EW: Being a mother is tough, and you
were a single mom. How did you
balance your career and maintain a
sense of self?
MM: I kept in good health. And I’m
optimistic, but even with all my
optimism I never would have said to
myself, “When I get to 70, I’m really
going to take off.” I would have
sounded like a crazy lady.
EW: We are good role models—living
proof that you can continue to do all
sorts of exciting things after 70.
Speaking of exciting, your son Elon
[who is also the founder and CEO of
Space X] had an amazing experience
this winter with his rocket test launch.
MM: Of the charts.
EW: It was unbelievable! You must be
super proud. Did Elon show signs of
being an inventor when he was little?
MM: He was always curious; all my
kids were always exploring things.
I’m very proud of all of them.
EW: Was Elon doing things like
taking apart the toaster? Did you
encourage that?
MM: I’ve always encouraged their
curiosity. But if they picked apart the
toaster, they knew they had to put it
back together again.
EW: Now he’s planning a flight to
Mars. Do you want to be on board that spaceship?
MM: I don’t know if I want to spend three months in a rocket.
In the beginning, it will just be engineers, who will go irst to
set up a city. As a nutritionist, I could probably help by sending
food. It would have to be compacted.
EW: Speaking of lying, I’m fascinated that growing up in
South Africa you lew around in a prop plane with your family
searching for the Lost City.
MM: I had adventurous parents. We would go across the
Kalahari Desert every July with three weeks’ supply of water,
gas, and food. I don’t know how my mom did it because she
had ive little kids. We never found the Lost City, but we
came across caves, rivers, and Bushmen, who had never seen
white people. And we saw lots of animals. Lions would come
up to our camp.
EW: Do you think these adventures impacted you positively
and that was something you passed on to your kids?MM: They’re all adventurous; maybe it’s
in their genes. I’ve lived in eight cities
and three countries. I love exploring
new cultures. Did you know that in
China they don’t consider older
women to be relevant, so I was lown
to Shanghai to talk about being
relevant, fashionable, and contributing
to society. And I gave a talk in
Stockholm about healthy eating last
year. That’s where I met you.
EW: I remember. Any hobbies?
MM: I spend a lot of time on
Instagram. I love spending time with
my 10 grandkids and hearing about
what they’re doing; they’re so excited.
How many grandkids do you have?
EW: Nine. We could have a poker
game. I’ll have to add one to the team
so that we’re equal. You were named a
face of CoverGirl at 69, and it was
described as a history-making moment.
Is that your greatest achievement?
MM: My three kids are my greatest
achievement. I never dreamed of
being a CoverGirl, but here I am!
It’s so amazing. The response has
been so positive. People post #Goals
and #GOAT. Do you know what
GOAT means?
EW: No, what does it mean?
MM: Greatest of All Time.
EW: That’s so wonderful. It really rearms the importance of
appreciating and encouraging women of all ages.
MM: Another hashtag they write is #OG. I had to ask my
granddaughter what it meant; it’s Original Gangster. I laughed
so much.
EW: Oh, my God, I love this. OG. For me, and I think it’s the
same for you, being optimistic, always looking out instead of
in, and trying to improve the world in some way are the keys
to success and change, and something we’ve passed on to our
children. I’ve been trying to do that in education for decades.
You’ve been trying to do that with nutrition forever.
My daughter Susan is trying to improve the world with
YouTube. And Elon is doing it with the electric car industry.
Every time I get into my Tesla I think of Elon. ■Esther Wojcicki is a journalist, educator, and the founder of the
Palo Alto High School Media Arts CenterOn Musk: Dress, Carolina Herrera. Shoes, Manolo Blahnik. Earrings, David Yurman.
All prices upon request. See Where to Buy for details.“I don’t know if I want to spend
three months in a rocket. As a
nutritionist, I could probably
help by sending food. It would
have to be compacted.”Bazaar
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