At 55, Jennifer Aniston Wants To ‘Embrace’ Natural Beauty Despite People Criticizing Her For Looking ‘Older Than She Should’

Apr 14, 2023 by apost team

Actress Jennifer Aniston is now in her 50s and still looks as beautiful and foxy as ever. Born on Feb. 11, 1969, Aniston was raised in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, and grew up with a love for acting. The aspiring star put in plenty of hard work and dedication into pursuing her passion and ultimately made it her full-time career – and a highly successful one at that.

After rising to fame as Rachel Green on the hit television sitcom "Friends," Aniston has been one of the most loved actresses to grace the world of entertainment. The role earned Aniston a handful of awards, and it's clear that her career has only taken off since her breakthrough. 

Over the years, Aniston has continued to star in a number of television shows as well as a handful of successful films. Some of her most notable works include "Marley & Me," "Just Go With It," "Horrible Bosses" and "The Morning Show." On top of being an award-winning actress, Aniston is also a highly respected producer.

While Aniston is very recognized for her work in the entertainment industry, she is also recognized for her kind-hearted personality and her stunning looks. The world does not seem like it will ever tire of marveling at her beauty. As someone who single-handedly influenced a whole generation of women's haircuts, it's no wonder that Aniston launched her own hair care line in 2021. The actress has been having fun showing off the products on her social media, including behind-the-scenes videos of her beauty routine.

Aniston has also defended her choice to age naturally, even if that means people call her “old” or “grandma.”

According to Business Insider, Aniston "broke" Instagram when she created a profile on the platform and garnered 16.5 million followers in merely the first 10 days. As if her first day as an Instagrammer was not impressive enough, the actress amassed an incredible 8.6 million-plus followers just after posting a selfie with her old co-stars from her hit sitcom, "Friends." And that was not all.

Aniston held the record for the fastest time an Instagram account reached one million followers in five hours and 16 minutes, overtaking Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, whose Instagram page @sussexroyal reached one million followers in five hours and 45 minutes. Her record was overtaken by Sir David Attenborough, who in September of 2020 surpassed Aniston by racking up his millionth follower in just four hours after creating an Instagram account to spread awareness of climate change.

However, in December 2021, Kim Taehyung, aka V from BTS, took the record after reaching one million followers in an incredible 43 minutes! While other celebrities have gone on to beat Aniston's record, it's worth noting the actress currently has a whopping 41.2 million followers. If her Instagram followers made up a U.S. state, it would be the most populated in the country. 

Aniston's timeless beauty is admired by fans worldwide, even when she has no makeup on. While filming the drama "Cake" in 2014, tabloids went into a frenzy when photos of a makeup-free Aniston were released to the media, in which Aniston looked as beautiful as ever. The actress went barefaced for the movie, in which she portrayed Claire Simmons, a grieving mother who joins a chronic pain support group after being in a fatal car accident.

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The photos showed Aniston in a less-glamorous look than we're used to seeing the actress, complete with puffy eyes, casual and loosely-fitting attire, and most notably, a vast scar on her left cheek. While the latter might have had fans baffled — given as it was one of the seldom times we got to see Aniston without makeup — it was actually a prosthetic for her role. 

At Deadline's "Contenders" panel, the actress revealed that wearing no makeup for the movie was "so fabulous, and so dreamy and empowering and liberating."

"The only time I had to sit in the makeup chair was just for scars," she added.

Two years later, she was named PEOPLE's 2016 World's Most Beautiful Woman. The actress credits all the makeup artists and beauty experts she has worked with throughout the years for her "natural look." She told the magazine that they are the ones who taught her "everything that (she knows)."

"When I was in my 20s, my face was almost a complete circle. So I really needed contouring. And now I'm slowly chiseling away, wishing I had that round face back," she said to PEOPLE.

Just as many other stars have shared before, she says the key to her age-defying beauty is exercise and proper nutrition. She exercises six times a week for an hour each time but also allows herself to sometimes indulge in "chips and guacamole."

