Is age merely a number, or is it a badge of influence that is unstoppable? The answer to this question is a resounding ‘yes,’ and the exemplar for this is none other than the 80-year-young and breathtaking Jaclyn Smith, exuding grace and drive simultaneously, qualities that have left audiences agog with wonder for decades now, from the moment she burst onto the scene with the massive success ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ through to the establishment of the most widely recognized and coveted celebrity fashion brand ever.
Her story encompasses more than the achievement of milestones in career and personal life, but rather a lesson on how she still remains relevant and authentic in the process.After experiencing struggles in personal life, fighting for the causes she believes in, Jaclyn still paces herself against the women who are running their life. Now, the nine key components of how Jaclyn Smith achieves an immortal legacy appear:
1. Breaking Out as Television’s Coolest Angel
When Jaclyn Smith transitioned from modeling to primetime television acting in the 1970s, her ascendance to fame was rapid and nothing short of phenomenal. However, while she had commercial modeling success and guest appearances on various television programs, her entry into cultural iconography began with and because of her casting as Kelly Garrett on ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Moreover, she is the only main cast member who has had some experience with all five seasons that the program had on the air. When that particular television program and its implications to society are considered, Jaclyn Smith has said, “We were independent women making our way. Our lives weren’t revolving around men. They revolved around us.”
2. Creating an Empire at Retail against Advice
In 1985, Jaclyn partnered with Kmart on the Jaclyn Smith Collection. She defied the advice of the industry, including the likes of Max Factor, who told her, It wouldn’t do her any good. Well, this was the truth, but only because she, instead, honored her gut feelings, realizing that she had to be a part of the design and quality of the products, going on a crusade for quality budget designs, with the collection at its height, ranging from a possible income of sales ranging from $600 million a year, stating, “100 million women worldwide owned pieces of her brand,” in a CBS interview: “If you do it for the paycheck, walk away, it doesn’t work. It is the day-to-day details.”
3. Beyond Fashion
While the entrepreneurial purview of Smith’s work was not specifically within the fashion arena, she went on to create product lines for home furnishings, fabric with Fabricut, skincare products formulated with her husband Dr. Brad Allen, and wigs with STYLE by Jaclyn Smith and José Eber, which was instigated out of her empathy with women suffering with cancer. As she explained, “The wigs can give that woman her femininity and bring her to life.”
4. Facing Breast Cancer Head-On
In 2002, a routine mammography found Stage 1 Breast Cancer. During Smith’s surgery and radiation treatments, her family and personal support team included her family and closest friends. “Don’t go alone,” Smith encourages women who require follow-ups. “Knowledge is power. Without it, we’re lost.”
With this background, the rest of her work with the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation seemed to fall into place, traveling across the country to promote early detection, networking, and support.
5. Philanthropy and Business Combined
Since 1985, Smith has been actively involved in another organization known as Ability First, which helps children and adults living with disabilities. She collaborates with another organization known as Farrah Fawcet Foundation in order to pay tribute to her co-star in respect of her cancer-related courage. A portion of her product sales goes towards funding cancer-related research. After all, she combines her business and her purpose in life.
6. Reinvention After Kmart’s Decline
As a retail chain like Kmart lost popularity, Smith decided to rename her range, naming it RDG Global in 2022 instead. As a statement by Smith embracing the unknown waters, one might say, “Go towards the fear, the unknown territory, because that’s where the fruit is.” The fashion line is still able to attract loyal customers “who have followed and grown up with her,” thus meaning that in order to be relevant, one should be flexible.
7. Family as Her True North
Relationships, motherhood, and grandmotherhood have all filled the anchor in Smith’s life: family. She talks about her pride in the affection that her son Gaston has for the wife and kids, and the care that the daughters, Spencer, have within her family. “The family is the one and only thing that truly lasts,” she says.
8. Influencing Cultural Dialogue
The “Charlie’s Angels” series not only proved to be a success it also launched a complete transition in the mindset regarding women in the entire entertainment industry. Competency and flair expressed by the character played by Smith encouraged the development of women-led series in the future. As the actress expressed, this series “helped define what we were and where we were going,” positioning the series within the women’s movement of the 1970s.
9. Wellness As a Lifestyle
The answer is this: the secret of is her age-defying physique. The goal achieved is a result of her strict life regimen: she practices exercise, consumes organic food, and does not drink alcohol or use illegal drugs. As the celebrity states, Challenges release endorphins and keep you young. For her, work itself is a rejuvenator itself. Eighty years young, Jaclyn Smith’s life defies the conventions: it is a triumph of risk-taking, transformation, and the adherence to certain values.
Whether in the dynamic environment of television and retail or her own challenges, she has ridden the tides of time with the poise of a queen and the spirit of a warrior. It’s not a journey about being seen. It’s a journey about being strong. It’s a journey about standing up. Giving back to the universe. And of course, with age comes a certain footprint. A footprint which will not only expand but be even more valuable.
