As a hardened felon and associate of hardcore rappers like Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart knows that there’s no leaving the life once you’ve been jumped in. And so like many true gangsta thugs before her, Stewart tells People magazine that she can’t get out of the game because there’s no way the game’s getting out of her. Which makes sense, since her various jobs involve gardening, baking, and making life difficult for the people who work for her, her retirement life would look pretty much like her working life as it is.
The interview was to mark the 81 year-old lifestyle guru’s debut appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, which was once a celebrated publication event in the days before the internet made pictures of women in various states of undress widely available. Truly these are halcyon days of empowerment for any person, no matter what age they are, provided they are also rich and famous.
Stewart’s appearance has attracted much conversation, with readers so impressed with how naturally youthful and wrinkle-free the octogenarian’s face is that she’s had to insist the look was accomplished with no surgical assistance.
“There’s no relaxing really going on,” says Stewart in the interview, discussing her various projects, which include cookbooks and her show Martha Cooks. Although that show is on the Roku Channel, meaning she can probably relax while making the show knowing that very few people are actually watching it.
Like many older Americans, Stewart plans to continue working through her golden years. While a significant amount will do it because they don’t have enough money in savings to live comfortably, Stewart tells People she will continue to work because she can’t stop:
“That’s not what my life is about. My life is about doing things and learning things and teaching things.”
