Dame Helen Mirren is not here for the stereotype that older women can’t have long hair. While promoting her role in the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the 77-year-old acting legend debuted a new, longer hairdo which she says sarcastically is “radical” for a woman her age.
Speaking with British breakfast program host Lorraine, Mirren says she hasn’t had her hair this long since her 20s and growing it was accidental. “You’re not supposed to have longer hair after a certain age,” she said. “But during Covid, I started growing my hair and I hadn’t actually had long hair since I was in my 20s. And it sort of grew and grew and grew, and I couldn’t be bothered to cut it, basically.”
The stereotypes that surround older women and long hair include the suggestion that wearing long locks is an attempt at holding on to their youth or that shorter hair is more age-appropriate, but Mirren says she isn’t fazed. “I thought, do you know what, it’s pretty cool, I think I’ll stick with it for a little while. It will come off eventually. But I’m kind of enjoying it, it’s quite radical.”