Where Are They Now? Paulina Porizkova

The supermodel and author is an SI Swimsuit legend who has posed for the publication a total of 11 times.

Paulina Porizkova / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Paulina Porizkova started modeling as a teenager and soon became an overnight sensation after her 1983 SI Swimsuit feature in Jamaica. Outside of her collaborations with the brand, the Czech model has been featured on covers of Vogue Portugal, Vanity Fair Italia, Elle Czech Republic and countless others. Porizkova has partnered with brands like Estée Lauder, Rag & Bone and Laura Geller Beauty, and in addition to her work in front of the lens, she is a published author, actress and advocate against ageism. 

Below, we’re taking a closer look at the internet’s most burning questions about Porizkova. 

Paulina Porizkova and SI Swimsuit

The supermodel and author, who was just 17 at the time of her first SI Swimsuit photo shoot, landed the cover the following two years, after posing for Paolo Curto in Aruba and Brian Lanker in Australia. To date, Porizkova has posed for 11 different issues of SI Swimsuit. Within the last five years alone, she’s made two major appearances. She was captured by Yu Tsai in Kenya in 2019 and participated in the brand’s legends photo shoot this year alongside 26 other brand icons in honor of the 60th anniversary SI Swimsuit Issue.

Paulina Porizkova was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Marchesa. Shoes by Britt Netta. Jewelry by Ettika. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

“The first time I shot for Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit], I was 17. SI [Swimsuit] is what put me on the map—as a sort of pinup model,” Porizkova stated while on set with the brand earlier this spring. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have had that.”

Paulina Porizkova 1980s

With her SI Swimsuit cover in 1984, Porizkova became the first Central European woman to land the coveted spot on the front of the magazine. Throughout the decade, she posed for the publication on five different occasions, including photo shoots in Bora Bora and St. Barts. 

“My Sports Illustrated cover is kind of what blew me up overnight as a household name and model with a name,” she told SI Lifestyle in 2022. 

Throughout the 1980s, Porizkova reached supermodel status and was a top model in both Paris and the U.S. In ’88, she became the face of Estée Lauder, a position Porizkova held for approximately six years. The following year, Porizkova wed The Cars lead singer Ric Ocasek in the Caribbean.

Paulina Porizkova / Ron Galella/Getty Images

Paulina Porizkova 1990s

Porizkova returned to the fold of the SI Swimsuit Issue in 1992, when she stepped in front of Robert Huntzinger’s lens in Spain. Throughout the decade, she also landed several Cosmopolitan magazine covers and became a mother. She and Ocasek welcomed sons Jonathan in 1993 and Oliver in ’99.

Paulina Porizkova now

Today, Porizkova has shifted her focus to writing and advocacy. She uses her platform to be proudly outspoken against ageism against women, and at the age of 59, has been candid about how satisfied and fulfilled she is in her current era of life.

Paulina Porizkova / Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

“One of the many wonderful things that come with age for women is that we grow a lot more generous when we don’t have to compete in quite the same way anymore,” Porizkova told us earlier this year. “I think we have our natural inclination to generosity. When I was younger, there was not a lot. There was a lot of looking up to women, but there was no real feeling of unity between young women. 

Paulina Porizkova movies and TV shows

While she is primarily known for her work as a model, Porizkova is also an accomplished actress. She is most notably recognized for her onscreen work in several films that took place during the 1990s, including Arizona Dream, Wedding Bell Blues and Thursday. Porizkova also served as a judge on the 10th cycle of America’s Next Top Model, and was a featured guest judge on Project Runway last year. 

Paulina Porizkova books

Porizkova released a nonfiction book, No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful, in November 2022. Now a New York Times best-seller, the model’s memoir features a heartfelt collection of essays that cover topics like beauty, love, aging and relationships.

Paulina Porizkova / Kevin Kane/Getty Images

“I think the main reason I wrote [No Filter] is to connect with women like us,” Porizkova told SI Lifestyle of the book. “I know that when I was in my dark space, I so desperately wanted somebody who had gone through something, whatever money, grief, beauty, that I wasn’t alone with all those thoughts. I want to be your companion. I want to be able to metaphorically hold your hand if you need it. We are all human. And I think it’s helpful to know that somebody that you think is in such a shining, high, glorified position might not feel dissimilar from you.”

The author also released a novel titled A Model Summer in 2007, and while fiction, it seemingly drew from Porizkova’s first-hand experience as a supermodel.