Paulina Porizkova On Aging, Instagram, and Cosmetic Procedures

The 57-year-old former supermodel opened up about her social media presence in a recent interview.

If you follow former supermodel Paulina Porizkova on Instagram, you know she's quite an open book on the app. Since 2020, she's used the social media platform to share photos of herself (often defying stereotypes about women above the age of 50 by doing something as simple as wearing a bikini). Her snaps are occasionally paired with lengthy captions about topics such as aging, grief, mental health, and self image. Recently, she turned her musings into a collection of essays called No Filter, and she's sharing more candid thoughts on aging and social media in a new interview with Women's Wear Daily ahead of her book's launch on November 15.

Porizkova began posting on Instagram in 2020 after her husband, from whom she was separated at the time, passed away, and the COVID-19 pandemic compounded her loneliness and grief, she explained to the publication.

“I was suddenly a divorced woman who had no career, had no way of making money and also was completely ignored by the population at large, and I thought that’s not cool because I’m actually a lot cooler now than I was 20 years ago," said the 57-year-old. "I am way smarter. I have more patience. I’m more intellectually curious. I’m more generous. Everything about me is better. But I have wrinkles and that does not make me ugly. I just thought that’s unfair.”

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So, instead of allowing herself to feel invisible, Porizkova shared personal images and thoughtful captions with her newfound audience. “I didn’t know if I was going to reach one person or three and what happened was completely beyond my wildest imagination actually,” said Porizkova, who now has more than 830 million Instagram followers.

While she's clearly resonating with millions on Instagram, the platform has also bought Porizkova some haters. However, she doesn't let that get her down, she told WWD.

“Most of the people I know in the public eye, they will just disregard [negative comments]," said Porizkova. "It actually stimulates my brain,” she continued, noting that she tries to imagine what would make a person say or think it's okay to say those types of comments. "That spurs me on to then write posts about other things.”

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As part of her bid to change the conversation around aging and women's beauty standards, Porizkova has also spoken openly about her thoughts on certain cosmetic procedures. She's not personally interested in injectables, but enjoys trying buzzy treatments, such as oxygen facials and face yoga, according to WWD. “I just want a little subtle help," she explained. "I don’t want any drastic stuff. I don’t want to eliminate my age. I just want to look as good as I can given the limitations.”

Porizkova has certainly struck a chord with millions of people by simply embracing who she is. While you wait for the release of her new book, you can read more of her candid thoughts and see her inspiring photos on her Instagram profile. (Next up: Courteney Cox Got Real About Going Through Menopause).

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