Nothing breaks the internet quite like someone’s appearance. 

Kim Kardashian was photographed in a latex dress balancing a champagne glass on her butt for the cover of Paper Magazine and low and behold, the internet broke. Rihanna wore a red dress that pushed her breasts up and believe it or not the internet broke. Meghan Markle placed her hands on her bowling ball bump in a black one-shouldered dress at the British Fashion Awards, and you guessed it, the internet broke.

In this week’s episode of breaking the internet, it was the turn of Danish model, Helena Christensen, who was snapped in a black lace bustier and high-waist wide-leg jeans to her friend and fellow model, Gigi Hadid’s birthday party. A model going to a party in a stylish outfit… where is the breaking of the internet, you might ask. 

Helena Christensen, one of the most recognised and successful models of our generation wore a black lace bustier and jeans to said party and British Vogue’s former editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman wrote in her Daily Mail column that she was ‘too old’ to be wearing such clothes and labelled her ‘tacky’. “Something you wore at 30 will never look the same on you 20 years later. Clothes don’t lie.” She concluded.

Cue breaking of the internet. 

Personally, we are of the opinion, you are never ‘too’ anything (be that old, young, fat, thin, white, black, brown *insert further adjectives here*) to wear whatever you want. And let’s be real, especially not when you’re Helena bloody Christensen. On this point the fashion world agrees with designers, industry insiders and fellow models rallying around to reassure Helena and the rest of the female population that you are in fact never too old to wear what makes you feel happy.

There are constant stigmas surrounding age and body shape, that are taking up far too much room in our heads every morning when we are getting dressed, to a crippling degree. 

We think about what styles and cuts to wear if we have a larger body shape than average, items that should never wander into our shopping baskets if we are over 40 years old, shades we should pretend don’t exist because apparently they don’t suit our skin tone. It’s exhausting.

On reflection, why do we have these hang ups? Who made up this ridiculous rule book we think we have to abide by. Who said you can’t wear horizontal stripes if you are over a size 10? Or that you can only wear orange if you have just come back from basking for two week under the Moroccan sun? Or that you can’t wear a black lace bustier if you are aged 50 or over? Why can’t we wear whatever we want without the worry of judgement from others? If it makes you happy, why on earth shouldn’t you wear it? 

Helena Christensen’s response via Instagram to the comments was the ultimate shut down, to the haters and the supposed rule book, but also in boosting women up. “Let’s continue to elevate and support each other, all you beautiful, smart, fun, sexy, hard working, talented, nurturing women out there #oopssheworeabustieragain”

Hear, Hear Helena we are with you and your bustier top. 

Images: Getty / Instagram