Salma Hayek’s Daughter Valentina Left Us Speechless

Jun 11, 2021

To say that actress Salma Hayek Pinault is a beautiful human being would be a total understatement. Just in case you don't know who she is, the actress, who is one of the most prominent Mexican actresses in Hollywood of all time, is best known for playing Frida Kahlo in the 2002 film Frida, which earned her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination. She is a leading actress who has been credited in over 80 movies, including three of which are due for release in 2021.

An avid user of Instagram, the 54-year-old made headlines after posting a makeup-free selfie on her account back in June 2020. Her barefaced-ness had people dubbing her “the most beautiful woman on the planet,” and it is really hard to argue otherwise. But if there is just one person who would possibly be able to come close to Hayek Pinault’s level of beauty, we like to think that that would be her daughter, 13-year-old Valentina Paloma Pinault.

Like many A-list celebrities, Hayek Pinault rarely posts pictures of her daughter on her social media accounts, preferring instead to keep her underage child out of the public eye.

But for Valentina’s birthday last September, The Eternals star took to Instagram to commemorate her only child entering her teenage years by sharing throwback photos of her late into her pregnancy and one of her carrying Valentina as a newborn. Read on to see a close-up photo of Valentina and decide whether or not you think that Valentina is her superstar mother’s clone!

Salma Hayek Pinault proves that our age is nothing to fear and that women are truly beautiful no matter how old they are. But it is probably easy to feel confident in your own skin when you have a gorgeous face and a killer figure like she does! Hayek Pinault has always been a captivating woman that has mesmerized the world with her looks and acting talent. She is a regular user of Instagram, sharing pictures and videos on her main feed almost daily—sometimes multiple times in a day. Besides the many pictures she posts of her with fellow celebrities and friends, and those about political and charity causes, Hayek Pinault regularly publishes sultry snaps of herself. But one of her selfies, in particular, had caused quite the buzz.

Last year, the then 53-year-old actress had everyone talking when she posted a makeup-free selfie on her social media account. Commenters were quick to claim that she is the most beautiful woman alive and going off her photos while taking into account how incredibly well she is aging, it is near impossible to argue otherwise.  The selfie in question was posted back in June 2020. Surrounded by luscious green leaves, the Mexican-American beauty posed amongst them, with her dark brown hair worn down in waves, while her face was bare without a trace of makeup.

Her brown eyes are glistening, and while her bare face looks stunning, it is clear that she does not have any makeup on. Hayek Pinault captioned the post: "#selfiesunday #nofilter #nature."

Instantly, fans began to comment on how incredibly beautiful she is, with many making statements such as: "The most beautiful woman ever," "No makeup needed ❤️❤️❤️ you look so young," and "Wow so beautiful without makeup 🌺." Another fan added, "Is it possible that she is even prettier without the makeup?!?!..."  Even if users had not said it, it is clear that the half Lebanese-half Spanish beauty is absolutely stunning and aging so beautifully.

After the picture was posted, women's news and lifestyle site The List described her as looking “more stunning than ever,” and it has garnered close to 400,000 ‘likes’ to date. Just two days ago, January 4th, 2021, the dazzling actress posted another selfie which has brought about similar sentiments to that of the former picture. In the photo, Hayek Pinault flaunts her enviable body in a plunging bikini as she enjoyed what seems like a beach day during a tropical winter vacation with her husband and daughter, according to Hollywood Life. “The most beautiful woman in this world,” read the top comment of the post. The new selfie has amassed over two million ‘likes’, making it one of Hayek Pinault’s most popular photos on the platform.

The List also shared that even though she is “hailed as one of the most beautiful women in the world”, she still struggles with body-image confidence sometimes. Clearly aware of her beauty and how the industry is cutthroat about women's looks, Hayek Pinault has spoken up before about the topic. In a 2016 interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine, she discussed getting older and how body confidence changes on a daily basis. She said:

"I am entering my fifties so your body confidence isn’t that good. I think it depends on the day, for everybody, there’s some days you say, ‘This is it,’ and you love it. Then there are days when you go, ‘This can not be it! Is this really it?’ So I think it’s up and down all the time!"

And then in April 2020, the bombshell actress spoke up about having insecurities of her own, especially when she was younger. In an interview with People from earlier this year, she explained:

"When I look at pictures of me in my 30s or in my 40s, I see myself more beautiful than I saw myself at the time … I used to criticize myself so much. Now when I look in the mirror and there are things that I don't see, I think about how much I'm going to like me in 10 years."

Since that selfie was posted, Hayek Pinault has blessed our Insta-feeds with more of her natural beauty. Like this one of her posing against a cactus, and this one where she not only is makeup-free (or at least looks like it) but also showing off her grays. “The white hair of wisdom,” she captioned the picture which was posted just about a couple of weeks after she turned 54.  

Hayek Pinault has shown that age is no barrier as long as you have confidence in yourself, and some great genes certainly also help! She is also one of the most well-known Latin actresses in Hollywood. However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing as a person of color in Hollywood. 

