At 58, Model Paulina Porizkova Proves She’s ‘Wiser’ & ‘Bolder’ As She Embraces Aging Naturally In Makeup-Free Video

Aug 28, 2023

When model Paulina Porizkova began posting photos of herself in bikinis well into her 50s, she never envisioned the backlash to be so cruel and vicious. However, she has risen above her naysayers to stick to her guns in advocating beauty at any shape, age or station in life – even a grandma of five with naturally graying hair.

Some may remember Porizkova in her heyday when she was an in-demand model in the ’80s and ’90s, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. The Czech-born stunner turned 58 on April 9, 2023, and used the occasion to post a daring photo showing much of her trim body on Instagram to declare she was beginning “58 with nothing but sunshine and a smile.” While fans lauded her confidence, many also slammed her. However, for Porizkova, that just comes with the territory.

Porizkova has long been an anti-aging advocate who has encouraged women – and men – of all ages to embrace themselves through the passage of time. She does a lot of this by walking the talk and posting photos of herself going makeup-free or in bikinis. 

Speaking to “60 Minutes Australia” in March 2023, Porizkova lamented:

“I am a 57-year-old woman, and it seems to mean, in society, when you go into your middle age, you sort of lose your license to be able to show up in bikinis.”

Since then, Porizkova has become an icon for many as she embraced aging positively. Keep on reading to learn more about Porizkova and her journey toward embracing the unconventional beauty standard that many women seemed to shun away from. 

Despite the harsh and brutal comments Porizkova elicits from her social media posts, she remained determined to advocate for self-love at any age.

“We have to make older cool, I’m really trying, but we need more women to sort of embrace age and keep trumpeting it out there, going ’look at what I’m doing at my age,’” she told “60 Minutes Australia.”

However, this doesn’t mean Porizkova isn’t affected by the hurtful feedback she receives. She told the program some of the most painful things she’s been called are “desperate grandma,” an attention-seeker and someone who was embarrassing her children. The criticism only served to fire up her rebellious nature, and she continued to post her supposedly risqué photos in defiance. 

On April 29, 2022, she posted a bikini photo she had recently shared alongside a screenshot of a particularly disparaging comment that read, “getting old and ugly is hardest on the pretty people.” In response, Porizkova wrote in the caption:

“This is the ageist shaming that sets my teeth on edge. … People who believe prettiness equals beauty do not understand beauty. … There is no such thing as ugly and old. Only shortsighted and ignorant.”

The next day, Porizkova shared that her post had unexpectedly set off a movement in which older people were posting natural photos of themselves, tagging her alongside the hashtag “#oldandugly.” 

“I ended up in tears at well past midnight, still scrolling and commenting on this wave of affirmations of one another. For one night, the world seemed a beautiful place,” she wrote. 

With such strong support from fans the world over, Porizkova’s mission to normalize aging doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

On Aug. 22, 2023, Porizkova shared a video on her Instagram page that got more people talking. In the video, Porizkova made faces on the camera to show everyone the lines on her face, from her forehead to her cheeks. 

“This is a 58 year old face without fillers, Botox or surgery in good light with professional gorgeous makeup,” she captioned her post, tagging Ivana Tokarska, who did her makeup. 

After a few seconds, she then showed her face free from makeup. Porizkova claimed that she had ultherapy and Morpheus lasers, as well as using sunscreens since her early 20s. 

“I have chosen not to put anything 'into' my face - but even with the fanciest creams and lasers that promise to restore some collagen- I am aging. Some days, I like it. I feel like my face has gained character even as it’s lost its youthful prettiness. And it seems a fair trade-off,” she went on to say. 

While she is incredibly confident in flaunting her aging face, she also said that sometimes, she has to “gulp some self-acceptance.” But, “gulping self-acceptance” became a norm for her as the change she had also meant “being wiser” and “bolder.” 

“I won’t skip over the obvious- that there is a love in my life who finds me beautiful, and tells me so with words and actions every day- and this is really the only one I NEED to hear - But! I was on the same path before meeting him. I have changed. I wanted to be able to accept myself as I am,” she reflected. 

For Porizkova, when she closes her eyes, she has “never felt so desirable or beautiful,” and as she opens them, like “the world has never been as beautiful” at that point. 

Do you agree with Paulina Porizkova’s sentiments on aging? Do you think women are beautiful when they age naturally? If so, be sure to pass this along to all the other beautiful people in your life as well!