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US lifestyle icon Martha Stewart has made history by appearing in this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, highlighting the older women still active in the spotlight.
Stewart, 81, is the oldest woman to grace the much anticipated swimsuit issue of the sports and fitness focused publication, which typically features younger models. She beats the record set last year by Maye Musk, who was 75 at the time.
Other’s appearing in this issue include actress Megan Fox, model Brooks Nader and singer Kim Petras.
"For me it is a testament to good living, and all of us should think about good living, successful living, and not about ageing,” Stewart said on a US talk show earlier this week.
"The whole ageing thing is so boring.”
As of late, Sports Illustrated has featured women of all ages and backgrounds, including 57-year-old Kathy Jacobs in 2021, and former Sports Illustrated models from yesteryear, Christie Brinkley and Paulina Porizkova.
Television host and celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi, 52, also appears in the 2023 issue.
"It’s a mission we have as a brand to have these really important conversations about women and what we essentially don’t need to be up against,” said MJ Day, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor in chief.
This focus on older women is part of a bigger trend that includes Hollywood, where last year 10 of the top-grossing films featured a leading actress who was 45 or older, according to the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California.
In comparison, 35 films released last year featured male actors who were 45 or older.
On the 2023 awards-show circuit, actors such as Angela Bassett, Jennifer Coolidge and Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh used their acceptance speeches to talk about how Hollywood had once counted them out.
Stewart began her career as a model for luxury brands like Chanel before becoming an entrepreneur and a TV personality with her cooking show The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
She is a perennial presence on American television, and has also struck a friendship with rapper Snoop Dogg. – The Vibes, May 16, 2023