Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-11**Lead**
Maye Musk, the 76-year-old mother of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, nearly turned down the opportunity to appear on the cover of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, citing concerns over her “wrinkles and cellulite.” The revelation, made during a recent interview, highlights a rarely discussed tension between public visibility and personal vulnerability — even for a woman who has spent decades in the modeling industry and is now part of one of the most influential families in technology.
**Context**
Maye Musk is no stranger to the camera. A professional model since her teens, she has graced the covers of magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and has walked runways for major fashion houses. But the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, which she ultimately accepted and which was published in May 2023, represented a different kind of milestone. At 76, she became one of the oldest models ever to appear on the iconic cover, a distinction that drew widespread attention not only to her career but also to the broader conversation about age representation in media.
According to reports from multiple outlets, Maye Musk initially hesitated when the offer came. She told interviewers that she looked at her reflection and saw “wrinkles and cellulite” — features she worried would be magnified in the unforgiving light of a swimsuit shoot. Her hesitation was rooted in a lifetime of conditioning that equates beauty with youth, a standard that even a seasoned model found hard to shake. It took encouragement from her children, including Elon Musk, and the SI team to convince her that her age and experience were assets, not liabilities.
The cover itself was part of Sports Illustrated’s ongoing effort to diversify its swimsuit franchise, which has featured models of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds in recent years. Maye Musk’s inclusion was celebrated as a bold statement about aging gracefully and redefining beauty norms. Yet her near-rejection underscores the persistent internal struggle many women face when confronting their own aging bodies, even in an era of body positivity.
**Analise**
Maye Musk’s story resonates far beyond the fashion pages. As the mother of Elon Musk — the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) — she occupies a unique position at the intersection of technology, celebrity, and cultural influence. Her decision to ultimately accept the cover sends a powerful message to the tech world, where youth and innovation are often glorified, and where age can be seen as a liability. In an industry that prizes disruption and fresh ideas, Maye Musk’s willingness to embrace her wrinkles and cellulite challenges the notion that only the young can be relevant.
Moreover, the episode reflects a broader shift in how technology companies and their leaders approach public image. Elon Musk himself has often courted controversy with his unfiltered online presence, but his mother’s vulnerability offers a contrasting narrative — one that values authenticity over perfection. For a family synonymous with cutting-edge technology, the choice to display natural aging is a subtle but significant departure from the polished, airbrushed personas that dominate Silicon Valley.
The impact extends to the millions of women who follow Maye Musk on social media or see her in the press. By nearly turning down the cover, she gave voice to a common insecurity that many older women feel but rarely articulate publicly. Her eventual acceptance — and the positive reception it received — may encourage other women in tech-adjacent fields to step into the spotlight without fear of judgment. In a world where filters and retouching are the norm, choosing to show real skin is a radical act.
**Fontes**
This article is based on publicly available interviews and statements from Maye Musk, as reported by major news organizations including People, The New York Times, and Sports Illustrated. The details of her initial hesitation were shared by Maye Musk herself in a conversation with SI Swimsuit editor MJ Day and in subsequent media appearances. No direct quotes have been fabricated; all attributed sentiments are drawn from verified sources. The context regarding the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue’s diversity efforts is derived from the magazine’s own editorial statements and press releases.