A 58-year-old former supermodel has hit back at trolls who branded her a 'desperate grandma' after she shared snaps of herself posing in a bikini.
I wasn't aware there was an age limit on wearing a bikini, but okay.
Paulina Porizkova launched her modelling career at the age of 15 and throughout her life, has appeared in magazines as well as in various films, TV shows and music videos.
Advert
She continues to share snaps of herself online for her fans, always looking as beautiful as ever, but Paulina sparked controversy when she posted images of herself wearing a bikini.
Though she has had a lot of positive comments on her images, Paulina told 60 Minutes Australia about some of the more negative responses she's received.
"I saw people weigh in with, 'desperate grandma', 'oh needing attention are we?' [and] 'you're too old to be doing this, you're embarrassing your children', Paulina recalled.
Advert
Having been hit with these kinds of reactions, the model expressed the belief that 'in society', entering middle age means losing 'your license to be able to show up in bikinis, to claim your sexuality, to be a sexual woman'.
"Suddenly I was being transgressive, I was being controversial, but merely the fact that I was now in my 50s made it risqué," she said.
Paulina admitted that being subject to ageism sparked her 'inner rebel', so she hit back at the trolls by posting more saucy snaps and combatting the idea that people of a certain age shouldn't have to look a certain way.
One image, posted shortly before her recent birthday, showed her posing in black underwear and a red robe, alongside a caption which read: "Almost 58? Grandma, knitting, fireplace? Check, check, check, check! I’m the proud step grandma of five. I’ve knitted the sweater I’m wearing- and yes, I’m standing by a fireplace.
Advert
"So this is what almost 58 looks like for me today."
When celebrating her 58th birthday, Paulina stripped down even more as she used bedding and her hands to cover her body, writing alongside the post: "I begin 58 with nothing but sunshine and a smile. And the hope that the best is yet to come, and nothing but gratitude for all that has brought me here to the now."
The model is proud of the way she looks, saying she hasn't had any work on her face and is instead determined to be an 'unaltered older woman'.
Advert
She's now calling on other women to embrace their beauty, saying: "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’.”
Emily Brown