Model Mukta Singh shares her journey with The Word. Magazine for The Ageless Series.
- Fashion
Mukta Singh: “If I Could Go Back In Time, I’d Tell Myself to Be Proud of My Uniqueness”
Actor and author Lisa Ray, age 51 for The Word. Magazine’s ‘The Ageless Series’
The Word.: How old are you and how old do you feel?
Mukta Singh: “I am 61, but there are times when I think like an 18-year-old.”
TW: When people see your beautiful, shocking head of white hair, what do they usually say?
MS: “Initially, when I did go grey, people didn’t like my greys very much. But I think it’s all about being yourself and accepting yourself, and that gets reflected in your environment. Because I have become very confident and happy in myself and in my age—and that includes the lines on my face and the colour of my hair—I get very positive feedback from my environment.
TW: What is the best thing about growing older?
MS: “The best thing about growing older is that you come into your own, you start living life on your own terms because you are done with all your responsibilities, and finally, you start figuring out life just for yourself.”
TW: Does society put pressure on women to always look youthful?
MS: “Yes there is some pressure on women to be young forever, but it all boils down to the choices that we make. So, if we feel good about growing older, accept the inevitable, and make the best of it, then I don’t think the external pressure can really affect us.”
TW: Do you feel more confident today than you did a few decades ago?
MS: “Yes, I do feel more confident now than I did 20 or 30 years ago. And that is because of the experience of growing older, figuring life out, and understanding my own sense better… I’m learning to understand myself better.”
TW: What do you love most about your life?
MS: “I love the fact that I have the freedom to live my life the way I want to… I am free, to discover new people around me, and I am constantly finding inspiration around me, even from the young people I meet. This wasn’t always the case when I was younger, so I love growing older and discovering these aspects of my own character.”
TW: When people see your beautiful, shocking head of white hair, what do they usually say?
MS: “Initially, when I did go grey, people didn’t like my greys very much. But I think it’s all about being yourself and accepting yourself, and that gets reflected in your environment. Because I have become very confident and happy in myself and in my age—and that includes the lines on my face and the colour of my hair—I get very positive feedback from my environment.
TW: If you could go back in time what advice would you give to your younger self?
MS: “I’d definitely tell myself to be proud of my uniqueness because when I was younger, I just wanted to be like everybody else.”
TW: What does timeless mean to you?
MS: “The word timeless means something that is eternal, something that will stay beautiful forever. To me, that is our humanity and how we interact with the world.”
Photographs: Adil Hasan
Styling: Jahnvi Bansal
Styling Assistants: Saundarya Keshri and Kalyani Adhav
Make-up: Harshita Joshi
Make-up Assistants: Enne Shimray, Sneha Chauhan, and Paarmita
Hair: Nitin Sankla
