Sharon Stone, Gabrielle Union, Salma Hayek Own Their 50+ Bodies in Revealing Swimwear Posts

Ok, let’s get real. Most women over the age of 50 don’t have perfectly toned bodies like these three actresses. Being fit is part of their job — and they no doubt have the benefit of personal trainers and perhaps cosmetic procedures (just guessing!) to help them maintain their impressive abs and bodacious curves. It takes a lot of work to look that good. The question is, should they be flaunting their fabulous figures on social media?

I say, go for it! I know there will be those who feel it sets an unrealistic standard of beauty for us mere mortals, but the more important message, in my opinion, is that mature women shouldn’t bow to the expectation that they cover up just because of their age.

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When my mother was in her 50s (four decades ago), she and her peers all wore skirted one-pieces with modest necklines. It was considered unseemly for a grown woman to expose too much skin even if she had a tennis player’s fit body. Their husbands felt no such pressure. They seemed comfortable letting it all hang out — with bellies sagging over their swim trunks on display.

A lot has changed over the years. For one thing, many mature women embrace an active lifestyle and are in better shape than previous generations at the same age. And attitudes about older women are changing. Who would have ever thought that Salma Hayek, 56, (who regularly shows off her killer curves in teeny bikinis on Instagram) would be cast as a sexy leading lady opposite the much younger Channing Tatum in Magic Mike’s Last Dance — or that Martha Stewart would grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue at the age of 81?

And then there is the “body positivity” movement in which women of all shapes and sizes and ages have decided they have the right to wear whatever they want to without shame or judgment. You see a lot more plus-size bikinis for sale these days!

When Instagram trolls suggested that Gabrielle Union, 50, shouldn’t be wearing thong bathing suits at her age, she hit back, saying “... you’re gonna see these cheeks, until my [expletive] falls off and I might just wear a bikini in the casket.” That may be a bit extreme, but the bottom line is it all comes down to confidence.

Sharon Stone, who has unabashedly posted pics on social media in bold one-pieces and bikini bottoms and just a towel, noted that she is happier now than in earlier years. “I’m so grateful to my body,” she told Allure. “When I was younger, everybody was telling me what was wrong with my body — too this, too that,” she said.

We should celebrate our aging bodies! After all, they’ve served us well.