Kendra Wilkinson Responds to Ageism and Double Standards
Former Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson is responding to critics who claim she hasn’t aged well, emphasizing the obvious double standard in such commentary.
“I feel like it’s unfair that I get called out. I mean we all get called out. All of us women,” Wilkinson, 40, stated at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Wednesday, March 11. “More women than men are judged for aging, and I think that’s the reality.”
“We’re trapped. We’re supposed to be 21 forever or something,” the reality star — who gained fame through her relationship with the late Hugh Hefner and her role on The Girls Next Door — told TMZ.
Holly Madison (L), 26; Bridget Marquardt (2R), 32; and Kendra Wilkinson (R), 21, at a press conference for the new season of Hefner’s TV show “Girls of the Playboy Mansion” in January 2007.
(GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Wilkinson moved into the famed Playboy Mansion at just 18 and has since embraced a new chapter in life, now a mother of two and working as a real estate agent. (She shares kids Hank Jr., 16, and Alijah, 11, with ex-husband Hank Baskett.)
“We need to start dismantling that stigma and genuinely make progress in our mindset about aging women,” Wilkinson said regarding the ageism that is rampant in Hollywood.
When questioned about why women are expected to remain ageless, Wilkinson attributed it to the adult film industry. “It all has to do with sexual satisfaction and fantasies,” she noted. “I believe it ties heavily to porn.”
The Kendra on Top star expressed that she has evolved significantly since her Playboy days, learning to disregard unkind remarks about being “old” or “aging poorly.”
Wilkinson is embracing this new and “different phase of my life,” which includes releasing her former identity.
As for those who disapprove of her transformation, she offered a simple solution: “If you don’t like to look at me, don’t follow me.”
Wilkinson declared that she feels better than ever, having discovered peace and happiness within herself. “I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my entire life right now, and I’m bigger. I’m older,” she shared, joking, “I haven’t washed my hair in a week!”
Crystal Harris, Hefner’s wife from 2012 until his passing in 2017, expressed support for Wilkinson’s sentiments on Instagram on March 8. “Cheers to those who grow and move on to the life waiting for us. ❤️,” Harris commented.
Former Playboy bunny Jessica Hall also chimed in. “Yesss my friend! You are just beautiful at every stage of your life, and as I tell my own daughter, what makes you most beautiful is your heart. ❤️”
