Padma Lakshmi Hopes Younger Generations Gain a New Perspective on Aging From Her 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' Photoshoot at 52

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Padma Lakshmi’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue opportunity didn’t exactly come at an ideal time. She had just finished a season of Bravo TV’s Top Chef where she ate all day on the job and only had three weeks to prepare her gym workouts. But she wasn’t going to let anything deter her from shooting the iconic issue because she wanted to share a lesson with the generations of women coming up behind her.

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At 52, the TV personality shared her wisdom in an Instagram Reel with behind-the-scenes footage of her photoshoot. “I think I look great for my age, and I definitely work at it,” she said. “It’s important to show women of all ages, body types, and skin colors that beauty is so vast and so broad of a spectrum.” The Love, Loss, and What We Ate author hopes this will inspire people to change their preconceived notions of what aging looks like.

“When young women see this, I hope they see that they have a long life to live,” she added. “And that experience and wisdom and going through stuff actually makes you more interesting and enriches you as a person.” Lakshmi also noted that in her 50s she feels “more confident and “more comfortable” in her skin, but most importantly, she’s “thankful” for her body and what it has allowed her to do.

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Buy: ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate’ $23.13

Lakshmi is joining a very vocal list of celebrities who are tired of the narrative that they are over the hill at age 50, 60, 70, or beyond. So many women are leading fabulous lives — just look at Jane Fonda — and letting everyone know that the best is yet to come, so embrace every day because aging is a privilege.

Before you go, click here to see celebrity women over 50 whose bikini photos are blowing our minds.

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