With all that in mind, it’s a little easier to understand why she tried to back out of the shoot, and why those of us who remember the old days are still getting a thrill of inspiration every time someone of her size, shape, color, and age is held up as a pinnacle of beauty.
Hayek felt it too. “I went from absolute anxiety and panic to absolute peace and freedom. From absolutely insecure to being proud of the woman I am. And, for all the bad crazy things that are happening, I’m grateful for this change in the world—where it’s celebrated to arrive at a certain age and still feel beautiful,” she reflected after the shoot.
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It must be something in the water. No, literally. Because Hayek isn’t in lingerie or some other revealing ensemble, she’s in a bikini, and as the garment’s unofficial ambassador (so says we), she’s returned it to its roots: something you wear in the water.
“Don’t go over your problems when you’re taking a shower, when you’re taking a bath. Feel the water,” she advised during her Glamour cover interview in 2023. “If you get a chance to go in the ocean, go to the ocean. Walk on the sand; feel the grass under your toes. Feel the sun; feel the wind. Don’t get too busy in your head that you don’t see it.”
The key to long-lasting happiness, she said, is to feel more, worry less. Her favorite pastime happens to be diving, a “sensorial” experience, not an excuse to collect fancy gear (she rents). But one has to imagine her with a closet devoted just to swimwear, a year’s worth of lycra.
And that’s the lesson to take into the summer. Not that you arrive at the beach (or pool, or whatever) sans doubts, but that you overcome them, get out of your head and enjoy the moment.