“I’m Representing 50+ Women Who Look Their Age.” Supermodel Paulina Porizkova Impressed Everyone Posing for Vogue at 57 Years Old

The career of Czech model Paulina Porizkova started in the early 1980s. Over the next two decades, she worked with many famous brands and appeared on numerous covers of fashion magazines. In the 2000s, her modeling jobs became scarcer, and Paulina tried herself at acting and writing. But recently, she has managed to break back into the fashion world, this time with a new message that a woman can be attractive at any age.

She appeared on the cover of Vogue just before her 58th birthday.

The cover of the first issue of Vogue Scandinavia 2023 is unusual. Instead of ordinary models with flawless, wrinkle-free skin, we see a mature, confident woman who is sure of her attractiveness. Paulina is wearing a delicate pink dress and elegant black gloves up to her elbows. With her entire appearance, she conveys that beauty doesn’t have age limitations and that changes in one’s appearance should not be hidden but rather accepted.

It was hard for her to accept the changes.

Paulina had a hard time finding her self-esteem. She says that she misses the attention people gave her when she was young. When your entire life revolves around your appearance, it’s hard to accept the changes that happen to you as you age, especially in a society as fixated on the idea of youth as ours.

But the thing is, Paulina didn’t feel much better in the past. When she was in her prime, she was always compared to others. “It was probably when I felt the worst about myself. Walk into a room and sweep everyone’s breath away? More like, walk into a room knowing some people are whispering that you’re not all that hot up close or in real life, that Elle has a better body, that Christie has better teeth,” she comments.

Paulina found confidence in who she is now. She realized that even though she has wrinkles, it doesn’t change the fact that she is wiser and still has a lot of energy. She enjoys long walks, resting on the beach, and life itself. This realization gave Paulina the strength to fight back the snide comments online about her beauty fading away.

She gave a sharp response to a doctor who suggested she get plastic surgery.

In August 2022, Paulina wrote that she saw an Instagram post of a surgeon. He analyzed her photo and described what she needed to fix with surgeries and beauty products. As a response, she shared a new selfie and asked her followers not to tell her what to do. She commented, “This is what an older woman in the public eye gets to deal with. I’m told my face needs ‘fixing.’ It has somehow gone ‘wrong’ by aging.”

Comments about her appearance still hurt the model’s feelings. Once, Paulina shared her thoughts, “Everything about me is better. But I have wrinkles, and that does not make me ugly. I just thought that’s unfair.” During photo shoots, she’s often forced to look at her face in such unnatural detail that she has a rough time. In such cases, it’s hard not to fall down the hole of self-loathing and insecurities. But Paulina is not giving up and encourages others to change their attitude toward aging, “Celebrate what is already there.”

She’s found a balance between beauty and acceptance.

For Paulina, accepting changes in her appearance does not mean letting herself go and not taking care of her skin and hair. Like many models, she visits a cosmetologist, uses skincare products, and always has her hair and makeup done. But she tries not to go too far and turn simple procedures into a chase for something that cannot be regained. Instead, Paulina strives for a compromise between being proud of looking her age and feeling beautiful.

She tries to stay in shape to enjoy life for a longer time.

To keep her body in shape, Paulina regularly works out and lifts weights. In addition, she tries to eat healthy food and stick to a set schedule. She puts in so much effort and not just for the beautiful photos. She wants to maintain her activity for as long as possible, understanding that there may be limitations as she ages. The only eternal thing is the beauty of the world around us. To enjoy it for as long as possible, she takes great care of her body and health.