It's about time the graceful beauty was honored with a beauty campaign.
She's worth it, all right. I've never been shy about the fact that I think the ageless Helen Mirren is red hot. And now the actress, who is the epitome of grace, has been named the new face of L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect skin care line. Looking more luminous than ever, 69-year-old Mirren proves that Woman in Gold is more than just the name of her latest hit movie--it's her ageless aura.
Perhaps capitalizing on the sweeping, against-the-grain trend of hiring older actresses for fashion and beauty campaigns (look at the iconic Cher for Marc Jacobs and Tilda Swinton for NARS), the pick is hardly a surprise--and I'm really loving this partnership already. In one of the UK commercials for the line's Age Perfect re-hydrating cream, Mirren is clear about the beauty message she's sending: embrace your flaws and age gracefully. How anti-Hollywood!
Her new beauty ambassador role is no coincidence--the radiant Dame has been one of the most outspoken critics on ageism in the celebrity spotlight. Speaking at TheWrap's New York Power Breakfast in June, she called the blatant discrimination "outrageous, ridiculous and annoying." A veteran actress, Mirren has undoubtedly experienced significant ageism but always manages to keep herself coveted enough to land significant, sophisticated roles (I loved her in The Queen and The Hundred Foot Journey, among many others.) She also still manages to slay the red carpet, sporting bright, sexy dresses and glittering jewels and nailing her poses like the pro that she is.
Ironically, after her commercial ad aired, the UK Advertising Standards Authority received a complaint that Mirren had had obvious digital enhancement and post production fixes in the ad. (Because there's no way she could look that good, right?) The Dame was too classy to comment, but L'Oreal fired back that very minimal airbrushing was done, as her beautiful wrinkles were clearly on full display the same as when she makes public appearances. The commercial was later cleared.
Fittingly in her bold British accent, the spunky sex goddess concludes the commercial with a phrase all of us, at any age, can appreciate: "the perfect age...is now."