Christie Brinkley speaks out on ageism and how it 'gnaws away at one's confidence'
Christie Brinkley is speaking out about ageism and "some of the ways that we are constantly being categorized because of our age."
Though she describes herself as "68 [and] feeling great," the supermodel appeared to object at being included in a BuzzFeed article titled, "32 Celebrities Who Are Over 50 And Absolutely Prove That, Yes, Being Older is Attractive." Along with Brinkley, the article included stars such as Sharon Stone, Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Dolly Parton and more. [Note: BuzzFeed is a Yahoo content partner.]
Sharing a screenshot of the article on Instagram, Brinkley told her followers that her first impression of it was that "these women don't have anything to prove, they're just living their best life." She then reflected on "ageism in America" and how "age stereotypes and rules that our culture has defined for us abound."
She continued, "even the expression 'aging gracefully' should not be about one’s looks but about the attitude and energy one offers the world. Looking good is a byproduct of feeling great and showing up in the world with a heart full of good intentions, and good energy!
"The women on this list are so accomplished and have contributed so much beauty to the world with their work. But the subtle constant categorizing of women by age, making us feel like we are approaching some exponential expiration date, gnaws away at one’s confidence," Brinkley added.
Men, she argued, are treated differently.
"Did you ever notice when you read a magazine profile on a woman usually the first paragraph will include her age and often marital status and dating or marital history?" she wrote. "These are barely, if ever, mentioned in a profile on a man. The implications and rules are limitations — so yeah, maybe we do have to keep proving ourselves, and break the rules and stereotypes.
"Women of every age belong everywhere they feel like being, and we can do whatever we set our minds to," the model continued. "We may not always succeed or win, but we’re old enough to learn from our mistakes and keep growing and evolving so we are a force to be reckoned with. There are a million older and wiser women out there reshaping and rebranding the numbers. The 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond just ain’t what they used to be??"
Last April, the famed Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover star opened up about why she hopes her swimsuit photos help redefine how society thinks of aging.
"I post these pictures because I hear from women my age all the time that say, 'Thank you for changing the way people think about the numbers,'" Brinkley told Fox News. "Back in the day, numbers represented something. I remember people thinking that after 30, you should never wear your hair past your shoulders or your hemline needed to hover your knee caps."
She added, "I’ve always found those rules so limiting. Everybody’s different, everybody’s unique. But it’s like telling a gymnast she can’t do flips past a certain age. It doesn’t make sense. If you’ve got great legs, show them. If there’s something about yourself that you really love, celebrate that. Don’t be controlled by those numbers."
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