7 celebrities on ageing gracefully
When you think of Hollywood, you’d be forgiven for thinking “young”, “slim” and “beautiful”. But in recent years, there’s been a refreshing – and very welcome – shift towards embracing the beauty of ageing.
From Nicole Kidman to Susan Sarandon, we take a look at what some of our favourite celebs have to say about positive ageing.
1. The only way is up
“I think in the past, the thought was your twenties are when you are at your best, and after that it’s downhill. Now women are realising that we are at our best as we get older. We are attractive, we are more interesting, and we are more self-assured than we were 10 years before, and there’s something sexy about that.” – Jennifer Lopez, 48.
2. Your priorities change (for the better)
“I obviously don’t have the same body that I had when I was 20. But I also don’t have the same mindset either, when I was wracked with self-consciousness and insecurity. Now I really appreciate my maturity as a woman, my depth of spirit and soul and my understanding of who I am and what’s important to me.” – Elle Macpherson, 53.
3. All you need is love
“Love is a really nourishing thing. My husband always says that a smile is such a great thing because it’s so youthful. [Beauty] is about being strong and healthy and feeling good inside so you feel good outside.” – Nicole Kidman, 50.
4. Lines and wrinkles simply show you’ve lived
“Ageing is out of your control. How you handle it, though, is in your hands.... In my older face, I see my life. Every wrinkle, every smile line, every age spot. There is a saying that with age, you look outside what you are inside. If you are someone who never smiles, your face gets saggy. If you're a person who smiles a lot, you will have more smile lines. Your wrinkles reflect the roads you have taken; they form the map of your life. My face reflects the wind and sun and rain and dust from the trips I've taken. My face carries all my memories. Why should I erase them? – Diane von Furstenberg, 70.
5. Look after yourself
“You’re very lucky to age. If [you don’t], you’re dead! Ageing is a good thing. I’m very simple in terms of maintenance. I’m not somebody who does a lot of different things, but what I don’t do is smoke cigarettes. I think if you’re smoking in your twenties, in 20 years your skin is going to show it. Or if you’re drinking too heavily. I think paying attention to [your] lifestyle is really important. And a certain generosity of spirit.” – Susan Sarandon, 71.
6. Share your wisdom with the world
“You live your life, you go through ups and downs, and hopefully you grow. The growth part is the most exciting part for me [...] The beauty of getting older is the surprise of what else you can do to make the world a better place with the wisdom you’ve accrued over the years.” – Goldie Hawn, 72.
7. You are important, no matter what your age
“We live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we are not young, and we’re not glowing, and we’re not hot, that we don’t matter. I refuse to let a system or a culture or a distorted view of reality tell me that I don’t matter. I know that only by owning who and what you are can you start to step into the fullness of life. Every year should be teaching us all something valuable. Whether you get the lesson is really up to you.” – Oprah Winfrey, 63.