Paulina Porizkova is used to embracing her natural beauty on social media. The 59-year-old model frequently shares candid moments with her 1.1 million Instagram followers and continued this trend in a recent video posted on Thursday, April 18.
“Ok, here I am with no makeup – no anything- and I’ve asked my love, Jeff, to tell me a story,” she captioned the video. “Tell me a story so I could just listen and react. And to see myself as others see me.”
In the accompanying video, Porizkova’s boyfriend, Jeff Greenstein, recounts a story about “a little girl named Rebecca” to his partner. The No Filter author listens intently, displaying genuine emotions, which, on her naturally untreated skin, reveal lines and wrinkles.
“Lately, I’ve started to follow some young influencers who start getting Botox early, in order NOT to develop ANY wrinkles,” she continued in the caption. “Their perfect skin is reflective and luminous. They look like porcelain dolls. Sure they are beautiful. But they also display all the animation of a porcelain doll.
“And I think to myself. What sort of an example have I set for young women if they fear looking older, if they fear a wrinkle to such extent they’d rather not use their face for the purpose for which it was created – to show and mirror emotions?”
She continued with some food for thought for her followers. “Did you know studies have found that when you cannot mirror others emotions, you actually feel less of them yourself?” she asked. “Have we created a world in which the idea of an aging woman is so ghastly that it is preferable to disconnect ourselves from basic humanity in order not to become her?”
That’s why the actress took to social media: to send a message to women everywhere that expression lines aren’t something to fear. “So this woman here, listening to a story made up by her beloved, reacting to his words, is what young women fear becoming?” she concluded.
“A woman with the wrinkles of living and loving. A woman with history. A woman with experience. A woman with empathy. Not a doll. It’s weird to say- but- I think we need to normalize our humanity!”
It’s not just on social media that Porizkova’s embraced her natural, makeup-free beauty. In October of 2021, the Australian fashion label Camilla and Marc hired the model to star in an unretouched campaign.
“Do you know how rare it is to be hired for a campaign that celebrates my age, instead of one in which I’m the token ‘old’ lady?” Porizkova captioned an Instagram post unveiling the campaign. “So rare it only happens once or twice a year. Not only do I adore their clothing; stylish, chic, simple, but also their embrace of a seasoned woman.
All you ladies out there, this is how we can change a tiny bit of social conventions at the time, by putting our money where we want it to go. Supporting businesses that acknowledge us, women, not just girls.”
