse/mother | 45 | Delray Beach, Florida

Why she feels fabulous: “I feel fabulous over 40 because I appreciate the beauty I see all around me.”

Writer | 43 | Hartsdale, New York

Why she feels fabulous: “I feel fabulous at 40 because I have grown into a confident woman. I am proud to be who I am, and that pride allows me to be happy when I dance alone, and to be free!”

Flight attendant | 46 | Houston, Texas

Why she feels fabulous: “Because my age is always in dispute; no one believes me when I prove it; and I get nothing but accolades!”

Pilates instructor | 43 | Big Bear Lake, California

Why she feels fabulous: “Applied experience, and being a grandmother who wears Jimmy Choos.”

Portrait & mural artist | 49 | Charlotte, North Carolina

Why she feels fabulous: “By the time a woman reaches 40 she has gone through so much already…Whether she is aware of it or not, she has become a force to be reckoned with.”

Research professor of psychiatry | 50 | South Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Why she feels fabulous: “More like, ‘Why don’t I?’ [I have] a new daughter, home, and career direction. I’m more spirited, yet more spiritual. My life caught fire after 40!”

Artist | 48 | Coto de Caza, California

Why she feels fabulous: “I still feel young and beautiful, just wiser and sexier. I have the time to give back to others.”

Writer | 43 | Marina del Rey, California

Why she feels fabulous: “I jog every day and take care of myself. I love the outdoors and animals.”

Mother/substitute teacher | 43 | Hull, Georgia

Why she feels fabulous: “At 29 I would have been too afraid of failure to enter a contest like this. Life after 40 is exhilarating! There’s more of everything.”

Interior designer | 44 | Chicago, Illinois

Why she feels fabulous: “My age now matches my premature gray hair color! Life is good.”

Wall Street businesswoman | 47 | Elmhurst, New York

Why she feels fabulous: “I am proud of the kind woman I’ve become — in the face of adversity and challenges, I have found that giving generously is the only way to feel truly fabulous!”

Assistant to an autistic sixth grader | 57 | Angier, North Carolina

Why she feels fabulous: “My kids are grown and I have a wonderful, hunky 51-year-old husband; a grandchild on the way; and a relationship with God that sustains it all.”

State of Mississippi tourism deputy director | 41 | Ridgeland, Mississippi

Why she feels fabulous: “I have finally realized that who you are is about where you have been and the experiences of life itself — the good, the bad, and all in between.”

Registered dental assistant | 40 | Costa Mesa, California

Why she feels fabulous: “It’s a new beginning!”

Project management consultant/mother | 45 | Short Hills, New Jersey

Why she feels fabulous: “Because I’m in charge of my life and confident!”

Photo stylist/pillow designer | 60 | Portland, Oregon

Why she feels fabulous: “At 60, I am happy, healthy, and successful. I know I can get through what life gives me…I have made sure to make my dreams happen. The getting there counts.”

Continued: Semifinalists 1-25

Originally published on MORE.com, January 2008.