By BRITTANY TALARICO
‘I feel better than I did in my 20s because I’m taking much better care of myself’
— ANNE HATHAWAY
Have you seen Anne Hathaway lately? Whether it’s hitting the streets at Paris Fashion Week, posing on the red carpet decked in Bulgari jewels or fronting a Versace campaign, the girl is glowing.
It seems 40 is the magic number for the star, who approaches aging with the wisdom of someone decades older.
“Aging is just another word for living,” she tells People at a party celebrating her partnership with Japanese skin care brand Shiseido in New York City in September. “And what you do with it from there is personal and up to you.”
Hathaway is rounding out her “re-Anne-aissance” with this new beauty role for Shiseido’s Vital Perfection product range. “I didn’t know that there was skin care specifically designed for skin in its fifth decade,” she says of the line. “I’m thrilled to have that extra little bit of support.”
Homing in on a targeted routine is just one step Hathaway has taken to feel her best. “In my 30s I had to give up alcohol. I couldn’t lead the life that I wanted while drinking. And in my 40s I’m finding I have to support myself differently nutritionally.”
Reflecting on the early days of her career, the multihyphenate wishes she could give her younger self some pointers. “I want to go back and talk to my 25-year-old self who felt like she didn’t have to do anything and just be like, ‘Oh honey, there’s a whole other world out there, and it tastes like an avocado,’ ” the Devil Wears Prada star says with a laugh.
Another life lesson came following the birth of her sons Jonathan, 7, and Jack, 3, with husband Adam Shulman, 42. “It takes three years for your body to fully recover from a pregnancy. I didn’t snap back. I want to be very, very clear about that,” she says of learning to give herself grace during her postpartum period. “With my second it took every minute of those three years. It’s cool—let your body be a body. Be present, take care of yourself, and don’t set expectations.”
Hathaway is also bringing that sense of freedom to her personal style this year in the form of bold colors, daring microminis and lots of sparkle. With help from her stylist and “dear friend” Erin Walsh, Hathaway says she’s “genuinely having a good time” with fashion.
“Erin and I believe that style is an expression, and I trust her, which makes me feel like I can be braver,” she says. “This isn’t a dress rehearsal; this is life. I was given so many things at such a young age, and I didn’t always know how to appreciate them. I felt badly about myself in certain things, and I didn’t know how to enjoy what I was wearing.”
Now not only does Hathaway know what makes her feel good, she’s also excited to explore new trends. “I’m wearing things that I enjoy, and I’m wearing them gratefully,” she says, “and that seems to be working.”
The star also attributes part of her dressing confidence to an overall attitude shift post-pandemic. “Everybody’s taking risks, and I feel like there’s more than one way to do it right now, which means that you don’t have to hit a mark, you just have to be yourself—and that feels wonderful.”
DOMINIQUE CHARRIAU/WIREIMAGEBOTTOM, FROM LEFT: KEVIN MAZUR/SHISEIDO/GETTY IMAGES; THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES; AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC; RAYMOND HALL/GC IMAGES; STEPHANE CARDINALE/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES