Paulina Porizkova: Women 'Expected to Go Silent' With Age

Supermodel Paulina Porizkova is using her platform to confront a cultural double standard about growing older, arguing that women face pressure to step back from public life in ways men do not.

In a video posted to Instagram on Sunday, September 27, the 61-year-old addressed her female followers directly, acknowledging the women who approach her in person to express gratitude. She said she remains somewhat taken aback by those thanks and suggested they stem from a shared frustration with the aging process.

"I'm a little bit shocked by the 'thank you.' I guess maybe I still don't feel like I deserve it, but [I'm] getting over that. And I guess the 'thank you' is for making you not feel alone [in] not being psyched about aging," Porizkova told Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly.

Porizkova framed the issue as a paradox: aging is something to be grateful for, yet women who do it are frequently marginalized. She described a pattern in which older women lose their seats at what she called the main tables of society and are implicitly encouraged to fade from view.

"Aging is such a privilege when we get to do it — and yet — it's so on the line, especially when it comes to women. We do get dismissed from the main tables when we age. We are expected to go silent. We are expected to sort of withdraw from polite society," Porizkova told Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly.

The model's career began in the 1980s, when she became a breakout star of the fashion world. She appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1983 and was featured on the magazine's cover in 1984 and again in 1985. In the years since, she has built a following on social media through body-positive posts that frequently address aging, beauty standards and self-acceptance.

Porizkova argued that the pressure to remain youthful leaves women with limited options. Some pursue cosmetic procedures to stay in the spotlight, while others step away entirely and find contentment outside of it. Neither path, she suggested, reflects a healthy balance.

"Those of us who are not ready to give it up have to go through surgical procedures. And those of us who don't care — yes, can withdraw, sure, and have very happy lives. But there seems to be a lack of balance in here somewhere," Porizkova told Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly.

She then posed a question to her audience about whether women can remain central figures as they grow older, noting that their contributions only deepen with time.

"Can't we age and still be at the main table? I mean, we have more to contribute now than we ever did," Porizkova told Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly.

Toward the end of the video, Porizkova invited her followers to weigh in on the kind of content they want to see and what leaves them feeling good, promising to deliver more of it and asking them to share suggestions in the comments.

In the caption accompanying the post, she expanded on those questions, describing the emotional range that social media can provoke — from envy to generosity to inspiration — and reflecting on how seeing women who share her experiences lifts her up, while feeling unable to help in difficult moments weighs on her.

"This is purely about scrolling on social media," Porizkova told Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly. "What makes you feel better? What makes you feel worse? What makes you feel envious? What makes you feel generous? What inspires you? I know I feel better when I see women who mirror my experiences. I feel worse when I have no ability to help in any way. (This is also feeling powerless in the face of awful things happening around me.)"

She also acknowledged the complicated emotions that arise when watching peers achieve things she wants for herself, and said she tries to convert that fleeting envy into goodwill. Seeing a woman embrace who she is without apology, Porizkova said, remains a source of inspiration.