Supermodel Kim Alexis reflects on life as she approaches 50

Take a moment to absorb this: "She's Got the Look" host and supermodel Kim Alexis turns 50 next year.

It seems like only yesterday the blue-eyed, blond beauty was gracing magazine covers as one of the new faces of modeling.

Alexis is proof that 50 is the new 30 when it comes to looks, which makes her a perfect host of the TV Land reality show.

"She's Got the Look" pits 20 hopefuls in competitions to win a contract with Wilhelmina Models, a photo spread in SELF magazine and $100,000. Here's the twist: all the contestants are at least 35.

Alexis, a New York native, was discovered when she was 18 and quickly became a top model.

She was a Revlon spokeswoman and appeared on the covers of more than 500 magazines, including six Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues.

She was smart enough to know the career came with an expiration date. "I made the choice to be ready for when they thought I looked too old," said Alexis in a phone interview to discuss the second-season opener of "She's Got the Look." "I started taking acting and voice lessons."

Alexis made the move to television in 1989 with guest spots on shows from "The Magic of David Copperfield XII: The Niagara Falls Challenge" to "Cheers."

Her big move was in the '90s as host of health shows on the Family Channel and Lifetime.

She may not look her age, but Alexis has the wisdom that comes from observing the modeling world for so many years. She has watched as the business has changed in regard to being more open to mature models. Part of the appeal is what older women bring to the work.

"There is a real confidence in older women," she said. "That confidence changes as a woman grows older. You look at young girls, like those on Tyra's show ["America's Next Top Model"] and they have an innocence or a vulnerability.

"There is no question the No. 1 thing is beauty. That's because most people like pretty things. But, with older women there's something inside them. They know who they are as a person.

"That develops as you gets older and become mothers, grandmothers, married women."

Alexis brings her own years as a model, wife and mom to the show.

The mother of five is proof that older women can live a full life and still maintain a youthful look. Alexis keeps up on the newest anti-aging aids but her real secret is in finding time for herself to work out and to eat healthy meals.

She suggests that the new appreciation for older models is a reflection of changes in society.

"I think we are more open to older models because there are more of us and we are the consumers," Alexis said. "We can relate to the person selling the product because they are our age. We know if someone is 50 and looks like we want to look, they help us on our journey to looking good and staying fit." *