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Maye Muskmight be the mother ofElon Musk, but she’s known for a lot more than just having raised the Tesla founder.
Maye is a model, recognized widely as a silver-haired beauty who found a new level of success in her later career, both as one of the oldest women to appear on the cover of theSports IllustratedSwimsuit Issue and as an advocate against ageism. She is also a nutritionist and dietician who has published books about healthy eating habits, including her 2021 memoirA Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success.
“She is seriouslya top modelright now,” modelChristie Brinkleysaid of Maye in 2018. “She’s out there with her shock of gray-white hair, just looking gorgeous and striking everywhere she goes. People are really happy to see that.”
Having raised Elon and his two siblings in South Africa and Canada, Maye has remained a staunch supporter of her son throughout his high-profile career, who she says she"knew" was a geniuswhen he was as young as 3. The two are close and have attended high-profile events together, includingthe Met GalaandHeidi Klum’s 2022Halloween party.
But who is Maye Musk? Here’s everything to know about her modeling career, her advocacy against ageism and her perspective on raising a billionaire entrepreneur.
She’s been modeling since she was 15
Maye Musk Instagram
Maye has shared throwback photos from her modeling career on Instagram, evenposting snaps of 1970s photo shootsin December 2022. “Modeling coats since the 1970s,” she wrote. “A few examples.”
In her 50s, she told theDaily Mail, she ditched the blonde dye she had been using to cover her roots andembraced her natural gray hair. “It’s much richer and healthier this way. I wish I’d done it earlier,” Maye told the outlet in 2017. “Looking back, letting my hair go natural was an amazing decision because I started getting major ad campaigns. I also signed with agencies in Europe and traveled to many different cities, which I loved. People would stop me in the street and say they loved my hair!”
She appeared on the cover of theSports IllustratedSwimsuit Issue at 74
At 74 years old, Mayeposed for the coverofSports Illustrated’s 2022 Swimsuit Issue.
“If I thought I could be a swimsuit model forSports Illustrated, people would have locked me away as a crazy lady,” she laughed ina video forSI. “I’m very excited to let people know that women in their 70s are gorgeous.”
She was one of four cover models for the issue, which also includedCiara,Kim KardashianandYumi Nu. “My first reaction was, I could never dream up something like that because why would anyone have a 74-year-old on their cover, especially in a swimsuit,” Musk told PEOPLE. “I do think it’s going to make women feel more comfortable in their seventies when they swim, as well as women in their twenties and thirties.”
She has three children
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Maye shares three children with her ex-husbandErrol Musk: sons Elon andKimbaland daughterTosca. They were all born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa.
In Maye’sSwimsuit Issue cover story, her daughter Tosca wrote about how her mother inspires her. “My whole life, I’ve seen my mom do everything. As a result I think I’ll always expect her to be able to do everything,” she said. “Sometimes I wonder whether it’s time I start limiting those expectations, as she gets older. But then I look at her again, still unstoppable, and I think, not yet.”
She divorced Errol Musk in 1979 and alleged he was abusive
Maye married Erroll in 1970, though the two divorced nine years later. Both Maye and Elon have spoken negatively of Errol in the past, and Maye has alleged he was abusive during their relationship. “Everybody I knew called him ‘the Pig’ because he treated me so badly in public. And I was too scared to tell anyone,” she toldHarper’s Bazaarin 2019. “Like every abused woman, I was embarrassed, and I knew I had made a mistake, you know? … He told me over and over that I was stupid, ugly, boring.”
She continued: “He was very rich, but he made sure I had nothing. Once the kids were living with me, they visited their father some weekends. He would throw out everything they arrived with, so I had to buy them all new clothes and school things. Then he’d sue me and say that I was unfit to parent.”
After their divorce, Maye moved with her kids back to Canada. “For a long time after I left my marriage, I had a pain in my gut. I was so terrified about not being able tofeed my kids,” Maye said in 2022.
In aJune 2022 YouTube video, Errol denied being physically or emotionally abusive to his ex-wife.
She’s a registered dietician and nutritionist
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Maye became a well-respected dietician and nutritionist after earning degrees in those subjects and publishing books about how to promote health through food. She has credited her education forhelping her stay fit.
“I follow science and common sense,” she told PEOPLE. “Science says you should eat a variety of foods and eat more fruits and vegetables — I do that.”
She’s not scared of aging — and advocates against female ageism
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The nutritionist and model has been an advocate for age representation in the fashion industry ever since she booked her first New York Fashion Week show in 2016 in her 60s. After walking in theChristian Sirianoshow three years later, she spoke to PEOPLE about other top brands that didn’t feature models her age. “I don’t think they’ve had older models in their shows,” she said. “That has to change!”
Though she believes there should be moreopportunities for older models, she said that she felt welcome in the industry. “They are treating me very nicely and they are very happy that I’m modeling at this age,” she added. “When I go to shoots, the young models are excited to see me. It proves they can have long and successful careers, too.”
Maye has been open about herperspective on aging, tellingCBS This Morningin 2021, “As I got into my 60s, people were talking about aging and being scared of aging, and I’m saying, ‘Why are you scared of aging?’ For example, when you turn 50, women are scared of losing their jobs. But then men become CEOs and presidents, so what’s that about?”
She’s CoverGirl’s oldest spokesmodel
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Maye appeared in her first campaign for CoverGirl cosmetics in 2018. “It’s the most exciting job, or it’s not even a job,” she said. “It’s the most exciting time of my life tobe a Covergirlat the age of 70 where I’ve given up dreaming of it since I was 18.”
She was in one of Beyoncé’s music videos
Maye appeared as a cloaked lady holding a hairless cat inBeyoncé’s"Haunted" music videofrom the 2013 surprise visual albumBeyoncé. The video features a glamorous, Old Hollywood-style Beyoncé arriving at a mansion full of scary, sexy characters.
In 2013, Mayetweeted a photofrom the shoot and wrote, “Pic from @beyonce video Haunted. Amazing team.”
source: people.com
