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Grandson learned his grandma used to be a pro model. So he surprised her with a photoshoot.

50 years later, she's still got it.

@olliemuhl/TikTok

Stunning in every era.

We’ve had quite a few stories of older women shattering the glass ceiling of beauty standards, showing us that a few wrinkles and gray hairs do not make a woman inherently less attractive or glamorous.

In fact, the opposite is often true. For with these markers of age comes wisdom, sovereignty, and the kind of confidence that can only be granted through experience. All of these are sexy things.

But women have been made to think otherwise for far too long. And let’s be real, just because there has been progress here, it doesn’t mean that the beauty industry (or how we collectively view beauty in general) has quit becoming a young woman’s game.

Older women still rarely find themselves represented as vibrant, sexy, desirable or aspirational as their younger counterparts. Or as compared to older men…which is a whole ‘nother can of worms.

All this to say, anytime there is a story of an older woman challenging societal norms simply by being their fabulous selves, we think it’s a story worth sharing. And this one certainly fits the bill, with its own special flavor of grandma-grandson wholesomeness.

This is Ollie Muhl—a content creator, and objectively good looking dude.

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Of course, perhaps Muhl should credit some of his aesthetic to genes provided by his grandmother, whom he recently discovered was an international model back in the day.

In a video posted to his TikTok, Muhl shared that when her grandmother first told him of her former profession, he “didn't believe her.” But grandma had the receipts, aka a stunning modeling portfolio.

@olliemuhl

That video quickly went viral. People could not stop talking about how gorgeous Muhl’s grandma was. A few even recognized some of her ads.

“OH MY GOD my grandma has a picture of your grandma on the wall of her small hut in the middle of nowhere in Moldova! This brings so [many] memories. The world is a small village, “ one person wote.

Another gushed, “literally one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Wow.”

After his initial video went viral, Muhl was inspired to prove that even after 50 years, his grandma still had the “it factor.” So he surprised her with a professional photoshoot.

In a subsequent TikTok video, we see Muhl’s grandma gasp as she’s greeted by a hair, makeup and wardrobe team, who quickly get to work zhuzhing and spritzing.

@olliemuhl I better be the favorite grandchild after this A huge thanks to everybody that helped to make this happen. Truly a special moment for my grandma.💕
♬ original sound - Ollie

Meanwhile, Muhl’s grandpa is also there, and “in need of air” as he watched his wife get glambotted.

“The way grandpa fell in love all over again,” one viewer wrote.

Finally, we see that Muhl’s grandma truly hasn’t missed a beat as she nails every angle and pose, leaving most passersby breathless.

So many commented to say how this woman should get back into modeling asap.

This is right here exactly what should be on the cover of magazines, graceful aging. And when I want that I mean, letting it do what the world is going to do and letting your personality shine through.”

“Brands! You need to book her now!’

She needs to continue modeling. We need our age represented by your beautiful grandmother. Chanel?”

And because we know you’re dying to see, here’s the final product.

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Of course Muhl’s grandmother got many, many more compliments, but what really seemed to affect people was this grandson’s sweet gesture.

“A really touching story, great idea to start a shoot. Your grandmother is really very stylish. Great photos, the outfits look like they were made for you. Excellent!,” one person commented.

Another said, “Absolutely terrific set of shots, Ollie. The full story of what you did for your grandma needs to go into a top fashion magazine…It is such a fantastic story and would make brilliant reading!! ⚡️💥💜👌🥇🏆🥇👌❤️💥⚡️”

Indeed, there’s just so much to love about this. Sweet grandsons, glamorous grandmas, gorgeous photos…and a great reminder that beauty has no expiration date.

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family

Identity

57-year-old former model Paulina Porizkova had the perfect response to ageist comment online

"We have earned our beauty, we understand what it is, and we can see it so much better."

Photo by Malin K. on Unsplash

Paulina Porizkova took on a commenter who said she was in "pain" being "old and ugly."

