Heidi Klum is 52, embracing her wrinkles, and still posing in lingerie, because she said she doesn’t think aging is anything to be ashamed of.
In an interview with People published on Monday, the supermodel spoke about marriage, motherhood, and what it’s like to age in the spotlight.
Klum told People that she is pushing back against the assumption that women in their 50s lose relevance because of their age.
“The biggest misconception [about] being in your 50s is that you are off the shelf. You’re not off the shelf,” Klum said. “We are very much on that shelf for everyone to see. Don’t hide in your 50s.”
The “Project Runway” host added that beauty evolves with time, and she’s “here for the change.”
“If it’s always the same, life is boring,” she said.
Klum, who has four kids with her ex-husband Seal, isn’t afraid to show off her body either.
“I’ve been photographing nude or in lingerie since 1992, way before Instagram,” Klum said. “So for me, it’s nothing new. For the past 15 years, other people are now doing what I’ve been doing for 30 years. Instead of being in my little bottoms in a magazine, I’m on Instagram. It’s the same thing.”
It doesn’t matter that she’s older, she said: “I don’t have this age-shaming or body-shaming thing. I feel like everyone should do what they want to do. I like to run around sexy — even now at 52.”
But it does help to see how perspectives on aging have shifted in recent years, she added.
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“Now it’s OK to be older — but it didn’t use to be like that,” she says. “I feel like we’re more welcoming of wrinkles and rolls on our body. Being accepted at every age is amazing. That we’ve changed and come all that way,” Klum said.
She said she isn’t opposed to getting cosmetic enhancements like Botox. Still, she said she sees aging as something to look forward to.
“Don’t we all want to get old? I know we always say that, but it’s the truth. I’m already looking at 60 and 70, hopefully 80 and 90. And if we’re still kicking it then, let’s celebrate,” Klum said.
A representative for Klum did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
Klum joins a growing list of famous women speaking candidly and optimistically about growing older.
In November, Lauren Sánchez Bezos said she never expected to have so much to look forward to after turning 50.
“When I was 20, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, life is over at 50.’ Let me tell you: It is not, ladies. It is not over,” she said during a “Today” show appearance.
In January, Chelsea Handler said she isn’t afraid of growing older and is excited for all that her 50s would offer.
“My life is exactly what I hoped it would be — it’s more than I hoped it would be. I had no idea what the possibilities were or that I could live a life like this and feel so free,” Handler told Parade.
