She still looks good.
She looks good for her age.
She’s had work done on her face.
She should have work done on her face.
Once a woman is over 40, these comments will be said to her face or behind her back. Backhanded compliments, judgments — whatever you want to call them — are unhelpful and unhealthy. No one feels this more than someone who has made a living from their looks. Yet, they are scrutinized far more than the rest of us. One woman in particular, Paulina Porizkova, a 1980s supermodel, has become an outspoken advocate for all of us to stop critiquing the individual choices women make (or don’t make) about their appearance as they age.
Growing up, I would read fashion magazines, see pictures of Paulina, and wonder, how can Paulina and I even be the same species? How could I not compare myself? Paulina, known for her extraordinary gift of beauty, but lesser known for her high IQ and ability to speak four languages fluently, came back into the limelight when she joined Instagram during the pandemic.
A stunningly beautiful woman, yet no matter if she was dressed up or wearing no makeup, the haters felt the need to find something horrible to say about her appearance. I watched her reply with intelligence and confidence. Paulina remains my “girl crush” all these years later for her honesty, bravery, and her intelligence.
In her book, No Filter, Paulina Porizkova writes a series of essays about her fascinating childhood, her marriage to the late Ric Ocasek, and her mid-life coming of age, including love, heartbreak, and menopause. Written with honesty and humor, you can’t help but feel you are reading the words of a friend sharing her story with you.
In her chapter titled, “Every Woman is Beautiful”, Paulina recounts a time when she had a procedure to help promote collagen production in her face, which would lift and tone the area around her eyes. Paulina writes, “Why did I put myself through this? Because I am a woman of middle age. I have been rendered invisible by our society’s standards of beauty. Youth is where visibility resides.”
I had the pleasure of attending a talk with Christy Brinkley and Paulina, followed by a book signing, and when the two women walked into the room, the buzz sounded like this:
She still looks good.
She looks good for her age.
She’s had work done on her face.
She should have work done on her face.
During the interview, I found Paulina to be bright, introspective, self-effusive, gracious, and as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. After the interview, I watched her interact with everyone in the book-signing line. She genuinely took an interest in everyone in the line and never rushed them. So many women wanted to share their stories with her and what her own sharing has meant to them.
You can follow Paulina on Instagram @PaulinaPorzikov
Her bio says, “Accidental former supermodel, occasional actress, current writer.”