Christie Brinkley has proven once and for all that age is nothing but a number by posing for Sports Illustrated’s coveted Swimsuit Issue at the age of 63.
The supermodel appears in the 2017 magazine alongside her two daughters - Sailor, 18, and Alexa Ray Joel, 31, - and the trio are fast becoming our new body image heroes.
On Instagram Sailor posted a refreshingly honest message alongside the photo, saying she’s “had issues with [her] body image” for as long as she can remember, but she’s worked hard to love her figure.
Meanwhile Alexa said she wants to use the platform to promote “unconditional self-love and self-respect to every woman who’s willing to listen”.
Christie, who first appeared on the cover of the magazine in 1979, said her latest photoshoot felt like coming “full circle”.
“I can get very emotional about this. How many years ago, I was that insecure girl hoping that I would be good enough for the magazine,” she said.
“So to see my daughters now having the same thoughts I had, and to be able to see them actually be there on the job, was definitely a big moment.”
Meanwhile on Instagram, Sailor, who appears on the right in the photo, said: “I’ve had issues with my body image since before I can even remember.
“I grew up not loving how I looked and felt held back because of it. I don’t know why I always felt that way, sure I had baby fat and definitely went through a plethora of awkward phases, but I had a family that loved me I had friends who made me laugh. But for some reason I still looked in the mirror and always somehow found something to pick on.”
She said she’s felt “too fat”, “too thin”, and “too muscular” in the past, but she finally feels “liberated” from these insecurities.
“I am healthy, I treat myself well, and for that I’m happy. I’ve looked in the mirror and been able to love the things about my body that beauty norms deem ‘undesirable,’” she said.
“I now have grown to know that my body is worthy of so many great things. I don’t need to be a size 0 to believe in myself.”
In a separate Instagram post, her sister, Alexa, said taking part in the photoshoot was “a lesson in learning to let go” of past insecurities.
“My purpose is to now pass along this lesson of unconditional self-love and self-respect to every woman who’s willing to listen,” she said.
We think they’re all fabulous.
