Padma Lakshmi Says She's 'Fully in Command' of Her Body as She Makes Daring Pirelli Calendar Debut (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Ethan James Green

On a chilly October day, I found myself in a studio-turned-art-gallery in downtown Manhattan to chat withPadma Lakshmiabout a “bucket list” modeling gig she’d recently done.

“I will tell you, I didn’t feel that vulnerable, personally," Lakshmi, 54, tells PEOPLE of her photos, which see her modeling in a sheer T-shirt in the middle of Historic Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami. “I may have 30 years ago, but I am fully in command of my body and how I look.”

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The process of achieving the perfect shot with Green was a memorable moment for her. “I had three of his assistants carry this giant piece of driftwood over and it looks heavier than it was. I had security detail to help, and I also had Ethan to humor me.”

Lakshmi continues, “I really just was so happy to be a part of it and I felt beautiful. I felt cared for. I felt safe. I felt elegant. The pose in the water is really … it’s one of serenity. I think that’s how I feel at this point in my life, and that’s a great feeling, which I didn’t always have.”

Lakshmi was so excited about the images, that she says she didn’t hesitate to share them with her14-year-old daughter, Krishnaas soon as she got them. “I’m very happy to show her these photos. They’re beautiful. I want her to see womanhood in all its stages, so I’m very free with my body at home. I’m also very honest and blunt with her, but I always have been in an age-appropriate way.”

While Lakshmi is at peace with her life right now, she’s also “feeling great” in her 50s, a decade that has ushered in aSports Illustrated Swimsuitdebut, alingerie collection and campaign with Bare Necessities(also shot my Green) and the release ofThe Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024, a collection of essays that she edited.

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“I’m here to tell younger women that you shouldn’t be afraid of aging. You shouldn’t be afraid that time is running out. You should know that it just gets better and better and better because you learn from life. You become experienced," she says.

“I wouldn’t go back to my 20s if you made me a billionaire. Would I like the thighs of my 20s? Of course I would. I would also like my pre-breastfed boobs back, but that’s okay. Those are small prices to pay for what I have gained in the interim. So, I’m going to enjoy all of my success as much as I can because it was hard to get here.”

source: people.com