Supermodel Iman, 67, Says She’s Not Afraid to Age and Celebrates ‘Getting Older’
Iman, 67, criticized the cultural obsession with aging and youthfulness.
“This really is a mentality rooted in the West. For me, it has never been a problem,” she said.
The supermodel has been outspoken about the privilege of aging.
At 67, Iman is much more concerned about making the fashion industry a more inclusive space than she is about aging. In fact, in a new interview with British Vogue, the supermodel said she doesn’t understand the overarching Western obsession with youth.
“I come from Africa, we celebrate getting older,” she said. “A friend was telling me there’s been a rise in cosmetic surgery, all because [people] have been looking at themselves in Zoom meetings.” (Research shows the friend was right. The phenomenon is known as the “Zoom Boom.”)
She continued: “I’m like, ‘If you are worried about that, just put the camera up [so it’s tilted down on your face], for God’s sake!’ This really is a mentality rooted in the West. For me, it has never been a problem.”
As someone who travelled the world with activist parents, fled a dangerous Somalian military coup, and lost her beloved husband, David Bowie, in 2016, Iman is simply honored to have the opportunity to continue making the world a better place. That’s why she became executive producer of Supreme Models, a six-part YouTube docuseries about the Black women who revolutionized fashion, and also why she helped found Black Girls Coalition, which fights for representation and pay equity for Black models.
This isn’t the first time Iman has dismissed the pressure to anti-age. In a 2021 interview with People, she shared her thoughts on plastic surgery, saying, “I’m not against it, but it’s not for me.” She added that she has never lied about her age, nor is she afraid of gaining weight as she grows older.
“People keep wanting to be extremely skinny with no body fat. As you get older that shows in your face and hands. You lose the collagen,” she said. “People run to get fillers and stuff like that. I’m intending to keep the 8 lbs.”
Iman does, however, make sure to tend to her skin—a practice instilled in her by her mother. “She always used to say, ‘The skin you take care of in your teens and 20s is the one you’re going to inherit 60s and above,’” she told People. “You start early and you do it methodically, like brushing your teeth. It’s an investment in oneself.”
And her routine is relatively simple. You can shop some of her go-tos below.
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