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.
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.
Helen Mirren in 1985 in Los Angeles | Source: Getty Images
“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.
Helen Mirren on the set of “The Collection,” 1975 | Source: Getty Images
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.
She showed more strength on the set of her movie “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” The London native revealed that she broke her finger while doing one of her stunts. She gushed over her bravery and how she did not complain because she wanted to feel like a “stunty” person.
Helen Mirren in 2023 in London | Source: Getty Images
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.
Helen Mirren Forgets Her Age
Mirren was featured in People’s 2022 Beautiful Issue, and since the actress is not a big fan of the word “beauty,” she suggested another term that would be equally empowering.
“I love the word swagger because I think swagger means I’m confident in myself, I’m presenting myself to the world, I’m enjoying the world around me,” she expressed. Mirren even went so far as to suggest that the whole beauty industry be changed to the “swagger” industry because it would give people confidence.
When speaking about being on the cover of an issue dedicated to beauty, the “Red” star said she was shocked to be chosen because she never considered herself beautiful.
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.
She and her husband, Taylor Hackford, both forget how old they are and often have to calculate, but they do not always land on the correct number. The actress said at first, their calculations added up to 74 years.
But she realized something was not right. So they recalculated and landed on 73, just to find out on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” that they were wrong again.
Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford at the Cannes Festival in 2010 | Source: Getty Images
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.
Helen Mirren at the 37th Annual American Cinematheque Awards on February 15, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
“‘When you’re twenty the thought of being forty, is like, oh my God! When you’re forty you’ll think the same about being sixty, and so on and so forth,’” Mirren remembered.
She further expressed, “It’s great to get older, it’s fantastic! You learn that it becomes less about yourself, which is one of the great parts. […] It’s either you die young, or you get old. And I don’t want to die young; I’m too interested in life [because] life is wonderful. Enjoy it.”
Helen Mirren arrives at the 76th Directors Guild of America Awards on February 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
When it comes to cosmetic enhancement procedures, Mirren refuses to judge those who go under the knife to alter their appearance. She said they are free to do whatever makes them feel good about themselves.
“As long as you look in the mirror in the morning and you think, ‘I feel great and I’m off to face the day.’ Not necessarily, ‘I look great, but I feel great,’” Mirren explained.
Helen Mirren Does Not Expect Her Husband to Make Her Feel Beautiful
During the interview for her Beautiful issue, Mirren was asked if her husband made her feel beautiful, and she said he did not. “I don’t think he ever makes me feel beautiful. It’s not necessary. That’s not what I love him for, honestly,” said Mirren.
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Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford in Monte-Carlo in 2017 in Monaco | Source: Getty Images
Mirren and her spouse have been married for 26 years. However, things between them did not start on the right foot. The two met while working on the film “White Nights,” and Hackford kept Mirren waiting for an audition.
He confessed that the actress did not hide her anger, which made their first encounter strange because he had heard how nice she was. But the more they got to know each other, the better things went between the couple.
Mirren was won over by how Hackford interacted with his children. She loved how he was wholeheartedly committed to his sons. Hackford had his firstborn son Rio, in 1970, with his first wife, Georgie Lowres, and his second son Alexandra was welcomed in 1979 during his marriage with Lynne Littmann.
Even though he and Mirren have had an enduring marriage of over two decades, the actress confessed that she was not keen on tying the knot at first.
Helen Mirren Taylor Hackford in 2018 in New York | Source: Getty Images
However, she and her husband decided to get married because they knew they would be together forever, so their reason to marry was solely for legal reasons, like planning their estate. But initially, marriage was not Mirren’s taste until she realized she needed to find the right person to make it easier to digest.