As someone who was then in her late 40s, Aniston said she learned to embrace her appearance. She also revealed that "she feels her best when she's healthy and strong."

Aniston continued:

"It's funny, it's a really quick transition from not a care and now all of a sudden, we've got to really be mindful of what we put inside our bodies and how we sleep and take care of ourselves. You can get away with a lot in your 20s."

But beauty is not measured just outwards, and Aniston agrees. "Inner confidence. Peace. Kindness. Honesty. A life well-lived" is how PEOPLE's 2016 World's Most Beautiful Woman described 'beauty.' "Taking on challenges and not feeling shame for things that haven't gone the way you felt they should have. And not feeling like a failure or allowing people to critique your life and make you feel like you've failed at something. That's just toxic noise."

Carefree as the iconic actress might be, she has also been very outspoken about the aggressive harassment she receives from the tabloid media. In 2016, Aniston penned a candid essay for the Huffington Post, in which she "set the record straight" regarding rumors she had been pregnant at the time and condemned tabloids for spreading them before shaming them for the effect their stories can have on young girls. 

She wrote that "every day," she and her husband would be harassed by eager photographers who would "go to shocking lengths to obtain any kind of photo, even if it means endangering us." However, her biggest complaint was how her portrayal in the media and tabloids scrutinizing her body, relationships and choice to have children affected not only her but younger girls who read their stories. 

"The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing," the actress wrote. "The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty."

It's evident that Aniston is not in the mood for judgments, especially when it comes to appearances. She went on to write how celebrity news "dehumanizes" women by reducing their worth to their physical appearance:

"The message that girls are not pretty unless they're incredibly thin, that they're not worthy of our attention unless they look like a supermodel or an actress on the cover of a magazine is something we're all willingly buying into. This conditioning is something girls then carry into womanhood."

It wasn't the first time Aniston had come under immense scrutiny. In 2005, her divorce from Brad Pitt had become a hot topic in the media after rumors spread that he and Angelina Jolie had begun a relationship before his separation from Aniston had been finalized. "We exited this relationship as beautifully as we entered it," Aniston insisted in an interview with Vanity Fair. Although all parties denied any wrongdoing, the public still could not stop speculating.

"To be intimate with a married man, when my own father cheated on my mother, is not something I could forgive," Jolie said at the time, according to E! Online. "I could not look at myself in the morning if I did that. I wouldn't be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife."

Despite all the assumptions, Aniston and Pitt remained friends even after their divorce. In 2011, Pitt addressed outlets after they twisted his words to make it seem that he had called Aniston "dull."

"Jen is an incredibly giving, loving, and hilarious woman who remains my friend. It is an important relationship I value greatly. The point I was trying to make is not that Jen was dull, but that I was becoming dull to myself — and that, I am responsible for," Pitt said, according to Reuters.

Aniston and Pitt did not appear in public together for many years, and alas, it looked as if the two had become estranged. However, that all changed in 2019 when Pitt was spotted attending Aniston's big 50th birthday bash. Unsurprisingly, rumors began flying once again amid speculation that the two might get back together. That soon fizzled when there were no more clues to further entertain fans' hopes. 

In 2020, Pitt called Aniston his "good friend" at the Golden Globes, and the actress was, in turn, caught giggling at some jokes he made in his speech. According to ET Online, the actor humorously declared that he had chosen not to bring his mother with him that night because "anyone I stand next to, they say I'm dating — and that would just be awkward."

Despite the amount of media attention Aniston has received over the years, she has done her best to keep her personal life private throughout the course of her career. It's clear that her home is her safe place, so it makes sense that she would want to make it as peaceful as possible.

According to Architectural Digest, Aniston has famously owned six houses during her time as a celebrity, each one having a piece of her craft and design shown. "If I wasn't an actress, I'd want to be a designer," Aniston previously told Architectural Digest in 2018.

