Former 'Baywatch' Actress Donna D'Errico Clapped Back at People Who Said She Was 'Too Old to Wear a Bikini'

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It's 2022, yet somehow society still places arbitrary limits on what people, especially women, should wear and how they ought to present themselves, especially as they age. That needs to end — and if reactions to an Instagram video posted by former Baywatch actress Donna D'Errico are any indication, there's a still a long way to go where this issue is concerned. (Related: Sarah Jessica Parker Shared Some Thoughts On Aging and Her Much-Talked-About Gray Hair)

D'Errico, who is 54, posted a video of herself dancing in a bikini on the Fourth of July. While many commenters praised D'Errico's playful video, not all reactions to the clip were positive, according to the star. "Quite a few women complained about the 4th of July video I posted in a red white & blue bikini because they thought I was 'classier than that' and 'too old to wear a bikini' and, my favorite, 'desperate'," D'Errico wrote in the caption of a recent Instagram post, which features an image of the Baywatch actress in another bikini.

Although D'Errico could have let comments from her haters slide, she seems to have seen the importance of taking a stand against the ridiculous idea that a person can be "too old" to wear a bikini. She took the opportunity to make a statement about how she can do whatever she wants to any age, and that includes dancing around in a bikini. (Related: Naomi Watts Shared Some Unfiltered Thoughts On Menopause and Aging)

"Let me tell you something that might surprise you. I can actually wear and do literally whatever I want," the actress wrote in the caption of her latest post. "On that note, here is me in a bikini squatting on a coffee table."

Commenters quickly showed their support for D'Errico's statement. "Don't let any haters drag you down," wrote one commenter. "Donna, you are beautiful inside and out. Empowering. Inspirational," added another.

There shouldn't be anything radical or noteworthy about someone in their 50s (or 60s or 70s, for that matter) wearing a two-piece swimsuit. Luckily, many stars use their platforms to speak up about rethinking old-school societal expectations about how age should affect how people dress and behave. Remember when Hoda Kotb said she'll always wear a bikini thanks to her mother's words of wisdom, or when Jane Fonda reminded fans that you're only as old as you feel?

At the end of the day, age is simply a number, especially when it comes to decisions about what type of swimsuit to wear. So kudos to D'Errico for setting the record straight and making it abundantly clear that people can wear and do whatever they want at any age.