Helen Mirren, the cover star of People's 'Beautiful Issue,' says she has never considered herself a beauty
- Helen Mirren appeared as the cover star for People's 2022 Beautiful Issue.
- Mirren explained why she doesn't like the word beauty when associated with the beauty industry.
Dame Helen Mirren thinks the beauty industry needs a new name.
Mirren, 76, the cover star of People's 2022 Beautiful Issue, told the magazine's Wendy Naugle that she "never considered" herself beautiful.
"Don't get me wrong — I love beauty and I love looking at beautiful things," Mirren told People. "But I don't like the word beauty [as it's] associated with the beauty industry — makeup and products, skincare and all the rest of it — because I think it excludes the vast majority of us who are not beautiful."
Mirren continued by saying that she'd rather refer to the beauty industry as the "swagger industry" because people bring more to the table than physical looks.
"There are incredibly beautiful people in the world, and it's an absolute delight to look at them, male or female. Beautiful people are a wonder to behold, but most of us are not beautiful," Mirren said. "We have other stuff, which is just as powerful as beauty. And I would like to see us celebrate those things."
She added that the word "swagger" is closer to what she deems as confident.
"I love the word swagger because I think swagger means I'm confident in myself, I'm presenting myself to the world, I'm enjoying the world around me," Mirren told People. "I think what is called the beauty industry should be called the swagger industry. We're giving people swagger."
Mirren, who will appear in "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" in December 2022, has been vocal with opinions on everything from sexism to confidence.
In June 2015, she spoke about ageism in Hollywood while at an event hosted by The Wrap, Vanity Fair reported.
"It's ridiculous ... we all watched James Bond as he got more and more geriatric, and his girlfriends got younger and younger. It's so annoying," she told the outlet.
That same year, Mirren told New York Daily News that she admired the younger generation of outspoken women and wished she had told more people to "fuck off."