Paulina Porizkova knows what it’s like to have all eyes on her. The supermodel rose to fame in the 1980s, but at 61, she’s speaking candidly about what happens when society stops looking at women the same way.
The Czech-born model became a fixture in fashion and beauty, from back-to-back Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers in 1984 and 1985 and a longtime partnership with Estée Lauder to a stint behind the judges’ table on America’s Next Top Model.
Decades later, Porizkova is hearing from women who connect with a different side of that beauty conversation. In an Instagram video shared over the weekend, she revealed that women have stopped her on the street to thank her for speaking openly about aging.
Porizkova reflected on what those encounters have meant to her:
“I’m a little bit shocked by the ‘thank you.’ I guess maybe I still don’t feel like I deserve it, but [I’m] getting over that. And I guess the ‘thank you’ is for making you not feel alone [in] not being psyched about aging.”
Sitting casually on a couch in a striped long-sleeve shirt with her gray hair worn loose, Porizkova spoke directly to the camera. It’s not the first time she’s gotten candid about growing older.
Earlier this year, Porizkova contrasted her body today with the one she had during her younger modeling years. While she said her younger self took her body for granted, she described working harder for it now—and appreciating what it has carried her through.
Porizkova explained how her relationship with her body has changed with age:
“This one really appreciates her body and all of the years that it has held up and carried her brain.”
Porizkova has shared that she lifts heavy weights two or three times a week and mixes in Pilates and cardio, while opting against Botox and fillers. But her latest video shifted from her personal choices to the pressures she believes women face as they grow older.
Porizkova acknowledged that embracing aging can come with complications:
“Aging is such a privilege when we get to do it—and yet—it’s so on the line, especially when it comes to women. We get dismissed from the main tables when we age. We are expected to go silent. We are expected to sort of withdraw from polite society.”
The timing is notable. Just days earlier, A Different World star Jasmine Guy, 64, faced online criticism over her appearance after reprising her role as Whitley in the Netflix revival, with some viewers comparing her to how she looked on the original series decades ago.
Guy didn’t let the commentary pass without responding:
“The internet can be brutal to women as we grow older. It asks us to celebrate life while criticizing every sign that we’ve lived it.”
Back in her video, Porizkova addressed the pressure some women may feel to undergo surgical procedures to maintain their visibility, while others may choose to step away from those expectations. To her, there remains a “lack of balance.”
Porizkova was left wondering why there has to be a choice at all:
“Can’t we age and still be at the main table? I mean, we have more to contribute now than we ever did.”
Toward the end, Porizkova turned the conversation over to her followers, asking what they want to see while scrolling social media and what makes them “feel good,” before encouraging, “Let’s do more of that.”
See what Porizkova had to say below:
Social media users rallied around Porizkova’s message, sharing their own experiences with aging and praising her candor.
Here’s how the conversation unfolded online:
@ellenlindgreninteriors/Instagram
@vulfmom/Instagram
@maison_manous/Instagram
@leggs32va/Instagram
@paulavaleriafridman/Instagram
@holisticcolortherapist/Instagram
@thelykkeviking/Instagram
@joolz65/Instagram
@buffalocreekrider/Instagram
@healinghomescaping/Instagram
@anna.egan.92/Instagram
@ashleynvoss/Instagram
Porizkova has been having this conversation for some time. In an earlier Instagram video, she pushed back on describing women themselves as “wrinkled,” distinguishing between being defined by age and carrying its signs.
See Porizkova’s earlier take on aging below:
Porizkova married television writer-producer Jeff Greenstein in July and recently starred in the Czech-language film Bardotky, centered on three women celebrating life in their sixties. She also continues modeling and co-hosts the podcast Twenty Good Summers with Greenstein.
