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Entering her sixties, actress Andie MacDowell decided to leave her brown hair color in the past to give freedom to her natural gray hair. During her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival 2021, she stunned many of us with a look that embraces the passage of time and accepts her body with a lot of style. The echo it had in the media gave cause to reflect on the beauty found in the changes associated with age.

Bright Side decided to tell you some details about the transition in the image of this actress, and we also thought to look for pictures of other beautiful famous women who look great with gray hair. You’ll find them in a special bonus at the end of the article.

Actress and model Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994) turned 64 in April 2022. Her presence at the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival which took place from the 6th to the 17th of July 2021, surprised many because she decided to show off her natural gray hair, in her characteristic long, curly, and voluminous mane. On the second day of the event, she wore her hair in a low ponytail, also styled in quite a natural way.

A lot of media attention was focused on Andie because until almost a year ago she had brown tones, and many praised and admired her decision to make the transition to natural gray. This was the perfect excuse to look at other great actresses who attended Cannes with gray, white, or graying hair in style, such as Helen Mirren and Jodie Foster.

While the media can’t stop talking about her new look, we had noticed a little before the festival that she was committed to gray hair thanks to the pics she posted on her Instagram. In the following post, which dates back to February 2021, she already talked about how she made the decision to stop dying her hair.

Back then, she saw her roots grow gray and asked people what they thought of it. Then she thought about doing what she felt most comfortable with: Accepting her natural hair color. “I don’t want to be ashamed of my age,” she wrote.

In an interview she had with Vogue magazine after Cannes, she commented that she follows Jack Martin, Jane Fonda’s stylist, who had done a similar makeover to hers. With that in mind and many other examples of ordinary women she saw on Instagram, she was convinced to go natural.

In that same interview, MacDowell offered other quotes that we think may be inspirational for women who, like her, are thinking about giving their hair a break from dye to show off their gray hair:

• “I’ve never felt more powerful. I feel more honest. I feel like I’m not pretending.”
  
• “I look younger because it looks more natural.”

In an industry like Hollywood, Andie says that, as a woman, she has always suffered from age discrimination, and she assures us that mature men are not put through the same kind of pressure. This is a situation she would like to reflect on. But she clarifies that she does not judge others nor does she want everyone to do the same thing as her.

Bonus: 10 celebrities who look great with white and gray hair

From Judi Dench, 86, to Queen Letizia, 48, here are some celebrities who wear their gray hair in style.

1. Judi Dench — 87 years old

Judi Dench is one of the actresses who has long worn her hair as naturally as possible, in keeping with her age. In June 2020, her tone was highlighted on the cover of the June issue of British Vogue. It was the first time Judi had appeared on the cover of that magazine and, at 85, she became the oldest person to do so.

2. Jane Fonda — 84 years old

The star of the series Grace and Frankie (May 8, 2015 — April 29, 2022) wore her hair blonde in recent years until she surprised many during the 2020 Oscar ceremony with her silver hair. About a year later, she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award on stage at the 2021 Golden Globes and stayed true to her gray hair. The Hollywood legend once shared her wisdom on aging in an interview, “You know, you can be really old at 60, and you can be really young at 85. Health!”

3. Helen Mirren — 76 years

Oscar winner Helen Mirren is one of the actresses who teamed up with the white or gray hair trend, along with Andie MacDowell, at the Cannes Film Festival. And we thought it contrasted beautifully with the yellow Dolce & Gabbana dress she wore to the event.

4. Diane Keaton — 76 years old

Diane Keaton is an icon of style. She’s known for wearing masculine, black garments, hats and her medium-length gray hair. In 2014 she also drew attention at an awards show, this time it was at the Golden Globes, when she showed her gray hair in front of the audience after a long stint with blonde tones.

5. Glenn Close — 75 years old

Glenn Close, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for her performance in Hillbilly Elegy (2020), is another actress who has been sporting white hair and making it part of her style for some time now; she usually wears it short and with trendy bangs.

6. Caroline, Princess of Hanover — 65 years old

Princess Caroline is a woman known for being very elegant, and her look variations have always caught the attention of the media. Now most people look with great approval at how she has decided to show off her natural gray hair and keep her midi cut. This change started recently, at the end of last year.

7. Jamie Lee Curtis — 63 years old

Jamie Lee Curtis is from Andie MacDowell’s generation too, but she has been wearing her hair in different shades of gray for much longer. At the 2019 Golden Globes, she decided to wear a whiter and brighter shade, and it also gave folks a lot to talk about. The actress had opened up about her decision, saying ’’Why do you want to look 17 when you’re 70? I want to look 70 when I’m 70."

8. Jodie Foster — 59 years old

After winning a Golden Globe in February 2021 (The Mauritanian) and receiving it in her pajamas, she was also in the media spotlight during this year’s Cannes Film Festival, when she appeared with strands of natural gray hair framing her face. At this event, the actress and director was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or for her career in the film industry.

9. Salma Hayek — 55 years old

Salma Hayek still allows herself to play with the colors she covers her mane with, but she’s one of the actresses we follow on Instagram who occasionally lets us know how proud she is of her incipient gray hair.

10. Queen Letizia of Spain — 49 years old

Queen Letizia, who is known for always maintaining an impeccable image, is just one of the many royals who shows off her few natural gray hairs at public events.

We like to know that people feel good about the hair color they choose to wear, with or without hair color. What is your current hair color? Have you ever imagined yourself with gray or silver hair?

Please note: This article was updated in June 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.

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