Helen Mirren is breaking beauty standards for women one day at a time. The actress ditched her iconic bob cut and now rocks long hair. This was another way to shut down stereotypes of what older women can and cannot do with their hair. At nearly 80 years old, she has warmly embraced aging.
Helen Mirren is a British actress with many awards under her name. She is usually known for rocking her short haircut, but that changed during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The veteran star decided to try something new and let her hair grow out. Mirren first showed off the new look while promoting her film “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” where she plays the villain Hespera.
On #InternationalWomensDay, the iconic Dame Helen Mirren explains why she's proudly flying the flag for women over 60. 🙌❤️#Lorraine pic.twitter.com/CtLzXlXC8k
— Lorraine (@lorraine) March 8, 2023
After being cooped up in the house during the pandemic, Mirren’s hair started to grow. She said she could not be bothered to get it cut, and will be keeping her long strands for a while. When she saw herself with the different hairdo, it dawned on her that she had never seen her hair long since her 20s.
Other than that realization, Mirren is also trying to break the mold of what is expected of women. In this case, the actress is aiming at the stereotype that older women are not supposed to have long hair.
“The Queen” alum is always rooting for women over 60. She emphasized that life does not stop just because one is getting older, the creativity, passion, and energy are still activated and will be until one decides to stop.
Mirren has her mind set on defying beauty standards for older women because she believes her generation has endured ageism for far too long. In 2019, the celebrated star said it was annoying that products created for women of her generation are sold with a 15-year-old’s face.Another thing the actress has raised was her dislike for the word “beauty.” Mirren confessed that she did not like using the term because it made people who were not confident about their looks feel excluded.
Even though Mirren enjoys some length to her hair, some fans are still attached to her iconic bob cut from the 70s. They said the actress looked much younger with short hair and that it was known that longer hair is not recommended the older a person gets.
But another user came to the Hollywood star’s defense and pleaded with people to leave older women alone, and let them do what they want with their hair.
Although Mirren might not see her beauty on some days, her supporters always remind her how stunning she looks. She posted a bare-face selfie with undone hair while preparing for the Oscars.
Her comment section was filled with fans praising her for her natural beauty, saying how much of an inspiration she was to many women worldwide.
To prove that Mirren is living a life where age has no limitations, she visited the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2018 and admitted that she did not know that she was 72. She was convinced she was 73.
However, Mirren was excited to be two years younger than she thought. “Now I’ve got another year? How adorable is that?” she gushed. The talk show host joked that Mirren not knowing her age is a sign of aging but said the actress looked great regardless.
The film star, who just turned 79, has a positive outlook on growing old. In a March 2024 interview, she fondly recalled her mother saying she should never worry about getting older.