We’ve heard it and said it for years: “Age is nothing more than a number.” And this week we got more evidence of that when Sports Illustrated put Christie Brinkley on the cover of its swimsuit issue at age 63.

Note that we did not say “63 years young,” as the magazine did. Why discount a woman’s accomplishments by putting her in an impossible quest to remain young. And proof of some of Brinkley’s accomplishments is right there on the cover with her, in the form of her daughters, Alexa Ray Joel, 31, and Sailor Brinkley Cook, 18.

All three women are undoubtedly beautiful, but this about more than maintaining good looks as we age. It’s about breaking out of the boxes we might find ourselves in based on society’s limited expectations of women, especially “women of a certain age.”

“My first thought was, ‘At my age? No way!'” Christie told People magazine. “When I turned 30, I was like, ‘This is the last time I’m posing in a bathing suit!’ When this issue comes out, I’ll be 63. I thought, ‘Those days are over.’ But to get to do it with my girls, I thought, ‘One last go!'”

For those of us who wouldn’t dare pose in a swimsuit, there are still many ways to break free of limitations. We can make choices about our careers, our personal lives and our families that defy expectations and focus on what we truly want.

And speaking of defying expectations, who among us expected the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue to provide such a valuable lesson? In this case, we can judge a magazine by it cover. Way to go, SI.