'Catwoman' Jocelyn Wildenstein, 72, goes underwear-free as she poses in a risque dress for Paper magazine, while admitting she struggles with how she is 'judged' on a false public image

  • Jocelyn said she hasn't done press like this in 20 years because she was protecting her children
  • In a new interview, she insists again that she has not had that much work done
  • She and her 50-year-old husband say her eyes have always looked like a cat's
  • However, she did admit that hurtful stories in the press made her stop 'correcting my appearance' for a while

Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, who became known as 'Catwoman' in the '90s thanks to her cat-like appearance, has posed for her first major photoshoot in two decades.

The 72-year-old appears in the latest issue of Paper magazine, parading before the camera with — what else? — a cat.

But despite her exaggerated feline features, which have made her the butt of numerous jokes about excessive plastic surgery, Wildenstein still insists that she didn't really have that much work done.

Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, also known as 'Catwoman,' poses for the latest issue of Paper magazine

Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, also known as 'Catwoman,' poses for the latest issue of Paper magazine

Twins: She posed as a beauty queen with a fluffy white cat

Twins: She posed as a beauty queen with a fluffy white cat

Moniker: The 72-year-old earned her nickname during her high-profile divorce in the '90s

Moniker: The 72-year-old earned her nickname during her high-profile divorce in the '90s

New husband: She has since married Lloyd Klein, 50 (pictured in 2017)

New husband: She has since married Lloyd Klein, 50 (pictured in 2017)

In the new issue of Paper, Wildenstein stands proud in glitzy silver dresses, posing like a pageant queen with a sash and sceptre.

She admitted to the magazine that she hadn't done press like this for 20 years, because she wanted to stay away while her kids were still young.  

However, that hasn't stopped photos of her from emerging, running in the press when she steps out and is caught by paparazzi — and those aren't always Catwoman-approved.

'It makes me sad to see myself on the screen. We have pictures of ourselves in our head that are different than what we project,' she said, admitting that when she sees a photo of herself she thinks, 'Oh, that's me?'

That isn't to say she doesn't recognize herself because she's had so much work done, she noted. In fact, Wildenstein insisted that the image of her as plastic surgery-obsessed is not true, and is in fact a fake story propagated by her ex-husband.

Disagree: Jocelyn (pictured circa 1990) insists she didn't get as much surgery as her ex-husband said she did

Disagree: Jocelyn (pictured circa 1990) insists she didn't get as much surgery as her ex-husband said she did

Different: She also said pictures of herself make her sad because they don't line up with the vision she has in her head

Different: She also said pictures of herself make her sad because they don't line up with the vision she has in her head

Face: Her ex, billionaire Alec Wildenstein, complained to the press that she got too much surgery

Face: Her ex, billionaire Alec Wildenstein, complained to the press that she got too much surgery

Flashback: Joceyln, pictured several decades ago, insists she has always looked the way she does

Flashback: Joceyln, pictured several decades ago, insists she has always looked the way she does

Same: Her husband also said pictures of her as a teen look the same as ones taken today
Same: Her husband also said pictures of her as a teen look the same as ones taken today
Slide me

Same: Her husband also said pictures of her as a teen look the same as ones taken today

Born in Switzerland, Wildenstein now lives in America, but has spent much of her life in Africa, building a game reserve. 

She was married to French billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein for 20 years before the two divorced in the 90s, which is when Wildenstein became tabloid fodder. 

Her ex spoke to the press about all the work she'd allegedly had done, citing it as a reason for their divorce — but Jocelyn says the picture he painted was not accurate, however she admits that the stories that ran in the press did make her stop going under the knife for a while.

'In the beginning, it's why I stopped correcting my appearance because the articles were mean and would repeat the image that my ex-husband tried to paint of me,' she said.

She insists, though, that this is mostly just how she looks, and she had a cat-like appearance as a teenager, too. 

'She always looked like a cat, with the cat eyes,' says her current husband, 50-year-old fashion designer Lloyd Klein. Jocelyn said her mom's eyes were also cat-like.