Town and Country reported that Hayek Pinault was considered so beautiful in Mexico that casting agents would often stop her in the street and asked her to audition. When she was 23, she starred in Teresa, a Mexican telenovela that made her a star. However, the lure of movies and fame took Hayek to Hollywood in 1991. She gave up her role on Teresa, and everyone thought she was crazy. "I was famous in Mexico, and they were laughing at me, asking, ‘Why is she doing that,'" the star said.

However, she couldn't land a job in L.A for years despite her good looks and already existing fame. She got her first break in 1995 when she was cast in Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado. Following her success in this movie, she was able to make a great mark on Hollywood with her talent. However, she also said that preconceived notions about people of color about her continue to follow her even now. 

"A lot of people are very shocked that I married who I married. And some people are even intimidated now by me," she told the magazine. "But it’s another way of showing racism. They can’t believe this Mexican ended up in the life that she has, and they’re uncomfortable around me."

Hayek Pinault's husband, François-Henri Pinault, 58, is the son of François Pinault, the founder of the luxury group Kering and the investment company Artémis, according to Wikipedia. The couple has a strong and loving relationship, and she said about her husband that he is "the best husband in the world."

She added about her husband, "I get to be who I am with him, and I don’t feel that somebody tries to limit me." As for how the two met, Hayek Pinault shared that she did not want to tell people their story. "I’m not going to tell you," she told the interviewer when asked about their story. "It’s such a romantic, amazing story, but it is mine. I don’t want to vulgarize it by making it into a story to make myself interesting." However, Town and Country reported that the rumor is they were set up by friends in 2006. The couple shares daughter Valentina, 13, together, and Hayek Pinault is also stepmother to Pinault’s children Augustin, Mathilde, and François.

Hayek Pinault met her husband when she was 39 years old, but she told the magazine that she’s grateful she was “a late bloomer” in her personal life because her age allowed her to know herself fully and properly. The same goes for becoming a mother at an advanced age. "I think I’m a better mother because I had her later," the star said. "But I do get tired. I’m not going to lie."

Hayek Pinault became a mother when she was 41 years old. Sharing the same birthday month as her mom, Hayek Pinault’s daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, was born on Sept. 21, 2007. As with the children of many high-profile celebrities, Valentina rarely makes appearances on her mom’s Instagram, Hayek Pinault preferring instead to keep her underage child out of the public eye, as per HELLO! Magazine.

For Valentina’s birthday last September, the Grown Ups star took to her favorite social networking site to commemorate her only child entering her teenage years by sharing throwback photos. She shared one photo of her late into her pregnancy and one of her carrying Valentina as a newborn. “Tomorrow the tiny baby that formed inside my womb officially becomes a teen. They grow so fast,” she captioned the first picture, with a translation in Spanish. In the second photo posted on the day of Valentina’s 13th birthday, Hayek Pinault is seen carrying her newborn daughter while looking out the window. Both dressed in white, the mother and daughter looked angelic.

“Valentina, I never wished for someone to exist as much as I wished for you to come into my life.,” Hayek Pinault wrote in the caption. “Thank you for showing up thirteen years ago on a day like today, “Peace Day”, to illuminate our lives. You are my greatest teacher, my greatest joy and my greatest hope. I loved you before you were born and I’ll love you forever. Happy birthday, my shining star.” What a loving and doting mother! 

According to HELLO! Magazine, Valentina’s dad François-Henri Pinault, who as mentioned earlier is the son of billionaire François Pinault, the founder of the luxury group Kering and the investment company Artémis can certainly help her to achieve her goals. It seems like Valentina has everything she needs to become a successful actress like her mom, especially with the good looks she has inherited from Hayek Pinault. But Hola! reported that Valentina might have a career in photography, hairstyling, or even fashion in the future.

In December 2019, Hayek Pinault posted on Instagram a picture of her drinking coffee as she stared out the window looking at a rainy cityscape. The actress revealed in the caption that the artsy photo was in fact taken by Valentina. And then a few months before that, the actress revealed that Valentina enjoys cutting hair and that she has even had her hair cut by her then-11-year-old.

Valentina last appeared on her mom’s gram in November 2020. In what is presumably a throwback picture (seeing as how Valentina looks way younger in the photo than her current age), she is perched on top of the shoulders of her mom, who is sitting on the shoulders of dad Pinault as they enjoyed their time in the pool. In the caption, Hayek Pinault says her husband is hers and Valentina’s “home.” She writes: “Never in my greatest dreams I could have imagined that I get to share my life with such a wonderful and extraordinary man. You are our strength, you are our inspiration, you are our home.”

As with most of the world with the coronavirus pandemic, Valentina has been struggling with the lockdown rules and measures. Hello! Magazine reported that Hayek Pinault opened up about their experience during lockdown, and admitted that Valentina found it hard being away from her friends. "Lockdown was very difficult for [a] teenager. My daughter Valentina was very independent and did her online schoolwork on her own, but she didn't enjoy it. she also really missed her friends." 

Town and Country reported that Hayek Pinault said that her daughter is "very creative, very smart, very funny, and very willful," much like her mother. The apple doesn't fall from the tree, both in personality and their looks! 

Do you think Valentina will grow up to be an actress like her mom? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to all the Salma Hayek fans in your life!