Aging is a weird thing. From one perspective, it's something we should be grateful for. Few people would wish for the kind of short, uneventful life that would remove aging from the equation completely. The longer we live, the more we grow and learn and experience life, and "aging" is simply the mathematical sum of those experiences. All good, right?

On the other hand, our society does everything in its power to hide the fact that aging happens. Especially when it comes to women. According to Statista, the global anti-aging beauty market is estimated to be worth $58.8 billion. People will try all manner of creams, serums, masks, acids, lights, technologies and surgeries to try to prevent wrinkles, lines, sagginess, spots and other signs that our bodies are changing with time.

Most of us live our daily lives somewhere in the middle of these two realities, wanting to embrace our aging selves but also hoping to stave off some of the more obvious signs that we're getting older. It's natural to resist it in some ways, since the older we get, the closer we get to the end of our lives, which we certainly don't want to hasten—especially if we actually love living.

It can be helpful to see people who are embracing their age, which is why it can be inspiring to see someone like former supermodel Paulina Porizkova confidently sharing photos of her 57-year-old self.

In posts on social media, Porizkova shared a photo of herself in a bikini and a screenshot of a comment made by a person who felt the need to comment on her aging body. And phew, was it something. The commenter wrote:

"You must be in so much pain to keep posting bikini pictures at your age. I've always thought that getting old and ugly is hardest on the pretty people. The fall from grace is so much farther when you were beautiful. Ugly people were always ugly so getting old and ugly isn't a change. In summary, I feel your pain. I pray you can come to terms with your mortality. We all get old and ugly…you just had to fall from a greater height than the rest of us. Tears Times Infinity!"

So many things to unpack here.

Porizkova shared her thoughts on the comment on Instagram.

A thoughtful reader comment on IG need an equally thoughtful response.\nThank you for feeling my pain, rickaroo777. As you can see, I\u2019m suffering indeed.pic.twitter.com/mWijP55iAS
— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova) 1651241361

"Here’s a good follower comment- echoing a few others," Porizkova wrote. "A woman of 57 is 'too old' to pose in a bikini - no matter what she looks like. Because 'Old' is 'Ugly.' I get comments like these every time I post a photo of my body. This is the ageist shaming that sets my teeth on edge. Older men are distinguished, older women are ugly."

"People who believe prettiness equals beauty do not understand beauty," she continued. "Pretty is easy on the eyes, partly because it’s a little bland, inoffensive. It’s easy to take in and easy to forget. Not so beauty. Beauty can be sharp. It can wound you and leave a scar. To perceive beauty you have to be able to SEE."

"This is why I believe we get more beautiful with age," she added. "We have earned our beauty, we understand what it is, and we can see it so much better. There is no such thing as ugly and old. Only shortsighted and ignorant."

On Twitter, Porizkova was a bit more sarcastic, writing, "Thank you for feeling my pain, rickaroo777. As you can see, I’m suffering indeed."

That tongue-in-cheek response prompted others to share their aging selves in photos, sharing how their "old and ugly" phase of life is going. The thread turned into a veritable celebration of middle-to-late age, with posts about how much more comfortable people feel in their bodies as they get older and the freedom that comes along with not caring what other people think.

You suffer beautifully

You suffer beautifully
— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova) 1651291418

There are two big ironies with the original trolling comment. Most obviously, Porizkova obviously looks freaking amazing in a bikini, so the whole "ugly" and "fall from grace" line of thought is object and off base. The second is that if you look through Porizkova's Instagram feed, she doesn't pose in bikinis very often at all. It's not like she's plastering her bikini selfies all over social media trying to make herself feel better about herself, as the commenter implies. She just…sometimes wears a bikini. Whoop dee doo.

Do it anyway! Every body is valid. Every body is a bikini body.pic.twitter.com/slDLHLWQo7
— \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8Noel Giger\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8Noel Giger\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1651248625

People don't have to wear bikinis if they don't want to. But to tell strangers what they can wear crosses a line. All bodies are bikini bodies, and if the person in the body wants their body to be in a bikini, more power to them.

Wow! You\u2019re suffering for sure!
— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova) 1651287653

The "suffering" and "pain" in the posts were so funny to see.

