Inspiring 73 year-old-model proves age is no barrier to style as she promotes body positivity

Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 31, 2023. It has since been updated. 

At 73 years, Colleen Heidemann is living her best life as a model and regularly posts about her life on TikTok to show the world that you should feel comfortable wearing whatever you want, at any age.

After turning to model at the age of 69, Heidemann signed up with NEXT Models and garnered more than 300,000 followers on TikTok, who loves her body-positive content. Heidemann often posts her glamorous looks online as a way of showing people you should be able to dress however you want, and that age is just a number. She often mocks people who suggest she should dress her "age" and encourages others to be as active as they can. In one of her TikTok posts, she broke the stereotypes surrounding the idea of a swimsuit body, writing, “Wear what makes you feel good! Everybody is a swimsuit body.”

When asked about how she describes her style, Heidemann told DScene in an interview that she does not have a definitive style adding, "I tend to wear at this stage of my life clothing I never would have chosen when younger." She further added that she does not stereotype any image of herself and prefers a diverse selection process. Heidemann also said that she considers what she "puts into her body" much more than she used to, as well as how physically active she should be.

She eats mostly vegetables, raw or grilled, and very little meat, and tries to consume less sugar. Heidemann also said that she deals with ageism daily, and believes that with menopause comes the "Age of Irrelevance." However, her belief is that this should be seen as an "Age of Enlightenment’" where we realize how many wonderful and unique things we have yet to learn, feel, and experience. 

Many people react to her videos, jinx1953 says "Is this the same gorgeous girl again? You go, Mama! Gorgeous lady! You have it ALL!" Another user ana8623 wrote, "Good vibes are within, turned into a beautiful expression. Beautiful woman." While Rimzy🇱🇰 said, "A strong granny……. I have seen…..go ahead grandma……. be strong more."

Dee Coats commented, "Thank you, you are such an inspiration. I get told so many times about what I wear or my hair (it’s long was told at my age it should be short LOL) You are now my role model wow, I'm just speechless, best regards from Austria - Carinthia - Klagenfurt am Wörthersee - Isi" says, ISI. Heidemann’s words of wisdom and positive outlook on life show that age is just a number, and no matter how old you are, you should always strive to live your best life and follow your dreams.