Janet Street-Porter on stripping off at 70 for Loose Women Body Stories: 'Here I am complete with cellulite'
JANET STREET-PORTER ON STRIPPING OFF AT 70 'HERE I AM WITH CELLULITE, A NON-EXISTENT WAIST AND SMALL, SLIGHTLY DROPPY BOOBS'
ON SAYING YES TO BARING ALL...'I’ve removed my knickers and bra and decided to share my spider veins and age spots for an important campaign. Here I am, complete with cellulite, a non-existent waist and small, slightly droopy boobs.'
ON STRIPPING OFF AT 70'The point of posing half-naked at 70 and not letting someone airbrush me beautiful is to shout from the rooftops that normal is perfectly fine, in fact it’s gorgeous. That said, I did insist on a good cossie. Half the over-50s population are women, but if you look at what you see in the media you’d never think so. Skinny minnies are still used to sell everything from face cream to undies. Real women have hysterectomy scars, bingo wings, slightly saggy chins... As I’ve got older, my body has changed, but since I embraced it, I haven’t stopped thinking it’s still pretty good as it’s started to sag and droop.'
It’s really important to do this campaign because I want women all over Britain to learn to love their body. Our bodies are brilliant – it’s your weapon!
ON HER BODY IMAGE...'Deep down, I never thought I looked that great when I was younger, and it wasn’t helped by the endless nasty cartoons and impersonations I’ve faced throughout my adult life. It took me until my 40s to feel happy in my own skin — even so, I wasn’t looking forward to stripping off in front of my fellow presenters. But I do want to fly the flag for older women.'
ON HER CHANGING BODY...'I’ve always been relatively slim, but my weight has gone from a size 10 at my skinniest in my 30s up to a size 16 in my 50s, and I was fine with both. Lately I’ve settled at a size 14, but I accept my weight and shape will change again.'
ON LOOSE WOMEN BODY STORIES...'It’s aim? To inspire other women to learn to be comfortable in their own skin. We want to show there’s nothing shameful about the female body. We’re all so sick of pictures of women being photoshopped into ‘perfection’. Don’t be brainwashed by the fake images of women that surround us. Real women look like we do. We want ordinary women to follow our example and share their stories because women have to stop seeing blobs and scars as flaws to be covered or disguised. We should be proud of these markers that tell the story of an eventful life.'
Read more about Loose Women Body Stories here. Click to read Click to read Click to read
Don't miss the show on Tuesday 2 May, 12.30pm on ITV.
Send us your Body Story with picture to Loose.Women@ITV.com.