At 81, Martha Stewart has broken the sandy ceiling.
Her inclusion as one of this year’s Sports Illustrated cover swimsuit models catapults her into history. The oldest woman to star in the somewhat infamous magazine series, Stewart is, at the very least, a much-needed reminder that a woman’s life — or her looks, or her sexuality — doesn’t end at age 60.
“I don’t think about age very much,” Stewart says in the official Sports Illustrated video. I for one applaud that mentality.
The lifestyle, cooking, baking and entertaining business icon, who was photographed resplendent on a beach in the Dominican Republic, is officially one of the most interesting celebrities in Hollywood. She has succeeded, failed and rebounded, pivoting and reinventing herself, all the while defying societal expectations about aging.
Her motto, “When you’re through changing, you’re through” reverberates with many of us in this age bracket who identify as women and routinely and historically get passed over and passed by at work and at play.
We too often are neither seen nor heard in the workplace and relegated to the background in social arenas. Recent research shows that ageism in the workplace is distinctly gendered, with “older female workers being victimized at a greater rate than their male counterparts.” This prevalence of bias results in “increased stress, threatens the well-being of workers of all ages, and creates a toxic workplace climate.”
In 2021, there were close to 38 million women aged 60 to 84.
But America is an aging society. The fastest growing age group in the U.S. is those 65 and older, a demographic of 56 million people. In 2021, there were close to 38 million women aged 60 to 84.
As a 64-year-old myself, I see Stewart’s bold dive into bare-legged, bare-armed and bare-necked celebrity not just as exploitation, but as a nod to what is still possible in a culture that is decidedly age-denying and age-erasing.
Even better, her brand of age-embracing confidence is currently trending — at least in Hollywood. In trailers for “The Book Club: The Next Chapter,” film icons Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen and Diane Keaton strut their lady stuff across Italy flaunting their sexuality, wit and appeal.
And earlier this year, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Fonda — again — put their own spin on the classic girls trip movie with “80 for Brady.” And why not? Adventure, friendship and sex doesn’t need an expiration date.
The entertainment industry’s longtime — and laughably different — treatment of its aging male and female stars has long been a stereotype. But recently, more and more older women are being recognized as they are, from Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett to Chita Rivera, Jamie Lee Curtis and Helen Mirren. These women are formidably talented and glamorous, with full lives. They refuse to disappear.
To be clear, Stewart is far from your average octogenarian. As CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she built an empire that at one point was worth an estimated $1.2 billion (after selling now company, she’s still worth in the hundreds of millions). Stewart’s cookbooks, magazines, furnishings, events, products, endorsements and TV shows made her a household name, and one of the richest women in America. Wealth may not be able to buy you youth, yet, but it certainly can provide you with the best health and wellness experts in the world. And Stewart’s five-month stint in prison for lying to investigators about a stock sale did little to hurt her popularity. (Her unlikely partnership with Snoop Dogg is indicative of both her savvy business skills and privilege — not all of America’s formerly incarcerated citizens get to make prison jokes part of their public brand.) Stewart certainly doesn’t seem to lack confidence. Still, it is worth considering if her mostly uncovered cover shot is exploitation or empowerment. In her recent commencement speech at Rutgers University, Emmy-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, 66, advised the class to “love what you see” in the mirror because “the better you can be to yourself, the better you can be to everyone else.” Stewart certainly doesn’t seem to lack confidence. Still, it is worth considering if her mostly uncovered cover shot is exploitation or empowerment. A long history of swimsuit models in provocative poses confirms they are chosen for their sex appeal, not their business prowess. This annual issue is consumed for the photos, not the articles. Is Stewart performing this very public exercise to express how powerful she feels about her own body and physical health? Hopefully. But many of us just prance in front of the mirror for that reinforcement, and it’s enough. I just wish Stewart’s cover wasn’t photoshopped, as it almost assuredly was. We’re getting closer, but maybe someday the world is able to truly see how beautiful 81 can be.
Michele Weldon
Michele Weldon is an award-winning journalist, author, TEDx speaker, emerita faculty at Northwestern University and senior leader with The OpEd Project. Her latest book is "The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living." 
