Lauren Hutton Says She Got Botox Once But Accepts Her Wrinkles: 'I've Let Go That I Look Like a Miniature Shar-Pei'
There’s never been a model quite like Lauren Hutton. Her gap toothed smile and blue green eyes were magic in front of the camera but it’s always been her revealing candor that proves how unique she truly is.
Now 75 years old, Hutton, the new Global Brand Ambassador for StriVectin skin care, reflects on her adventurous life and reveals a few surprises in this week’s PEOPLE.
Asked what’s she’s learned to accept and “let go of,” she says with a smile, “I’ve let go that I look like a miniature Shar-Pei. The wrinkles are going to be there and they really are the badges of your life.”
“I tried Botox once,” she says, “and I jumped back when I saw myself because I had an eyebrow that looked like the Wicked Witch. Go figure. I took collagen a few times. I had a movie where I had to look like I was 23 and I was thirtysomething.”
As for her thoughts on cosmetic procedures, she cautions, “Do anything you want but be careful. There are people I’ve known for a long time in L.A. and it’s hard to look at them.”
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Hutton, the first model to demand a cosmetics contract (from Revlon), revolutionized the world of modeling.
“When I saw sports guys getting million dollar contracts, they said it was a youth-oriented business,” she explains. “I thought so was modeling. I was turning 30 and I was practical. I called up Eileen Ford [then head of Ford Models] and she said ‘Are you crazy?'”
Quite the contrary.
With her modeling money, Hutton’s goal was always to travel the globe. “I wanted to see the world,” she says. “I wanted to know what I didn’t know.”
“I took off every two others and would go straight to somewhere 20 degrees above or below the equator, living in wild places, sleeping on the ground or in tents or huts. Places wth no GPS. No one can find you. If it went bad, you’re on your own. Dick (famed photographer Richard Avedon) said to me once, ‘You’re different every time you come back.’ My face would change. Because I would have learned things.”
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And that’s the attitude that made her a legend. As well as what caught the attention of StriVectin CEO Joan Malloy.
“She’s an original,” explains Malloy. “She represents empowerment. Her attitude, her approach, her determination, her passion. She’s a natural beauty and she’s very independent. She celebrates her age and we love that. She is truly timeless.”
Ask Hutton about what she hopes to impart to women and she says, “We can be good-looking and vibrant in every way. We have a shot at being wise because we have so much experience. Take care of yourself and make yourself strong. And certainly don’t give up sex because that’s just silly.”