by Karen B. Gibbs

Over the years, motherhood has brought many pleasures to Bobbie Gibbs, of Slidell. This year, however, it delivered one of its most unusual experiences when this mother of five and her eldest daughter, Gina Ferrara, were selected for Good Housekeeping’s mother-daughter look-alike feature.
It all began in January when Gina’s cousin, Bonnie Gibbs, an editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping, told her of the search for the mother-daughter look-alikes. Gina contacted her mom, and the two began searching through old photo albums for perfect pictures to submit. Then the pair waited for three long weeks. At the end of the third week, Gina called Bobbie and squealed, “Mama! We won!”

Good Housekeeping booked a flight for Bobbie—Gina lives in New York—and four days later, the attractive mom was aboard Jet Blue’s non-stop heading for New York City and a real photo shoot. “I wanted to dress like a model,” remembers Bobbie, “so I packed the fur coat my aunt had given me.” Also among the treasures she brought to the Big Apple was an extra-large Randazzo king cake, the perfect token of appreciation for the Good Housekeeping staff.

From the celebrity greeting at the airport—she had her own driver with a “Bobbie Gibbs” sign in hand (a thoughtful gift from husband Ricky)—to the crazy subway ride to the photo shoot the following morning, Bobbie relished every moment, especially the joy of sharing this once-in-a-lifetime experience with Gina.

They arrived at the studio on 26th Street looking forward to being Christie Brinkley for a day. After clearing security, they took the elevator to the twelfth floor. En route, Bobbie told Gina, “When we walk in they’re going to say get out. We don’t look alike.” But the warm greeting by the staff on hand melted away her fears faster than New York snow in the noonday sun.

The studio was a large room painted white with glass walls overlooking the city on two sides. On one side of the room was the photographer’s equipment consisting of a digital camera on a tripod, a viewing monitor and lots of lighting. In the corner on the left was a tray with make-up and hair styling essentials in front of a mirror. A small refreshment area had a sofa, coffee table and a counter with coffee, juices and pastries. Next to that was a recessed, doorless cubicle—the kind you see in offices—that served as a makeshift dressing area.

Bobbie and Gina were first directed to make-up. As the artist applied the heavy eyeliner and multiple colors of eye shadow, Bobbie felt it was overdone and exaggerated, but she didn’t complain. Her “I’m here to please” attitude let her take it in stride.

Her face camera-ready, Bobbie then headed for the hairdresser who brushed, curled, teased and sprayed her honey brown tresses into a “big hair” masterpiece. “I think I looked just like the mother on “Bewitched.” What’s her name? Endora!” she laughs. Then, optimistically, she adds, “Well, big hair might be coming back. Actually, in the pictures it didn’t look like big hair anymore. My hair goes flat really quick.”

Next was wardrobe. When the fashion editor, Aretha Busby, handed the pair a couple of bright lavender/fuchsia knit tops and some white jeans, they slipped into them just as the models do—in a doorless cubicle. “Me, I faced the wall,” laughs Bobbie. After putting on a pair of white jeans, she donned the top. It was open to mid-chest. When Gina saw the plunging neckline, she blurted out, “Mama! Is that what you’re wearing?” But when the fashion editor said she was putting a tank underneath the top, Bobbie breathed a sigh of relief. “When I tried it on and saw how low it was, I thought, ‘Well, hello?’” she says. “I wouldn’t have posed in that.”

Once hair, makeup and wardrobe were complete, mother and daughter were ready for Fernando, the photographer. “Oh, he was good-looking,” Bobbie quips. Three assistants handled the lights and positioned the chair. Photo editor Toni Paciello was on hand to direct the show. “She was always looking at the proofs in the monitor saying, ‘Let’s get a few more,’” recalls Bobbie.

As models, Bobbie and Gina gave it their all. They posed; they smiled. Between shots, the fashion editor smoothed out wrinkles in their sweaters and pinned back loose fabric until they looked picture perfect. The make-up artist powder-puffed their faces and glossed their lips; the hair stylist adjusted every loose hair, spraying it into obedience; and the lint roller lady followed them all, picking up every particle of powder, hair and lint from their clothing. “This is what David Letterman gets,” thought Bobbie.

The only prop used during the photo shoot was a double-sized chair upholstered in khaki linen-like fabric. At times, Bobbie was seated with Gina standing behind her or leaning toward her. Other times, they posed cheek-to-cheek (but not so close as to mash their faces) or with chin in hand (but only resting lightly to avoid facial distortions). They posed looking over their shoulders … leaning back … and standing alone. Once, the photographer wanted a shot of Bobbie looking over the back of the chair. Before she could move, two of the assistants picked up the chair with Bobbie in it, and positioned the seat for the shot. “I felt like Cleopatra with that one,” she remembers.

Through the hours of posing, the duo smiled—for each and every shot. “Smile. Oh! That’s pretty,” Fernando encouraged, as he clicked away. “Chin down, tilt your head, smile wider,” he continued. “Oh! That’s nice.”

After two and a half hours of smiling, Bobbie’s face actually ached. When Fernando called out for a bigger smile, all Bobbie could say was, “I can’t. My mouth is stuck!” “They were all laughing at us, but it was stuck! Try it sometimes,” explains Bobbie, sincerely. One of the assistants came to the rescue and suggested the same exercises to relax facial muscles that the models use. After several series of exaggerated “oooo—aaah—oooo—aaahs,” Bobbie’s smile returned.

Three hours into the photo shoot, Bobbie and Gina flashed one more big smile, and then returned to the wardrobe cubicle one last time. Before leaving, they answered a questionnaire relevant to beauty regimen and tips. Bidding a fond farewell to the Good Housekeeping crew, the duo headed for a five-star Mexican restaurant to enjoy a celebration lunch. It was Restaurant Week in New York City, and for $24.07 apiece they enjoyed a $120, three-course meal. The excellent selection of south-of-the border food certainly satisfied their bodies’ hunger. But it was the mother-daughter memories they shared that would nourish their spirits for years to come.

“Like Mother, Like Daughter”—Bobbie and Gina’s story—appears in the May 2006 issue of Good Housekeeping.