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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, American society does everything in its power to stop and even reverse aging. 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. The older we get, the closer we're moving to the end of our lives, which we don't want to hasten for plenty of reasons: love for family, friends, relationships, adventures, food, etc. Plus, that reality can cause us some anxiety.

While Fear of Getting Old (FOGO) is real, it can be helpful to see people gracefully embracing their age. Case in point: former supermodel Paulina Porizkova who confidently shared photos of her 57-year-old self on social media 2022.


Porizkova shared a photo of herself in a bikini and a screenshot of a comment made by a person who felt the need to critique 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. First of all, the comment is weird. Second of all, it's rude. Third of all, it's clearly ageist, which, according to the American Psychological Association (APA) is "one of the last socially acceptable prejudices." Yikes.

Porizkova shared her thoughts on the comment on Instagram.

"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 X (formerly 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

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 objectively 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 feel better about herself, as the commenter implies. She just…sometimes wears a bikini. Whoop dee doo.

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.

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

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!"

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.)


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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

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This model who breastfed on the runway says she's not the one who should make headlines.

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!"

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

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

Meet Sophia Hadjipanteli.

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

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.

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."

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