Ah, so painful. also- frickin
— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova) 1651288265

I'm 49 and I haven't yet put on a bikini. Steph, thanks for showing me it's not too late! Tho, somehow I feel like I won't fill it as well as you & Paulina. But it's all about attitude, right? So let's the 3 of us hit the beach! (I'll stay in the shade of an umbrella, tho.)
— Spark The Genius (@Spark The Genius) 1651262083

The thread brought inspiration to those who may fall prey to the idea that people shouldn't wear certain things after a certain age or that only people with certain body sizes or shapes should wear certain things.

The hashtag #oldandugly started trending as people responded to Porizkova's call for a celebration of aging beautifully.

"Todays thread has been my absolute favorite of all time," Porizkova wrote on Twitter. "Thank you all you 'old and ugly' women (and a few men) showing the world how much we 'suffer' at in our old age. You’re all breathtaking!"

The love continues! 57 and proud! Keep posting your wonderful beautiful selves and tag #oldandugly so we can keep sharing the pic.twitter.com/Veg72kQOqt
— Paulina Porizkova (@Paulina Porizkova) 1651454555

May we all age beautifully and gracefully in whatever way those words are meaningful to us, and show those who think that aging means "suffering" and "pain" due to being "old and ugly" that they have no idea what they're talking about.

(And here's an extra shout-out to Porizkova for using her beauty and her age to make an important point—not only about celebrating getting older, but also about how propaganda works. Brava.)

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This article originally appeared on 05.03.22

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Pop Culture

Would we feel differently about our bodies if we didn't watch TV? Science seems to think so.

Researchers set out to study this question — and walked away with some really fascinating new data.

Canva

Television has a way of tuning off... healthy images.

Do we all, instinctively, find the same types of bodies attractive? Or do TV, movies, and pictures in magazines subtly influence what sorts of bodies we're attracted to?

Researchers at Newcastle University in the U.K. set out to study this question — and walked away with some really fascinating new data.

The question they posed: Do people who have limited access to TV have different beauty ideals than those who watch more frequently?

It's hardly a secret that Hollywood prefers thin. A 2003 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that female characters who have bigger bodies were few and far between on TV at the turn of the last decade. When they did appear, they were less likely to have romantic partners and "less likely to considered attractive."

Things have improved in recent years but only slightly. And popular reality shows like, "The Biggest Loser" continue to sell the idea that weight loss is the ticket to feeling attractive.

It raises the question: Would we feel differently about our bodies if we didn't watch so much TV? Or if we saw more positive portrayals of people with bigger bodies on the air?

It's really hard to study this because there aren't a lot of places left in the world that don't have access to Western media.

entertainment, studies, American media, global affects

Even most dogs have access to American TV these days.

Image via Pixabay.

In order to get good data, you need to talk to people who not only rarely or never watch TV and movies, but who are hardly even exposed to them and the culture they help generate.

American TV and movies — and locally-produced TV and movies that draw inspiration from our TV and movies — are pretty much everywhere by now.

But there are some. And that's where the researchers went.

A map representing Nicaragua in South America.

Image by DaDez/Wikimedia Commons.

Specifically, they went to the east coast of Nicaragua, which is home to a number of remote villages, some of which have no or only partially electricity.

Researchers found a remote village with little TV access and asked participants there to react to various images of women's bodies of different sizes.

A female Kansas National Guardsman competed in the 2014 Miss America Pageant.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jessica Barett/Kansas Adjutant General's Department Public Affairs Office.

The subjects were asked to rate each image on a scale of 1 to 5. Their responses were compared with those from an urban area and a similar village that had greater access to broadcast media.

Critically, the two villages chosen were very similar culturally — previous studies have had difficulty separating out media viewing habits from other cultural variables that might account for the difference in how the images were perceived. Standards of beauty vary from culture to culture, including certain cultures that prize fatness (much like the "thin ideal" in the West, this is often similarly harmful to women and girls).

The result? Participants in the village with the least media access preferred bodies with a higher body mass index on average than those in the urban area and more connected village.

