Paulina Porizkova, the Czech supermodel who became one of the most recognizable faces throughout the ’80s and ’90s, is going viral for her honest take on aging.
Franziska Krug / Getty Images for Ernsting’s Family
For her 60th birthday, Porizkova posted side-by-side images on Instagram of her body at 60. In the first, she’s kneeling on a beach cabana in a bikini. The caption reads: “This is me. Vacation, pretty light, posing for a shot.”
In the second, she stands for a casual selfie in her bathroom at home. “This is also me. Home, not great light, not posing,” she wrote.
Related: Eye Doctors Are Practically Begging You To Never, Ever Do These 9 Things
Alongside the images, she reflected on what 60 means to her, writing, “This is 60. This is 60 years of sometimes healthy eating, sometimes not. 60 years of sometimes working out, sometimes not. 60 years of doing the right things followed by doing the wrong things and over again and again. It’s 60 years of learning of what works and what doesn’t. And just as I think I’ve figured it out, everything changes and I have to start again.”
She ended, “The beauty of 60 is that now I understand the importance is IN the lesson, not passing the exam.”
In a world where beauty standards keep getting more extreme, and social media often favors faces that look decades younger than they are, many have found it refreshing to see a supermodel be candid about aging. The comments quickly flooded with gratitude and personal stories.
One person wrote: “Thank you for sharing and being real. I often see images of women on here going ‘this is’ and then whatever age they are but it’s ALWAYS a super flattering photo not ever the realness of our ageing bodies. How are we ever going to accept ourselves if we’re not seeing ourselves ✌🏽🧡🦋”
Others shared their own struggles and the freedom that comes with letting go of perfection: “Looking gorgeous, as always, Paulina. I’m 64 and while I still hate my stomach–no matter how light the numbers on the scale read, it makes me sad–but with my sixties came this wonderful sense of ‘f*ck it all’, and I keep on going.”
Many said her post helped them feel less alone. “THANK YOU – turning 60 this year and was feeling bad about myself but now I see I am totally normal – actually feel great now – THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS – so important for real women to see real women,” one wrote.
“Love this..thank you for showing that you are normal..beautiful bit normal and that makes me feel better about myself 💕,” another added.
“Thank you for being REAL,” this person said.
In an interview back in January with TODAY, Paulina reflected on her career, her new partnership with Estée Lauder, and her life now — sharing how she hopes to use her platform to shift the conversation around aging and beauty. “I’m almost 60! I’m like two months from 60, and I’m so excited. I have never been so thrilled about a birthday in my life,” she said.
She continued, “I feel like I’ve paid my dues. I’ve raised the children, I’ve had the family, I’ve been the wife, I’ve done everything society expected of me. And you know what? It’s my turn.”
When asked how she challenges the stigma around aging, Paulina replied, “We’re so scared of wrinkles, have you noticed that? We are so terrified of wrinkles because I suppose wrinkles make us no longer relevant, no longer sexy, no longer desirable, and as women, that has been sort of our calling card.” Yet, she added, “I keep looking at wrinkles, mine, yours, any woman that I see, and I think, ‘It’s your map of life. I see who you were as the person.'”
“Why do we make wrinkles on the same par as acne?” she went on. “You know, those are the two things that people go to a dermatologist for, is acne and wrinkles. Acne is a disease, and wrinkles are the signs of privilege that you are alive. Why eliminate them, why not embrace them? And I understand why, because society tells us that they don’t want us once we become wrinkled.”
Since that interview — and outside of her birthday post — Paulina has continued to share photos and posts that challenge expectations of what aging “should” look like. In one post, she shared a photo of herself with what she called “an unfortunate angle and seriously unflattering light” to challenge the unrealistic standards and expectations on the app.
“In selecting my photos for IG, I almost unconsciously gravitate to pictures where I look best — as in youngest. Least wrinkled, least saggy. So, in the last year or so I’m consciously choosing some that I would have never posted before,” she wrote in the caption.
In an online world that feeds me — a 27-year-old — consistent applause for facelifts, advice on the “best” time to start preventative Botox, tips for hiding fine lines “before it’s too late,” and constant pressure to filter, Facetune, and alter my appearance to meet impossible standards, seeing an older woman embrace a natural process feels refreshing.
We’re taught to fear aging as early as children, so Paulina’s openness is a perspective I think we need more of. Of course, Paulina is a supermodel, so I think the message is easier to swallow for some (would we be as accepting if she weren’t already considered beautiful?). Still, I’m grateful to see even a hint of change.
But what do you think? Let me know in the comments.
Also in Goodful: 13 Habits And Behaviors People Do That Immediately Indicate They Are Smarter Than They Let On
