Isabella Rossellini looks great at 75. Why is that noteworthy?

Isabella Rossellini was born into royalty: Her mom was Ingrid Bergman, her dad was Roberto Rossellini. She was married to Martin Scorsese, and another partner, David Lynch, famously directed her in the 1986 film “Blue Velvet.”

Then at 40, she was dumped by Lancôme for being too old.

She is now 75, looks great but, we need to ask: why is looking great at 75 so noteworthy? We get it, but, at the same time, it’s time we changed gears. No one at 75 is going look like they did at 20, or 30 or even 50.

Two thoughts that directly apply to everyone over 50:

1. She did not let being dumped because she was too old destroy her, her drive or her self-esteems. You should not either.
2. She did not have a plan. She had to build one on the fly. You probably also did not have a plan. Isabella Rossellini is proof that you can survive that too. But it would be so much better if you had one. So, if you are around 50… start making a plan. Worst that could happen: you won’t use it and things will turn out great.

Help us fight age discrimination today so your children won’t get dumped at 40 for “being too old”.

The article from the New York Times, written by Miami’s own Lulu Garcia Navarro is well worth reading and we’re linking it as we always do. From the article:

Scrolling through, I often wonder how Rossellini is so comfortable in her own skin at an age when many women struggle in theirs. 

Ms. Rossellini also built her own interesting and varied career, becoming one of the most recognizable models in the world as the face of Lancôme until, in her 40s, the beauty brand dumped her for being too old.

Rossellini was suddenly faced with a question that she’s still working through today: “Who am I, and how do I fulfill the rest of my life?”

The short answer is that she wrote books, went back to school, bought a farm, learned to be single, got rehired by Lancôme and kept acting.

Rossellini describes herself as diligently following whatever amuses her. “I just play,” she says. “I’m playful. And I became increasingly more playful with age.”

Rossellini: “when I became older and there was less work as a model and as an actress and my children were grown up, I thought, Well, maybe I’ll go back to school and study ethology. And so in my 60s, I signed up.”

Speaking about growing up at a time when her dad, the famous movie director, Roberto Rossellini had so many things impounded from their apartment to pay for his debts: “And then we continue to work, and we continue to live, and you can redesign your life.”

At 40, Ms. Rossellini was dumped from Lancôme for being too old. There’s no other word: dumped.

“I don’t know that I was prepared for Lancôme to let me go. At the time Lancôme said that women dream to be young and that advertisements for perfume and cosmetics are all about seduction, so that idea is associated with a younger woman, not a woman in her 40s. And advertising is about a dream. It’s not about reality. Even if there were a lot of clients of Lancôme that were in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, they gave me that rationale. (Her skill at being a spokeswoman) was not recognized. And that’s what hurt.”

Speaking about being re-hired by Lancôme at 50: “Having this big contract is a little bit like winning the lottery. You’re very lucky. But you never really can measure, Can I make it in my life? If I didn’t have Lancôme, can I make it? Can I support my two children? And yes, I can. I went back to university. I made my own films. And I’m financially independent.”