There are caveats, of course.

Using BMI to measure normal versus abnormal weight has become increasingly controversial recently. It's also impossible to draw big, sweeping conclusions from a single study.

But it's real data. And it does suggest that perhaps we're not hardwired to find smaller bodies attractive.

scientific data, psychology, university studies, media

Science!

Photo by Amitchell125/Wikimedia Commons.

"Our data strongly suggests that access to televisual media is itself a risk factor for holding thin body ideals, at least for female body shape, in a population who are only just gaining access to television," said Dr. Lynda Boothroyd, senior lecturer in psychology at Durham University and co-leader of the study.

In other words, the more TV we watch, the more we're likely to be attracted to lower-weight bodies. The less TV we watch, the more we're likely to look favorably upon higher-weight bodies.

Most importantly, it's evidence that there's nothing inherently attractive about weighing less, and nothing inherently unattractive about weighing more.

It's just something we made up.

theme parks, globalization, studios, China

A sunny day captured at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Photo (cropped) by PoonKaMing/Wikimedia Commons.

But the good news is that we can un-make it up.How do we do that? Here's one idea: Let's get more people with more bodies of more shapes and sizes we can get on TV, in movies, and in glossy magazines — giving them real lives, real flaws, real romances, and presenting them, at least every so often, as attractive. Like, you know. Real people.This article originally appeared on 02.26.16

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mental health

Identity

American Eagle underwear had an increase in sales. These 10 unretouched pics are maybe a clue why.

WARNING: Scrolling through these images may give you positive feelings about yourself.

via aerie/Instagram

Aerie's untouched models.

This article originally appeared on 07.17.15

About a year ago, clothing brand American Eagle's underwear line, Aerie, stopped retouching photos of their models.

As their CEO Jennifer Foyle said in a statement in 2014, "There is no need to retouch beauty."

The results were beautiful.

And profitable.

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After putting the nix on retouching, quarterly comparable sales for Aerie were up 9%.

9% for that quarter. The next quarter, Q3 of 2014, up only 3% in comparable sales. But then in the next two quarters? Up 13% and 12%. Coincidence? Maybe. But I like to think it has to do with things like this pic:

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The brand uses the hashtag #AerieReal to let its fans know that the photos remain unretouched.

Model Iskra Lawrence, featured below kicking around on the beach, told Elle:

"I love my body and really don't see myself as a size but more of a shape."

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Aerie clearly agrees!

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She's featured in ads aplenty. Unretouched, of course!

Aerie also agrees that backs are beautiful.

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Stomachs being stomachs are cool by them, too!

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Don't freak out, but Aerie also agrees that real butts look like real butts.

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Yes, some of these models have what the mainstream already traditionally thinks of as "great" bodies. But for some reason, the usual practice is to airbrush and retouch even THAT.

These photos show that there's no such thing as a "perfect" body; ALL bodies have moments of #realness. And there's nothing wrong with showing that. That's what I love about them and what I love about this campaign.

And to their credit, in case the model bodies don't do it for you, the brand has also posted photos of non-model, everyday women using the hashtag #AerieReal to spotlight the glory that is the unretouched photo on all types of shapes and sizes.

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Frankly, no one needs Aerie to tell them that it's OK for them to have a body and to love it without a filter. But if you ask me, more brands could get OUT of the game of body shaming and INTO the game of body positivity like Aerie.

And if Aerie is any example, body positivity is profit positivity.

I can agree with that!

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body positivity

Chrissy Teigen has never been shy about posting her truth.

On Monday, July 30, Teigen took to Twitter to get real about body confidence.

Sharing a video of herself, Teigen honed in on her stretch marks, letting viewers know that "this is my new body."

— (@)

It may be hard to imagine that someone like Teigen, a Sports Illustrated cover model, would ever not be happy with her body — especially considering how often she dispenses justice to body-shaming trolls. But after having two kids, she's dealing with the fact that her body has changed. That's hard, but she's embracing it with self-love.

Just like the rest of us, Teigen's not immune to the feelings of inadequacy seeing "killer bodies" on social media induces.

