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Czech Republic Paulina Porizkova is a renowned model who transitioned into acting, writing, and advocacy, offering brands a spokesperson with international appeal and a powerful voice on ageism and authenticity.
Paulina Porizkova returned to the brand as a Global Brand Ambassador, endorsing skincare and makeup products aligned with her pro-aging values. This marks her second major collaboration with Estée Lauder, following her initial $6 million contract from 1988 to 1995.
Paulina Porizkova was born on April 9, 1965, in Prostějov, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. Her early life was marked by her parents’ flight to Sweden to escape the Warsaw Pact invasion, leaving her in the care of her maternal grandmother. After a prolonged custody battle that garnered international attention, she was reunited with her parents in Sweden in 1973. At the age of 15, Porizkova began her modeling career in Paris, marking the beginning of a significant trajectory in the fashion industry.
Her career highlights include becoming the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 1984, a feat she repeated in 1985. American Photo magazine recognized her as the model of the 1980s. In 1988, Porizkova secured a landmark $6 million contract with Estée Lauder, which was, at the time, the highest-paying modeling contract. This partnership helped reshape her public image into that of a European sophisticate, and she continued as the face of Estée Lauder until 1995. Her career extended beyond modeling into acting, with her film debut in “Anna” (1987) and roles in films such as “Her Alibi” (1989), “Arizona Dream” (1993), and “Thursday” (1998). She also explored directing and writing, helming the 2001 film “Roommates” and co-authoring a children’s book.
Porizkova’s impact has also been felt in television, where she served as a judge on “America’s Next Top Model” from 2008 to 2009 and appeared in several TV series including “As the World Turns,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “The Mysteries of Laura.” Her writing career includes the novel “A Model Summer” (2007) and her more recent work, “No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful” (2022). She is also recognized for her advocacy against ageism and her feminist stance, as articulated in her 2017 New York Times article, “America Made Me a Feminist.” In 2025, she returned to Estée Lauder as a Global Brand Ambassador, specifically endorsing skincare and makeup products that align with her pro-aging values.
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