The Counterintuitive Secret To Staying Hot Forever, According To Supermodel Iman

Supermodel secrets revealed!

smiling woman near lake Max kegfire / Shutterstock
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It seems like in this day and age, there is so much emphasis on outer, physical beauty.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking care of how you look. For some, looking beautiful is a confidence booster. For others, it's a hassle. And both are OK. 

Aging, in particular, can be a very sensitive topic, especially for a lot of women.

Some have the notion that aging means they are past their prime and are no longer attractive or desirable, and this stereotyped is perpetuated by the media every day.

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We see how people react to aging female celebrities, with disgust and disbelief, and how they react to aging male celebrities, with praise and compliments.

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But for international supermodel Iman, aging should not be seen as such. The Somalian-born model is in her 60s, yet she does not look like it at all.

"Never lie about your age," she said in an article for Yahoo! Beauty. "You have earned it." And what great advice. Women should embrace their age instead of lying about it. Be proud of it and own it.

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Just like many other women, Iman doesn't seem to age at all. So what's her secret to looking young? Believe it or not, her secret is gaining weight. That's the best advice I've ever heard, gluten here I come.

Iman said that she keeps at least five to ten pounds over her jeans' weight and buys jeans a size up. She calls this her "ultimate no-filler-needed refresher."

"I don't need to fit in my jeans that I wore in my 20s!" she said. And why would you want to? (Besides the fact that jeans from back in the day were hideous and not form-fitting, and it's exhausting trying to chase a body that you'll never get back.)

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Now retired from modeling, Iman launched her former cosmetics company, IMAN, in 1994, which specialized in products designed for women of color, such as herself.

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This was due to her experience as an ethnic model in the 70s when makeup artists were not trained in applying cosmetics to non-white models. 

"Let's face it: women of every race, nationality, and background want the same thing: to look radiant and feel beautiful in their own skin," she said.

We can all learn a thing or two from Iman. Ladies, it's time to love how you look in your skin and not be embarrassed by your age, and no one has the right to make comments about how you look. 

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RELATED: Why Can’t An Iconic Rebel Like Madonna Embrace Aging?

Caithlin Pena is an editor and former contributor for YourTango. Her work has been featured on Thought Catalog, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Psych Central, and BRIDES.