Paulina Porizkova is taking back her body.
The 57-year-old supermodel posted a nude photo to Instagram Friday, discussing the difference between “objectification” and “celebration” of the female figure in her lengthy caption.
“In a partriarchal [sic] society, women have always been seen as objects of desire or nurture. Because these are the needs of men who run the world. This is why youth and beauty are such a strong currency,” Porizkova wrote alongside the snap, which shows her perched on a bed with a white sheet covering her chest.
The Swedish stunner went on to say that when a woman “decides to objectify herself,” she’s “taking the powers she has been given and using them in her own interest but is simultaneously helping to perpetuate a system which has always existed.”
By doing so, Porizkova wrote, “she will be shamed and celebrated by both the perpetrators and the victims.”
The model said a man would be “celebrated” for “seizing his power” in the same way, before reflecting on her experiences as one of the most successful catwalkers of the 1980s.
“I’ve come to wonder if objectification falls mainly into the realm of youth,” she mused.
“When I was a young model exposing my body, it was because someone else approved of it. Someone else decided it was to be celebrated. I didn’t know enough to have an understanding of consequences. Hence, objectification.”
Concluded the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girl, “Now, when I expose my body, it is with my full knowledge and consent. Hence, celebration.”