Did it take a lot of prep work?
I’m still healthy, my hair is nice, and my skin is good. As for filters, forget it. I keep my facial appointments with Mario Badescu. I’ve done that once a month religiously for 40-something years.
And your body?
I had two months, basically, to make sure I felt good enough about the way I look. If I’d thought my waist was too big, or that I was too wobbly, I wouldn’t have done it. But after working in Pilates three times a week, I thought I could. Also, I went to the tanning booth and had a very light spray tan, something I’ve never done.
Were there physical challenges during the shoot?
I had to wear nine different bathing suits, each of them a one-piece. All these people were prodding me and talking about “the girls.” I have never called my breasts “the girls” in my life. I hate stuff like that.
The whole time, these people were nudging, “Poke this out, push that in a little bit.” I had to put up with that for eight hours. Still, we were shooting in the Dominican Republic and I had a really good time.
How do you come by the sexual confidence to pull off a move like this?
It doesn’t have as much to do with blatant sex as with a self-assurance that started when I was a child. So, when the offer came, I thought, “I can do this. I don’t have to give in to convention.” How else would I, as an 81-year-old, have talked myself into feeling good about getting into a bathing suit?
There are people who find nothing quite as steamy as your competence at work. What do you make of that?
At 81, Martha Stewart Is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover Star
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