The actress purchased her current Bel Air mansion for just under $21 million in 2011, according to Architectural Digest. The home was previously designed by architect A. Quincy Jones and was absolutely breathtaking, but it needed Aniston's personal touch. She enlisted the help of interior designer Stephen Shadley, whom she had worked with on another home in the past. With Shadley's help, Aniston and her then-husband Justin Theroux were able to bring both of their aesthetics to life in a collaborative effort to create the home of their dreams.

These days, the actress engages with her fans on Instagram and posts photos, giving them updates on what she has been up to lately. She also regularly uploads pictures of herself barefaced, for which the "Friends" star receives much praise. 

In one photo, Aniston was pictured in a car sipping on a hot beverage in a "The Morning Show" mug, and fans were quick to point out just how beautiful she was, even makeup-free. 

"Beautiful image. You look the same as you did 20 years ago. Youthful Greek genes," commented one fan. "You look SOOO GOOD without all that makeup. You should try that more often," wrote another.

Aniston has continued to wow fans with her effortless beauty, whether she's wearing makeup or not and whether her hair is professionally done or not. The actress uploaded a photograph of herself in January 2022, showing off her hair which was a bit messy due to the humidity.

She has also continued to upload pictures of herself alongside some of her famous friends and co-stars, including one with "Murder Mystery" star Adam Sandler and one with "Friends" star Courteney Cox.

Despite rumors that she's had plastic surgery, Aniston confirmed to People back in 2007 that she's only had surgery for her deviated septum:

"It's funny. I had (a deviated septum) fixed — best thing I ever did. I slept like a baby for the first time in years. As far as all the other (rumors), as boring as it sounds, it's still mine. All of it. Still mine."

Through it all, Aniston has shown that she is beautiful both inside and out, and it's clear that she will continue to leave her wonderful mark on the world in the years to come.

As the resident queen of hair in Hollywood, it's no surprise that Aniston eventually went on to launch her own hair care line in 2021 named LolaVie. Since then, Aniston has kept her fans updated on her current hair care routine via social media and how she gets her tresses to look so good.  

Via Instagram in November 2022, the actress gave her audience a behind-the-scenes look at how she styles her hair on her own — that is, without the help of her famed hairstylist Chris McMillan. Aniston showed that she knew what she was doing when she used some hair oil from her brand, rubbed it between her hands and confidently put the elixir through her beachy waves. She captioned the post, "Air dry and a little bit of @lolavie 💁🏼‍♀️" 

When it comes to her hair, it’s clear that Aniston opts for minimal effort and wants to embrace her natural beauty – and she wants others to feel the same. Speaking with Glamour, Aniston encouraged people who want to let their hair turn gray to let nature run its course. She said:

"You do you! If you want to go gray, go for it! If you want to keep coloring your hair, that’s great too. I think everyone should feel confident in whatever choices they make, including embracing natural color or texture.”

Aniston added, “Embrace whatever is going to make you happy.”

Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same. Several people took to Twitter to share their distaste for Aniston and the way she looks now. One person wrote, “jennifer aniston is a grandma.” When Aniston commented that she missed the 90s, one person said, “I’m starting to suspect this grandma just misses being young.”

A slew of others called the actress old. One person said Aniston “looks older than she should.” Another added that she “has always been a bitter old hag.” Other users also called the actress old.

Speaking with InStyle, Aniston, now 55, talked about what it was like entering her 50s. “I don’t know what it is because I don’t feel any different. Things aren’t shutting down in any way. I feel physically incredible,” she stated. “So it’s weird that it’s all of a sudden getting telegraphed in a way that’s like, ‘You look amazing for your age.’ I think we need to establish some etiquette around that dialogue and verbiage."

Aniston's beauty and grace are truly timeless.

Are you a fan of Jennifer Aniston? What do you think about her beauty? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!