Supermodel Paulina Porizkova has made a stand against ageism, a week after Elizabeth Hurley was criticised for posing topless on social media.
Porizkova, 55, shared a photograph of herself (below) on Instagram, standing naked in her bedroom, writing: “Today, on a serious note, thoughts inspired by the brouhaha around a sexy photo of Elizabeth Hurley."
“When I was in my twenties and thirties, the less I wore - the more popular I was. In my forties, I could walk around practically naked and illicit nothing more than a ticket for public indecency.
“At 50, I am reviled for it. ‘Put on your clothes, grandma. Hungry for attention, are you? A little desperate here? You’re pathetic.’ Why is sexiness and nudity applauded in a woman’s youth and reviled in her maturity?
TV personality Piers Morgan said Hurley’s photos (above) were “attention-seeking”, “thirsty” and inappropriate and told her to “put [her] clothes on” while appearing on Good Morning Britain.
He later mock-apologised for his words, saying: “I’m very sorry, I called her thirsty because the moment the snow came out she took all of her clothes off and ran outside and posed topless and then posted it saying, ‘How could I resist?’”
Porizkova called out men for having double standards.
“Men are biologically programmed to spread their seed, inserting themselves into fertile containers which advertise their viability through youth,” she said.
“What does this say for men who do not want children? Men who have all the kids they wanted? Men who don’t want kids right this second?
“Unevolved.
“And what does this say for women like myself, who need to be validated by the male gaze?
“Insecure.
“The only thing that is pathetic here is allowing others to set your priorities.”
She concluded the post with the hashtags #sexyhasnoexpirationdate #betweenjloandbettywhite
Followers were supportive of Porizkova’s selfie and words, which received more than 15,000 likes in the first hour after they were posted.
“That last line is everything!” read one comment. “I’m in my 20s and I can’t tell you how much I respect you. I can only hope I embrace aging as gracefully as you have.”
“Wish I had your confidence, girl,” another fan wrote, prompting the model to respond, “I’m faking it!”
“I can’t tell if this was taken 20 years ago or today,” one follower told her. “You are timeless and sexy and society needs to shut up.”
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