Martha Stewart has been sharing advice for as long as she’s been famous. Younger readers may not realize this, but it’s what she’s famous for. Hosting, cooking, decorating—her lifestyle tips didn’t just put her on the map, they became the map. And while she has definitely branched out into other areas over the last couple of decades, Stewart is still a well of brilliant advice, including within the beauty space.
Stewart joined American Vogue‘s new head of editorial content, Chloe Malle, for a candid conversation on The Run-Through podcast, recorded before a live audience. Malle had lots of questions for Stewart—who wouldn’t?—and Stewart was more than happy to go into great detail about everything from playing mahjong with Cardi B to Instagram comment drama with her gardener. She even declared herself the blueprint for the controversial trad wife lifestyle.
“I’m a trad wife. I’m the original. I love trad wives,” Stewart tells Malle, adding that she’s planning to visit Ballerina Farm as well as Nara Aziza.
The multi-hyphenate didn’t share any beauty tips that were particularly trad-wife-specific, but she did offer her guidance on living an age-defying life.
“I don’t think about age. I think one secret of growing old gracefully is not to think about how old you are. If I started to think about how old I was—come on, it would be horrifying,” Stewart, who recently celebrated her 84th birthday, tells Malle. “So I don’t think about that. But one thing I do do—and it’s good for anybody older—if you’re over 60, start making younger friends.”
Stewart, like so many of us, is interested in looking as youthful as she feels, hence the recent launch of her skin-care line, Elm Biosciences. But beyond using the brand’s serum and supplement, she has advice for looking photogenic.
Recalling what is now one of the most iconic thirst traps in recent years, Malle asked Stewart how the rest of us can recreate that magic.