Paulina Porizkova Reflects on Modeling Bikinis in Her 50s

The 10-time SI Swimsuit star last posed for the magazine four years ago in Kenya.

Cara O’Bleness | Dec 25, 2023

Paulina Porizkova was photographed by Yu Tsai in Kenya.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

While Paulina Porizkova first stepped in front of an SI Swimsuit photographer’s lens in 1983, the Czechoslovakian model has appeared in 10 total magazines with the brand. Her most recent feature took place in 2019, when Porizkova, then 54, returned to the fold after traveling to Kenya with photographer Yu Tsai.

Her time on location in the East African country resulted in some stunning imagery, but the opportunity also allowed for Porizkova to reflect upon posing for the magazine in her 50s.

“I landed my first SI cover 35 years ago, and the trajectory of my career changed overnight,” she noted at the time in a self-penned essay. “But these days, you’ll most likely find me behind a desk, or more truthfully, behind the kitchen table, with crap reality TV on in the background as I write. I write fiction and nonfiction, and have been militant about ageism: I’m deeply offended on behalf of all of us women who are rendered socially invisible once we look a certain age. Certainly, today’s 50 is not yesterday’s 50.”

In addition to her modeling career, the 58-year-old is also a published author. Her book, No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful, was released in November 2022 and details her journey through the industry and life lessons learned along the way in essay format.

“With only three weeks to prepare, I considered for a moment all the things I could do to make myself look younger,” Porizkova added of her 2019 feature. “Then I settled for a facial, and the only work I did was working on accepting that I didn’t look 25. Or 35. Or 45.”

In honor of Porizkova’s continued work to rebuke ageism, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorite bright and beautiful bikini pics from Kenya.

Paulina Porizkova — Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

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Published Dec 25, 2023

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.