Most people are scared of getting older. As time goes on, it’s only natural for you to have more wrinkles in your skin, grays in your hair, and just an older appearance in general. However, whoever deemed that as a “bad” thing was just plain wrong.
Former Calvin Klein model Andie MacDowell is 63 years old, and says she’s never felt more beautiful. She says that when she turned 40, a switch flipped and people began to treat her differently. In a recent interview for NPR’s Fresh Air, she recalled how a journalist once asked her how it felt to age and, in turn, “lose her beauty.”
“I had the craziest things said to me when I turned 40,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I told her I really don’t feel like I’m losing my beauty, it’s just a different kind of beauty.”
“We evolve and we age, and this is part of the process,” MacDowell continued, adding that we do not generally ask men these questions about aging. “Aging is not about losing your beauty.”
MacDowell has been embracing her long gray locks for quite some time now. One of the reasons is to practice what she preaches: As a L’Oréal ambassador, MacDowell says one of her goals is to continually make sure older women are represented in the beauty industry and know they can look and feel confident at any age.
“My hair started going silver during COVID, and my daughters were staying next door to me … so they saw me all the time and they would say to me, ‘You look badass and you’ve got to keep this,'” she said.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone has to embrace their natural beauty. But she says she’d certainly recommend it, instead of pretending got be someone you’re not.
“I have to say, I’ve never felt more beautiful,” she continued. “I’m not saying that everybody has to go do this … but it suits me.”
Aging is something that happens to everyone—even celebrities. And MacDowell says it helps that she’s felt so accepted by fans of her aging journey.
“I think aging is something that you either have to decide that you like it or you don’t. It’s a choice,” she said. “I like that people are comfortable with me getting older. I think that’s an important message for all of us that we get older and we are beautiful.”
What are your thoughts on embracing your natural beauty as you get older?