Christie Brinkley on ageism: 'We are constantly being categorized because of our age'

Bridgehampton supermodel Christie Brinkley, who turned 68 on Feb. 4, is musing about the stereotypes and prejudgments often attached to views about older people.

Posting an Instagram collage Sunday of images and text from the previous day's Buzzfeed.com article "32 Celebrities Who Are Over 50 and Absolutely Prove That, Yes, Being Older Is Attractive," the three-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model wrote, "I saw this article this morning and my first thought was these women don't have anything to prove[;] they're just living their best life … but then I thought again about ageism in America and some of the ways that we are constantly being categorized because of our age."

Brinkley, who is among the list of, in no apparent order, stars including Halle Berry (55), Debbie Harry (76), Rita Moreno (90), Vera Wang (72) and Raquel Welch (81), went on to say, "Age stereotypes and rules that our culture has defined for us abound. Even the expression 'aging gracefully' should not be about one's looks but about the attitude and energy one offers the world. Looking good is a by product of feeling great and showing up in the world with a heart full of good intentions, and good energy!"

She decried "the subtle constant categorizing of women by age, making us feel like we are approaching some exponential expiration date gnaws away at one's confidence," adding that, "Women of every age belong everywhere they feel like being, and we can do whatever we set our minds to. We may not always succeed or win, But we're old enough to learn from our mistakes and keep growing and evolving so we are a force to be reckoned with."

While the star — who told People magazine in 2017 she had Xeomin injected for frown lines, and Ultherapy skin-lifting for her neck and decolletage — did not address wealthy women's ready access to cosmetic surgery, physical trainers and nutritionists, she noted in a larger context that, "There are a million older and wiser women out there reshaping and rebranding the numbers. The 50s 60s 70s and beyond just ain't what they used to be!!"

A lifelong vegetarian, Brinkley has often advised about living a healthy lifestyle, telling Fox News last year that "good nutrition, daily exercise and what we put on our skin all really have an impact on us, especially as we age. True beauty comes from the inside out. And it shows." In addition, she noted, "There's a huge menu of things you can pick and choose from now, whether it's radio-frequency, laser therapies, fillers and other injectables. Of course, what you do 24 hours a day has a tremendous impact on your skin."