Paulina Porizkova Slams Pressure on Women to 'Withdraw' as They Get Older: 'We Have More to Contribute Now Than Ever'

Author, actress, and supermodel Paulina Porizkova has long been outspoken about beauty standards and the challenges women face in the modern world, and in a recent Instagram post, she spoke of her support for all women as they age.

“This one is for you, ladies of Instagram, and those of you who sometimes stop me on the street just to say ‘hi’ and ‘thank you,’” Porizkova said in a video message on September 27. “I”m a little bit shocked by the thank-yous, like maybe I still think I don’t deserve it, but [I’m] getting over that! I guess maybe the thank-you is for not making you feel alone about not being psyched about aging.”

Porizkova, 61, who frequently criticizes society standards regarding beauty and weight gain, ruminated on the invisibility of women as they grow older.

“Aging is such a privilege when we get to do it,” she expressed. “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.”

And staying in polite society sometimes comes at a literal cost to live up to expectations, she added.

“Those of us who are not ready to give it up have to go through surgical procedures,” she noted. “And those who don’t care can withdraw, sure, and have very happy lives. But there seems to be a lack of balance in here somewhere. Can’t we age and still be at the main table? I mean, we have more to contribute now than we ever did.”

She concluded with a call for positivity.

“What do you like to see on social media?” she asked. “What makes you feel good, what makes you feel bad, where do you get inspired? Let’s do more of that, and let me know in the comments what I can do more of, and on this leg of it, where we are smart enough to know how lucky we are.”

A caption to the post summed up her feelings: "I am inspired every time I see a woman being unapologetically herself."

Porizkova’s 40-year career saw her rocket to stardom as one of the most popular supermodels of the 1980s. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1965 and landed her first modeling gig at age 15. In 1983, she appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and appeared on covers back-to-back in 1984 and 1985. In 1985, she appeared on the cover of New York Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar named her one of its ten most beautiful people in 1992.

Her 1989 marriage to Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, made them one of rock’s most prominent power couples. Ocasek died in 2019, and Porizkova married screenwriter Jeff Greenstein earlier this year.

She made her mark on the publishing field as well, co-authoring children’s book The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach in 1992 and the novel A Model Summer in 2007.

She was a judge on America’s Next Top Model in its tenth season in 2008 and competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2007.

She broke the record for highest-paying model contract in 1988 when Estee Lauder paid her $6 million to become the face of the brand, which she continued until 1995.

2022 saw the publication of No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful, a series of essays that addressed aging, motherhood, married life, and beauty standards.