Helen Mirren says 'I'm not interested in being young, I’m interested in who I am' as she reveals her freeing approach to ageing
We love Helen's attitude to growing older
Dame Helen Mirren has simply the best attitude about ageing; she doesn't give it too much thought and has better aspirations than maintaining youth - and we love her for it.
Although often lauded for her elegant hairstyles and timeless fashion moments spanning her decades-long career, Helen Mirren is an icon both in acting ability and her fashion sense. While the actress likes to look good and share her beauty favourites, a firmly interesting fact about Helen Mirren is that she simply doesn't care about ageing, and we applaud her attitude to this often feared but normal aspect of life.
Now 79-years-old, Helen continues to challenge societal expectations of women when it comes to how and when they should work, how they should look, and offers damning opinions on a world that fetishises youth. Her interests lie in being healthy and remaining at the top or her professional game, not how many wrinkles she has or why she should defy the very natural process of ageing.
In a recent interview with The Standard, Helen spoke of the joy at approaching her octogenarian years, and why she's glad she didn't grow up in the current digital age. "I am older", she said, adding, "I’m sure I’ll go all pear-shaped soon. But I’m not interested in being young. I’m interested in being exactly who I am."
Continuing to lead the way in how women should feel about getting older, she continued, "I never thought I’d be 79. I’m not full of youth, but I am life full. I much prefer that phrase… And I feel so grateful that I lived in a world without technology for quite some time. I knew a world without technology in a deep and full sense… Human connection was a very different thing back then."
Continuing to demonstrate the perfect balance of wanting to look good but not caring about the age you are when you're doing it, Helen doesn't shun fashion but still loves to embrace the perfect look for her age. A particular fondness she has is watching young people rediscover trends from a bygone era.
She said, "I’m excited about the younger generation’s interest in the idea of recycling and repurposing clothing, I think that’s great," adding, "Thank God for the young! Just as something is about to disappear, they discover it again and make it their own. We’ve seen it with vinyl, with film over digital…"
Sign up for the woman&home newsletter
Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered.
As an ambassador for Age UK, Helen tackles not only the perceptions of ageing of those in the public spotlight, but of age discrimination against older populations in general. Speaking out about the charity's recent findings that one third of over 65s have been subjected to age-related negative behaviours, she's rightly branded this "upsetting and unfair", wanting to raise awareness of working towards acceptance that ageing happens to us all - and that's if we're lucky.
Lucy is a multi-award nominated writer and blogger with seven years’ experience writing about entertainment, parenting and family life. Lucy worked as a freelance writer and journalist at the likes of PS and moms.com, before joining GoodtoKnow as an entertainment writer, and then as news editor. The pull to return to the world of television was strong, and she was delighted to take a position at woman&home to once again watch the best shows out there, and tell you why you should watch them too.
-
Not sure about Nespresso? Baristas swear by the Lavazza A Modo Mio Deśea Coffee Machine
I pitted the Lavazza A Modo Mio Deśea Coffee Machine against Nespresso and some of the best coffee machines on the market. Here's how it performed.
By Laura Honey Published
-
Monty Don says now is the time to take hardwood cuttings to create new shrubs, bushes and trees
If you want to grow your garden and do so on a budget, this is the season to take hardwood cuttings and start the propagation process
By Emily Smith Published