That's why — instead of posting anything filtered or photoshopped — Teigen reminded her fans that "regular ol' bodies" are beautiful.

— (@)

Accepting our own bodies — whatever shape, size, color, stretch marks, or no stretch marks — is an important part of self-love.

Feeling good in your skin is a journey we're all on — even Chrissy Teigen.

— (@)

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New mom shares her list of pet peeves and other parents relate - Upworthy ›

Mara Martin was chosen as one of the Sports Illustrated Swim Search finalists just five months after giving birth.

Sports Illustrated named the young mom one of its Sweet 16 finalists during a model search in Miami. But Martin took balancing motherhood and work to another level when she walked the runway while breastfeeding her 5-month-old baby.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Instagram account shared a video of Martin with her baby cradled in her arms, nursing away, with the comment "GIRL POWER!"

GIRL POWER! 🙌🏼 #SISwimSearch Sweet 16 finalist Mara walks the runway while breastfeeding her five-month-old baby. @paraisofashionfair
A post shared by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@si_swimsuit) on Jul 15, 2018 at 7:38pm PDT

Reactions to the video were predictably mixed, but Martin's response to the attention deserves a standing ovation.

Some people felt that seeing a mom breastfeeding unabashedly in public — while doing her job — was an empowering statement. Others, unsurprisingly, found it icky/gross/unattractive/etc. Some simply called it a silly publicity stunt.

But Martin's response to the media frenzy proves that she's just as badass as her fans made her out to be and not just because she fed her baby in an unconventional place.

First, Martin took to Instagram to first explain how breastfeeding is totally normal.

"I can’t believe I am waking up to headlines with me and my daughter in them for doing something I do every day," she wrote. "It is truly so humbling and unreal to say the least. I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and hopefully normalize breastfeeding and also show others that women CAN DO IT ALL!"

Wow! WHAT A NIGHT! Words can’t even describe how amazing I feel after being picked to walk the runway for @si_swimsuit. Anyone who knows me, knows it has been a life long dream of mine. I can’t believe I am waking up to headlines with me and my daughter in them for doing something I do every day. It is truly so humbling and unreal to say the least. I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and hopefully normalize breastfeeding and also show others that women CAN DO IT ALL! But to be honest, the real reason I can’t believe it is a headline is because it shouldn’t be a headline!!! My story of being a mother and feeding her while walking is just that. Last night there are far more deserving headlines that our world should see. One woman is going to boot camp in two weeks to serve our country (sorry i don’t know your IG handle 🤦🏽‍♀️), one woman had a mastectomy (@allynrose), and another is a cancer survivor, 2x paralympic gold medalist, as well as a mother herself (@bren_hucks you rock) Those are the stories that our world should be discussing!!!! Just thinking about all that was represented there... I desperately need to give the most thanks to @mj_day for this. She supported me in what I did last night. Without her support this wouldn’t even be discussed!!!! She and the entire Sports Illustrated family are the most amazing and incredible team to have worked with. THANK YOU for letting all 16 of us be our true selves, strong beautiful women!!! Because of you, my daughter is going to grow up in a better world, where she will always feel this way!!!!!! Lastly, to every single woman that rocked that runway with me. Be proud. I know I am of you! You all have inspired me in ways unimaginable. I love you all!!! #siswimsearch
A post shared by Mara Martin (@_maramartin_) on Jul 16, 2018 at 8:32am PDT

"But to be honest, the real reason I can’t believe it is a headline is because it shouldn’t be a headline!!!" she continued. "My story of being a mother and feeding her while walking is just that."

We may not be used to seeing a model on the runway nursing a baby, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. For many breastfeeding moms, nursing on-the-go is a way of life, and not something that needs to be hidden away from the public eye.

Then she directed the attention away from herself and placed it on her deserving colleagues.

"Last night there are far more deserving headlines that our world should see," Martin wrote, before describing the incredible women she shared the stage with. "One woman is going to boot camp in two weeks to serve our country (sorry i don’t know your IG handle 🤦🏽‍♀️), one woman had a mastectomy (@allynrose), and another is a cancer survivor, 2x paralympic gold medalist, as well as a mother herself (@bren_hucks you rock) Those are the stories that our world should be discussing!!!!"