Sad: 'In the beginning, it's why I stopped correcting my appearance because the articles were mean and would repeat the image that my ex-husband tried to paint of me,' she said

Sad: 'In the beginning, it's why I stopped correcting my appearance because the articles were mean and would repeat the image that my ex-husband tried to paint of me,' she said

Real? Jocelyn (pictured in 2017) said a lot of her appearance is genetic, including her cat-like eyes

Real? Jocelyn (pictured in 2017) said a lot of her appearance is genetic, including her cat-like eyes

Yet the public, she admitted, sees her differently. 

'There is misunderstanding when you don't have a close relationship with people and they judge you from far away,' she said. 

'The problem in the city is that we're constantly changing from one subject to another, and it cuts the connection. It's all separate in your brain, and it's not the same. It's why I like to stay for a long time in nature to create.' 

Still, Jocelyn's ex, who died in 2008, isn't the only person to speak to the press about her reported surgeries.

A friend, who said Jocelyn 'mutilated herself,' told Vanity Fair in 1998: 'I don’t think I’ve known her when she wasn’t healing from something.'

'She was crazy,' Alec himself said, according to the magazine. 'I would always find out last. She was thinking that she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin does not work that way. But she wouldn’t listen.'  

OK: 'She always looked like a cat, with the cat eyes,' said her current husband

OK: 'She always looked like a cat, with the cat eyes,' said her current husband

Genetics: Jocelyn said her grandmother had similar eyes and high cheekbones

Genetics: Jocelyn said her grandmother had similar eyes and high cheekbones

Mum: Jocelyn (pictured with a boyfriend in 1999) avoided doing any big press while her kids were young

Mum: Jocelyn (pictured with a boyfriend in 1999) avoided doing any big press while her kids were young

The pair had divorced after Jocelyn reportedly found him in bed with a 19-year-old. He was later arrested and charged with pointing a gun at her. 

Meanwhile the Catwoman nickname came both form her appearance, picked up by tabloids, and her own quotes.

'The lynx has perfect eyes,' Jocelyn, explained. 'If I show you pictures of my grandmother, what you see is these eyes — cat eyes — and high cheekbones.'

After her high-profile divorce, drama has continued to follow Jocelyn. 

In 2016, she was accused by Klein, then her boyfriend, of scratching his face and cutting him with scissors.

The two allegedly got into a fight inside their apartment at the Trump World Tower, where she scratched his face with her nails and his chest with scissors.

He refused medical assistance, but the police were called and she was charged with assault. 

Trouble: In 2016, Wildenstein appeared in court after being arrested for allegedly scratching then-boyfriend Lloyd Klein's face

Trouble: In 2016, Wildenstein appeared in court after being arrested for allegedly scratching then-boyfriend Lloyd Klein's face

Ouch: She allegedly clawed his face, and the two were both arrested a year later for another fight that turned physical
Ouch: She allegedly clawed his face, and the two were both arrested a year later for another fight that turned physical

Ouch: She allegedly clawed his face, and the two were both arrested a year later for another fight that turned physical

A year later, she was arrested yet again after another fight with Klein. She claimed at the time that he pushed her, and he said she scratched him. They both apparently sought treatment at a nearby hospital and were each charged with misdemeanor assault. 

In an interview with DailyMailTV in February of this year, the couple insisted the fights weren't that big of a deal

Klein also defended Jocelyn and the way she looks.

'I don’t understand the whole press and Catwoman thing because Jocelyn always looked like that,' he said. 'She never really did anything to change her face. 

'I have pictures from 16 years old where she looks exactly the same as today. 

'Look, Jocelyn is beautiful, she’s magical. The first time I met her, I was almost mesmerized by the beauty, the eyes, the personality. And I work in fashion and I see all these supermodels, and I see everyone, and I see the most beautiful women on the runway, right? 

'But Jocelyn, has something to offer that not a lot of women have.'

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