Daily Express, Saturday February 19th, 2004
Why Fifty's So Nifty
It's THE age to be says gorgeous Twiggy
She
will always be remembered as the waifish teenage model whose fresh-faced
look epitomised the Swinging Sixties.
And 40 years on Twiggy is again using her image to champion her generation.
At 55, she has become the face of charitty Age Concern and is determined to prove the over-50s are young at heart.
The original supermodel - who partied with the Beatles and was a seasoned globetrotter by 20- said she wanted everyone to realise that “people over 50 are not dead and gone” but are “raring to go”.
Twiggy - whose real name is Lesley Lawson - shot from obscurity to international fame after being spotted working in her local hair salon. She was even named of Face 1966 by the Daily Express.
After modelling she moved into acting and has enjoyed a successful if quiet career on the screen.
But she has remained determined not to allow her advancing age to diminish her lust for life.
Speaking on Parkinson - to be screened on ITV1 at 10.15pm tonight — she said:
“People over 50 aren’t dead and gone mate. We’ve got a lot of life.”
She told presenter Michael Parkinson she felt the young tended to write off older people when they still had so much to give.
“There’s a lot of people who lose their jobs who are still ready to continue and are still very bright, and could add a lot to an organisation with their knowledge,” she said. “Fifty’s the new 40.”
Twiggy — whose good looks have not faded - also lashed out at plastic surgery.
Insisting she had not gone under the knife, she said people were far too wiling to subject themselves to dangerous procedures in the quest for everlasting beauty.
“It’s absolutely terrifying. It’s becoming an epidemic. We’re going to have a group of people who don’t look young but don’t look old. It’s peculiar,” she said.Picture: Brian Aris.
Interview: Martin Evans.