Indeed, some of the women in the Sweet 16 are impressive women. Allyn Rose chose to have a double mastectomy after losing her mother and grandmother to breast cancer, and she gave a TED Talk on "The Power of Redefining Breasts." Brenna Huckaby is a cancer survivor who has won two gold medals in the Paralympics, and is a finalist for ESPN's Athlete with a Disability ESPY award.

— (@)

Kudos to Mara Martin not only for breastfeeding on the runway but for shining the spotlight on those who have done more consequential things than simply feed a hungry baby.

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Ancestry

This model's unibrow is a powerful response to toxic beauty standards.

Meet Sophia Hadjipanteli.

Just because people around you are killing it, doesn’t mean you aren’t or you won’t. I have been telling myself that a lot lately. ( @sarahfromnewyork )
A post shared by Sophia Hadjipanteli ☠️ (@sophiahadjipanteli) on Mar 21, 2018 at 8:28pm PDT

She's an Instagram phenom with over 180,000 followers and a model who's been covered by everyone from Vice to Vogue(she first appeared on the magazine's Italian webpage six years ago, at 15).

Were she to compete on one of the endless cycles of "America's Next Top Model," Hadjipanteli would likely win — or definitely make top three. That's not just because she has charisma and a smize that would make Tyra Banks beam with pride but because the 21-year-old is uncompromising in her beauty.

ONE UNIBROW TWO UNIVERSITY DEGREES 🤑
A post shared by Sophia Hadjipanteli ☠️ (@sophiahadjipanteli) on May 19, 2018 at 2:14pm PDT

She may dye her hair, she might switch from a day to night look, but this model has said she's never getting rid of her unibrow.

Here's the thing: Hadjipanteli understands the fashion and beauty industry. She understands that beauty standards — especially in the West — are incredibly narrow. And her refusal to remover her unibrow (something a modeling agent might tell her to do) is a way for her to not just stand out but change the way the mainstream conceptualizes what "beautiful" is.

"It's like a movement," Hadjipanteli told Vice in a interview. "If it's going to be gradual, I hope to speed up the pace."

But the beginning of that movement doesn't come without some pain.

I promise you guys when I say: everything I do, is for this little girl right here.
A post shared by Sophia Hadjipanteli ☠️ (@sophiahadjipanteli) on Jan 5, 2018 at 6:36pm PST

Hadjipanteli speaks openly about the fact that she was bullied when she was a teenager. It was her mother who gave her the confidence to be herself, telling her that her brows looked gorgeous just the way they were. Hadjipanteli listened and soon after stopped shaving her brows. She now shows the hair between her eyes proudly — inspired, she's said in interviews, by her family and Greek heritage.

If her unibrow had a name, she told The Cut, it would be Veronica. And she'd be a "no-shit bitch."

Hadjipanteli has said she never expected her unibrow to have such an impact, but it's certainly changing the way we think about beauty.

And Hadjipanteli's changing for no one.

Though the model's received hate and death threats for her look, she has said she's not going to change her look for anyone but herself. If she doesn't like Veronica one day, she'll wax her off. Until then, though, Hadjipanteli is standing up to everyone who says there's only one way of looking good.

Spoiler alert: There isn't.

And with more celebs like Christina Aguilera (who went viral for her no make-up photoshoot) and Demi Lovato being more real and open about how beauty standards take a toll on women, Hadjipanteli is in very good company.

"I have a unibrow because it is a preference," the model recently posted on Instagram. "I'm who I am because I want to be this way. When you judge others for wearing makeup, dying their hair, altering parts of their body or inner self, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T, makes you just as toxic as a lot of societal norms and pressures we are constantly faced with. AT THE END OF THE DAY just do you cuz imma be doing me whether you like it or not."

A post shared by Sophia Hadjipanteli ☠️ (@sophiahadjipanteli) on Mar 2, 2018 at 9:03am PST

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