At 78, Dame Helen Mirren Reveals Why She Hates Using The Word ‘Anti-Aging’

Dec 13, 2023 by apost team

Dame Helen Mirren has aged gracefully through her career, and while she isn’t slowing down anytime soon, the A-list actress is aware of age and its effects. She also approaches the changes with positivity. While many people have seen her become a chameleon on the big screen with her endless dichotomy as an actress, people have also witnessed Mirren change her appearance outside of her day job.

The multi-award-winning actress embodies self-confidence, as evident in how she embraces the concept of age. As a young woman bursting with her youthful hue, Mirren built a solid acting career in her home country of England and, later, the United States. The star, who wields a wealth of acting knowledge worth five decades and more, started her career in the mid-1960s as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

Her career cuts across Hollywood and the British film industry with movies like “The Madness of King George,” “The Last Station,” and “Elizabeth I,” to mention a few. Mirren is a highly decorated industry practitioner, having earned several accolades. She is the only entertainer with both American and British Triple Crowns for Acting. 

Even as she ages, Mirren stays impressively active in her chosen path. She even went on to become the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievements Award. While she keeps soaring in Hollywood, her sophisticated approach to lifestyle has not gone unnoticed.

Over the years, Mirren has delved into the dynamics of aging, the habits that die hard, and all that changes. In 2019, Mirren elaborated on the idea of a common rhetoric that she has grown to despise throughout the years – “anti-aging.” Read on to learn more about why the famed actress doesn’t believe in the said idea. 

In a 2022 interview with People, where Mirren referred to beauty as “swagger,” the actress relayed that there were other traits as powerful as beauty, including confidence. At another time, Mirren opened up to AARP about how she once feared aging but came to terms with it as soon as she realized the beauty in growing older.

The star embraced the beauty in aging and became unapologetic about flaunting it. She displayed her range of styles, including bold high-fashion looks and trendy hair length. Even as she left her hair long and flowing down her back, Mirren rocked her tresses in their natural grating form. 

It is safe to say that Mirren’s penchant for accepting the changes that come with age helped her rock her graying hair. In an interview with Vogue, the “1923” star revealed why she decided to let her hair go gray. The actress shared, “Going gray is to be encouraged — that’s not to say you can’t have fun with your hair because it’s a very important part of how you feel about yourself.”

She would later wittingly tell People in 2020 that her decision to go gray was “because I’m lazy. Honestly, I’m so lazy about my hair!” The “Hobbs & Shaw” actress also talked about the societal issue of allowing one’s gray hair to grow. She noted that women “were terrified of having white or gray hair because it immediately puts them in a category.”

From the viewpoint of realism, Mirren relayed that women needed to be more accepting of those changes because they were at that age, and it was better to embrace and welcome them.  

apost.com

In an interview on “Lorraine” in March 2023, Mirren opened up about changing her appearance. She explained:

“You’re not supposed to have longer hair after a certain age. But during Covid, I started growing my hair and I hadn’t actually had long hair since I was in my 20s. And it sort of grew and grew and grew, and I couldn’t be bothered to cut it, basically. And then I thought, you know what, it’s pretty cool, I think I’ll stick with it for a little while. It will come off eventually. But I’m kind of enjoying it, it’s quite radical.”

Mirren seemed to have settled her thoughts on the matter of beauty in an interview with the Guardian back in 2015. She talked about how women in the entertainment industry are constantly criticized for being too old and how the female love interests in movies seem to just get “younger and younger.”

Mirren explained:

“I don’t like the word sexual. There are people who are sexual, and (others) who are less sexual. But there’s got to be another word. ‘Sexual’ is so limiting.”

She added, “Being powerful is so much more interesting than being beautiful.”

On Oct. 1, 2023, Mirren walked for the Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris — Walk Your Worth fashion show, according to ABC News. The actress donned fluffy hair and a long silver dress. Others who walked in the show included Elle Fanning, Viola Davis and Andie MacDowell.

Fans loved Mirren’s effervescent look. One person commented, “This is how inclusion is supposed to look and be. There is no 1 standard of beauty. No age in which beauty fades. I really enjoyed this show.” The fan also called Mirren one of their “personal favorites.”

Aside from the word “sexual,” Mirren also doesn’t believe in the term “anti-aging.” The description has been widely used on many beauty products, including moisturizers, toners, facial creams, and more, in an effort to encourage aged men and women to conceal their wrinkles and their sagging facial features, among other things. 

Speaking to Grazia Daily, Mirren asks how can a product be “anti-aging”? “That’s like saying I’m anti-sun, well the sun is going to rise, ‘Well no, I’m anti it,’” she confirmed. 

Mirren has since been a brand ambassador of a famous cosmetics company that refrained from using the term “anti-aging.”

In another interview with The Cut, Mirren doubled down on how she doesn’t like the word “anti-aging” when marketing these products. 

 ” I’m very against the word “anti-aging,” because we age. It happened. I’m really sorry, but you know what? It happens, and there’s no way out. It’s a part of the human condition. So to talk about “anti-aging” is like saying “anti-human,” “anti-real,” “anti-wisdom,” “anti-experience,” and so on, you know? But you can put on your best possible face,” she explained. 

Mirren has remained steadfast in standing on her principles when it comes to creating and standing for women of all ages, beauty, and skin types. 

“With each era, it’s the start of something new, so I absolutely believe in beauty products for all ages, and all skin types, but I don’t like the word “anti-aging.” I think it’s demeaning, actually. L’Oréal doesn’t use the term and I appreciate it,” she revealed. 

What can you say about Helen Mirren’s thoughts about “anti-aging”? Do you agree with her? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones out there!