Maye Musk

The legendary Maye Musk has been modelling for over half a century — and she’s still going strong. In 2022, aged 74, she became the oldest woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. She is also an author, and her books include her 2019 memoir, A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success. She is also a renowned dietician and frequently travels the world to give talks on dieting.

Musk was born in Canada in 1948 to adventurous parents who moved to South Africa when she was two years old. In 1969, she reached the finals of a Miss South Africa beauty contest, which is where she met her first husband, Errol. The pair had three children, one of whom is a certain Elon Musk. IN 1989, Maye returned to live in Canada.

Despite a long modelling career, it’s arguable that Musk’s success has only increased as she has got older — something of an inversion of the perceived stereotype of a modelling career. In the last 15 years, she has appeared in a Beyonce music video, posed nude for the cover of Time magazine, appeared on the cover of Elle magazine in Canada, and been the face of ad campaigns for the likes of Kellogg’s Special K, Target, and Virgin America. With her eldest son now the richest person to ever have lived, Musk’s profile has undoubtedly profited, and she has also appeared with him on major shows such as Saturday Night Live.