A beauty icon, dietician and a woman with a plan: Maye Musk can boast a lifetime of success, beauty and adventure in many fields. Born in Canada, Maye lived in South Africa for many years before moving to the US, where she still resides and finds the comforts of a welcoming home. Coming from a background in nutrition studies, she has achieved two Masters of science which have enabled her to pursue a career with her nutrition business, through speaking, consulting, counselling, writing and media work, as well as becoming Ambassador for Big Green, a non-profit company cofounded by her son Kimbal Musk to teach people how to grow food and eat better.
As a mother of three children, nothing has stopped her from working hard for her dreams. In her words, ‘I have never told my kids ‘’You’ve got to work hard’’. I just worked hard, and they followed my example’: this has led her to become an inspiration for their projects and work ethos, as well as making her a proud mother due to their extraordinary achievements.
In her book ‘A Woman Makes A Plan’, Maye imparts practical advice by drawing from her life experience on how to change one’s life through the choices they are able to make. Here she focuses particularly on career, where the harder one works, the luckier one gets; on family, as the people one loves go their own way; and on health, claiming there is no magic pill. According to her, by making room for discovery, but always being prepared for the unexpected, one can live a life of adventure and excitement. Having pursued a successful career as a supermodel since a very young age, she has become one of the first models who can claim to have had four billboards in Times Square in her 60s, as well as becoming the oldest covergirl in her 70s. By defeating the previous standards within the fashion industry, Maye has established herself as the face of a new beauty ideal which does not wilt with the passing of time, but rather keeps flourishing. ‘Ageing doesn’t scare me at all’, she claims, ‘you can handle the bumps each year’. In this interview, the ‘woman with a plan’ converses with Shot Magazine to give space to some reflections on her life, values and future.
A CONVERSATION WITH MAYE MUSK
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words Freedom, Passion, Values, Change?
In my opinion, Freedom is the possibility of having a choice; Passion means enjoying your personal and professional life; the two most important Values are honesty and kindness; and Change is simply the ability to find a better way.
If you had to choose three meaningful events that had a deep impact on your life, which ones would they be?
Having three wonderful children; leaving an abusive marriage; studying for two master of science degrees to become an expert in nutrition: these are the most important events that have had a deep impact on my life and have shaped me.
What would you say to the female generations to come?
Be strong, don’t accept criticism which is not true. If I could give a piece of advice to my younger self, it would be this: don’t allow people to insult you, as they are not your friends if they do so.
How would you like to be remembered?
It seems people consider me a strong divorced woman, a single mother, a model and an entrepreneur. I would like to be remembered as a woman who didn’t fear aging, and encouraged other women to feel the same. I do not often think about living forever, but I would be happy so long as medical sciences keep me going as strong as I am now.
Photo Credit: Alex Amok
Emeralda Resort Collection, Moschino
