Tesla creator Elon Musk isn’t the only member of his family making waves in their industry.
The billionaire’s model mother Maye, 69, was just announced as the newest face of beauty brand CoverGirl – making her the oldest ever spokesperson to front one of its campaigns, a fact which she was quick to celebrate while sharing the happy news on Instagram.
‘I’m so excited to say that I’m now officially a CoverGirl!’ the silver-haired fashion star, who is based in Los Angeles, captioned a behind-the-scenes image from her first shoot for the brand.
Easy, breezy, beautiful! Maye Musk, mother of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon, has been named as the oldest ever CoverGirl at age 69
Celebration! The grandmother-of-ten took to Instagram to thank the brand for ‘including me in your tribe of diversity’
Star: Three behind-the-scenes images from Maye’s first photoshoot for the brand show her modeling a stunningly natural beauty look, while her signature silver hair is swept off her face
‘My three kids, ten grandchildren and I have had the hardest time trying to keep it a secret until today’s big announcement.
‘Who knew, after many years of admiring the gorgeous CoverGirl models, that I would be one at 69 years of age? It just shows, never give up.’
She then went on to thank CoverGirl for ‘including me in your tribe of diversity’, a group which includes the likes of teen make-up artist James Charles – the first ever CoverBoy – and Muslim beauty blogger Nura Afia – who became the first person to pose in a hijab for a major beauty campaign when she started working with the brand last year.
Maye then ended her post with an inspiring message, telling her 61,500 followers: ‘Beauty truly is for women of all ages, and I can’t wait to take you all along this amazing journey with me!’
The grandmother-of-ten’s journey with the brand is already well and truly underway, with stunning behind-the-scenes shots from her first CoverGirl shoot already making waves online.
In the three images, Maye can be seen with her signature silver hair pulled back away from her face, while she models a natural beauty look of a subtle smokey eye and a nude lip.
She is wearing a quirky asymmetrical black turtle neck that features a funky cut-out on the left shoulder.
Red carpet moment: Maye, who began her modeling career in South Africa five decades ago, has three children, including Tesla CEO Elon, who she is pictured with in February
Still got it: Maye walked the runway for three different brands at New York Fashion Week, including Zero + Maria Cornejo, which was her final show of the season
It has been a busy few weeks for Maye, who strutted her stuff on three catwalks at New York Fashion Week earlier this month, as well as attending several shows and events in Milan.
Maye’s final show in New York saw her storming the catwalk at the Zero + Maria Cornejo Spring/Summer 2018 show, looking right at home as she walked down the runway in a striped satin top tucked into matching pants and patent leather slides.
The grandmother of ten wore natural looking make-up and had her short, shiny white hair parted to the side as she glided down the catwalk.
Maye proudly took to Instagram after the show to share a photo of herself on the runway — while promising that this is only the beginning for her.
‘Closing @zeromcornejo runway show. A great way to end #nyfw #model #justgettingstarted,’ she wrote.
The next day, she shared an equally glamorous shot to announced that she was heading back to her home in Los Angeles.
‘Goodbye New York City. Thank you for the memories #NYFW #ss18,’ she captioned the image, which sees her walking away while her long red coat billows in the wind.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter during New York Fashion Week, Maye admitted that she never imagined she would be hitting the catwalk well into her 60s.
Simply stunning: Maye also walked the runway at the Concept Korea show
Rocking it: The white-haired beauty sported an edgy ‘do and colorful eye make-up for the catwalk event
Model mom: Maye, the mother of tech billionaire Elon, has appeared on numerous billboard advertisements and magazine covers
‘That would’ve been considered very silly in the 1960,’ she said. ‘When I started modeling at 15, I was told it would all be over by 18. So, this is a complete surprise, a happy surprise at 69.’
Earlier in the week, Maye walked in both the Concept Korea and Project Runway shows, proving that she is just as in-demand as models half her age.
And when she wasn’t walking in shows, she was attending them, even making an appearance at Harper’s Bazaar’s star-studded Icons party
Maye is determined to make the most of her moment in the sun, and when asked how long she plans to keep working, she said: ‘Forever — until they stop calling!’
The dietitian and mother-of-three has lived an extraordinary life, starting her modeling career at the age of 15 in South Africa where she moved to her with her Canadian parents as a child.
She married engineer Errol Musk and the couple had three children. Elon, 46, is the eldest, but all of them are equally remarkable. Her son Kimbal, 44, has founded a chain of farm-to-table restaurants and daughter Tosca, 43, is a filmmaker.
She and her husband separated after nine years of marriage, and the period that followed was not always easy. After some years, she left South Africa and returned to Canada when Elon went there to study.
Looking back: Maye and Errol Musk (right) were married for nine years, having three children together before they divorced
Natural: Maye began modeling in South Africa at the age of 15, and later moved to Canada to be close to Elon during his studies
A star is born: Maye has developed something of a following in South Korea since she graced the cover of Vogue Korea
She likes to recall the time she had ‘three teenagers in a rent-controlled apartment in Toronto,’ but today she lives in California close to her children and grandchildren.
‘I would color my own hair… and you don’t even think of getting out for drinks or dinner with people because you can’t afford it,’ she said, proudly adding that she always worked.
She’s recently appeared on billboards in Times Square in commercials for Virgin America and Target, and last year Maye signed with IMG — one of the most prestigious modeling agencies in the world.
And she does recognize that social media, to which she contributes daily on Instagram, ‘helps a lot’ and that clients like booking a model ‘who has a reputation and is well known’.
For more than 50 years, she said work has been steady. As she neared 60, she decided to leave her hair natural, explaining she was ‘tired of coloring’.
Maye credits part of her recent success to an ageing popular and the fact that there is ‘not much competition’ when it comes to models hovering around the septuagenarian stage.
‘I appreciate every last bit. All the people really love us,’ she said of how older models are received on the runway.
‘I think designers are figuring that out… They just want to show there is diversity and that they appreciate older women and why not? Everybody has a mother and a grandmother.’