Widely considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, Elizabeth Hurley celebrated her 60th birthday recently by sharing a nude portrait of herself on Instagram. Sitting in a lush green field in warm light from the sun, she’s as stunning as ever and she shows us what aging fearlessly can look like.
For a long time, women over 60 were encouraged to cover and conceal, with longer sleeves, flowing fabrics, and scarcely a leg to be seen. Today, however, women are enacting their own decisions of which social conventions work for them and which don't. One of these people, of course, is Elizabeth Hurley. Being 60+ used to look a certain way, but it doesn’t have to anymore. Hurley becomes one example of this in action with her latest nude portrait, which shows us just how fearless and fabulous a person can be over 60.
Aging used to be an all-consuming fear for many women, but Hurley and people like her are showing us it doesn’t have to be. In fact, there’s been a wealth of love given to women over 60 in the fashion world recently, whether it’s on the runway, in ad campaigns, on social media, in books, and more. It’s an exciting, yet still newer, phenomenon that expands the possibilities of how we understand beauty. Designer Batsheva Hay said as much to Vogue in 2024, celebrating the models over 50 she sent down her runway. “Getting older is actually amazing,” Hay told the publication. “There is a completely different type of vitality. There’s a completely different sense of stability and comfort and play and freedom and all of that stuff that no one gets to express. I want to express it.”
Similarly, Hurley herself is thriving. In nearly 40 years in the entertainment and fashion industries, Hurley has been a face of cosmetics company Estée Lauder, had her own swimsuit collection, and appeared in countless films and fashion campaigns. Her nude portrait is a celebration of life, as are recent photoshoots for her swimwear brand Elizabeth Hurley Beach, and her editorial with lauded fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth.
The latter photoshoot, a glamorous birthday party featuring the cast of London’s Magic Mike Live show, features Hurley in a sinewy gown and dressed up as a showgirl popping out of a cake. And why not? It’s long been a part of Hurley’s experience to live exactly as she pleases.
“Women should do whatever the hell they want to do,” Hurley told the magazine SheKnows in 2022. “And damn anybody criticizing them.” Still, Hurley has not always wanted to be the poster child for “aging gracefully,” SheKnows shares–so much of how women age has to do with facets of life beyond their control–genetics, environment, and so on. There’s no singular way to do it right. What matters is what’s within.
“In the ‘90s I felt very confident because I was young and at the beginning of my career, but I think now I really have so much experience and knowledge to pull on that I feel more comfortable in myself; I’ve learnt so much over the years that I try to put into practise,” Hurley told the English fashion brand Karen Millen. “In my opinion, as long as you’re feeling healthy and looking vital, I think that goes a long way.”
Juicy subject matter
Giphy from The Blacklist.
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