Shortly after announcing her retirement from acting in 1973, Brigitte Bardot was interviewed by French journalist Claude Sarraute, who asked Bardot if she was afraid of aging. Bardot denied without hesitation.
“It’s nothing to be scared of because there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s completely natural and it happens to everybody,” Badu added. “We’re still young, we’re gonna grow up, we’re gonna get old, and then we’re gonna die. But I wouldn’t worry about it because that would feel scary.”
Now 90, Bardot can be considered one of the most transformative beauty icons in pop culture. Bardot began her career in 1953 and appeared in more than 50 films before retiring at age 40. She is best known for her role in “And God Created Woman,” which made her an international sex symbol and an early pioneer of the classic French fringe and layered bouffant hairstyle. But as she ages, succumbing to societal pressure to look youthful at all costs sets her apart from her peers.
“She never escaped the cruel gaze of the mirror. She faced aging boldly,” serial biographer Marie-Dominique Lelièvre told The Guardian in 2014. “Brigitte Bardot shied away from the spotlight, refused plastic surgery and made no effort to maintain her beauty,” Denise Notthdurft, director of London’s Museum of Fashion and Textiles, told The Guardian in 2009. “It’s refreshing because it’s realistic. It’s like aging in your own way.”
While many celebrities claim to have never had surgery (some even deny having laser facials), Bardot truly understands what it means to age naturally. In recent photos, she has blonde hair that hasn’t been affected by hair dye, nor has her skin undergone fillers, Botox or other cosmetic enhancements. In a 2013 interview with Vanity Fair she said, “I don’t feel old or tired. I don’t have time to waste thinking about aging because I just live for my goals.”
She still lives in Saint-Tropez, advocates for animal rights and runs the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. Although she has become a controversial figure (she has been fined several times for racist comments and has strongly criticized the #MeToo movement), her stance on aging has never changed since her 1973 interview in The Nutcracker.
“She was a beautiful, white-haired woman, very smart and told beautiful stories. I thought she was wonderful,” he told The Nutcracker. “There aren’t that many left, but I think it’s wonderful. Women should embrace aging because at the end of the day, it’s pretty wonderful to have a gray-haired grandmother who looks like an old woman.” Putting on makeup makes it look old, but also sad.
