MAYE THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Maye Musk, CoverGirl model, dietician, and mother of Tesla founder Elon Musk, chats with Esther Wojcicki, mother of Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki, about life in their 70s, raising trailblazing children, and moving to Mars. Esther Wojcicki: I must congratulate you on your 70th birthday. How are you feeling about the milestone? Maye Musk: I had been looking forward to it because I feel like things are going to take off in my 70s. How old are you? EW: I’m 72. MM: I’m younger than you. EW: Yes, so much younger. Your modelling career is amazing. MM: It is amazing! I was always just a model with three kids. Nobody knew who I was, but it didn’t matter. Now I’m an influencer, so I get to do interviews and use them as a platform to talk about nutrition and go on glamorous fashion shoots like this one for Harper’s BAZAAR. It’s beyond! EW: That makes me feel very good, too. Any tips for aspiring models of any age? MM: I’ve always had my own business as a dietician, so I eat well. You must maintain a steady weight, especially at our age, as the cholesterol starts to shoot up. EW: What about your beauty routine? How do you always look so good? Maybe you can help me. MM: I eat well to keep my skin looking good, and I stay out of the sun. I put on SPF if I’m going outside, even with a hat on. I always have a moisturiser on my face and lip balm because my lips get dry. EW: Your style is impeccable; I noticed that when I first met you. Where did you get your fashion sense? MM: I moved from South Africa where I grew up to Toronto about 28 years ago. I was living in a rent-controlled apartment with my three teenagers when I met my best friend, Julia Perry, who happens to be a stylist. At the time I thought
I had good taste. But one day she said, “You need to start dressing better,” and threw everything in my wardrobe except for six outfits. I could only afford to buy one new suit, two shirts, a pair of shoes, and a bag. I wore that every day until I could afford more. EW: Like me, you have three amazing, wildly successful children. Can you describe your relationship? MM: We laugh a lot and we get together often. EW: Being a mother is tough, and you were a single mum. How did you balance your career and maintain a sense of self? MM: I keep in good health. And I’m optimistic, but even with all my optimism I would have never said to myself, “When I get to 70, I’m really going to take off.” I would have sounded like a crazy lady. EW: We are good role models—living proof that you can continue to do all sorts of exciting things after 70. Speaking of exciting, your son Elon [who is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX] had an amazing experience earlier this year with his rocket test launch, and now he’s planning a flight to Mars. Do you want to be onboard the spaceship? MM: I don’t know if I want to spend three months in a rocket. In the beginning, it will just be engineers, who will go first to set up a city. As a nutritionist, I could probably help by sending food. It would have to be compacted. EW: Any hobbies? MM: I spend a lot of time on Instagram. I love spending time with my 10 grandkids and hearing about what they’re doing; they’re so excited. EW: You were named the face of CoverGirl at 69, and it was described as a historymaking moment. Is that your greatest achievement? MM: My three kids are my greatest achievement. I never dreamed of being a CoverGirl, but here I am! It’s so amazing. The response has been positive. People post #Goals and #GOAT. Do you know what GOAT means? EW: No, what does it mean? MM: Greatest of All Time. EW: That’s so wonderful. It really reaffirms the importance of appreciating and encouraging women of all ages. MM: Another hashtag they write is #OG. I had to ask my granddaughter what it means; it’s Original Gangster. I laughed so much. EW: Oh, my God, I love this. OG. For me, and I think it’s the same for you, being optimistic, always looking out instead of in, and trying to improve the world in some way are the keys to success and change, and something we’ve passed on to our children. I’ve been trying to do that in education for decades. You’ve been trying to do that with nutrition forever. My daughter Susan is trying to improve the world with YouTube. And Elon is doing it with the electric car industry. Every time I get into my Tesla I think of Elon.
“I don’t know if I want to spend three months on a rocket. As a nutritionist, I could probably help by sending food.” – Maye Musk