Margaret Gardiner dons bikini at 61 and lives her best life

Margaret Gardiner is the epitome of style in her latest Instagram posts and as she prepares for her upcoming birthday, she inspires followers and fans to never let others keep them from living life to the fullest.

Gardiner was only 18 when she was the first South African to win the title of Miss Universe in 1978 and she was the only Miss Universe titleholder from South Africa until Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (now Tebow) won the crown in 2017.

She has been making the most of LA’s warm weather, captioning one of her Instagram posts with: “There’s just something about stretching in the sun that releases tension.”

She is all about mental health and body positivity in another post, saying that happiness, fun and laughter are the things we should be thinking of when playing on the beach.

Accompanying her husband, Dr. André Nel, Gardiner moved to the United States more than 30 years ago and even though their careers kept them abroad, she has said in numerous interviews that she will always miss South Africa and its people.

Being a ‘mature woman’

By the looks of Margaret Gardiner’s Instagram feed, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association member and Golden Globes fashion editor, is living life to the fullest. In her posts, she shares her thoughts loud and clear about being a mature woman who loves the ocean.

With her experience in health, beauty, fashion and life and being the author of two books on health and beauty, it’s only natural that she shares some tips and ideas on what to wear and how to stay mentally and physically healthy too.

The beauty queen and journalist recently took to Instagram, sharing a picture of herself glowing while lying on the beach with a glamorous-looking, oversized sunhat and a polka dot bikini.

Part of the caption reads: “As a mature woman who loves the ocean, I have to be comfy with who I am.” She says that it’s not about how you look, but rather about how you feel and that she still feels like a kid inside.

Gardiner says that she is all about living her best life and that even though she turns 62 on the 21st of August, she is not about to stop living her outdoor lifestyle just because other people expect her to “sit down and shut up”.

Margaret Gardiner’s secret

In a following post, she explains her choice of bikini, saying that as a mature woman she felt happy in her high-waist bikini, which is a great choice if you are shy.

She reveals that she can also be shy sometimes and then she lets her fans in on her secret. She says that she is living her best life by being herself, being healthy and living an active lifestyle.

“Don’t worry about what people say. Be your best you.”

With the numerous successes in her career, Gardiner has never had time for being ordinary and she is clearly also not allowing her age to stand in her way. The fact that she is launching a website on fashion and life can attest to that.

Earlier this month, Gardiner shared an Instagram post stating: “I’m starting my website soon and one of the things I’ll be doing is sharing inspiration stories on everything from fashion to life.”

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Gardiner inspires in more than one way

In an earlier Instagram post with a photo of her at the gym, she says that we often think of exercise as for the body, while it is just as much for the mind.

“Sometimes, when it looks like we are doing nothing at all, we are really stretching our mind. At this time when life is so harsh, be kind to yourself. Motivation comes from the strangest places. Do not be afraid to fail for if we do nothing we will definitely fail.”

Just over a week ago she also shared a post of her leaning against a green wall, with the caption: “We are told to stand tall, but sometimes it’s okay to lean on something until you are strong enough to stand up again.”

At almost 62 years of age, the beauty queen – who also holds a BA degree in psychology from the College of Charleston – still has what it takes, and no one can take that away from her.

On Wednesday, she posted a video of herself in skinny jeans and a pair of baby blue heals, walking away from the camera with a calm confidence that makes you want to conquer the world.

Margaret Gardiner has been conquering the world all along and she will clearly keep doing that at the age of 62 and beyond.