People magazine’s Beautiful Issue features 76-year-old Helen Mirren as the 2022 cover star.

“I never considered myself ‘beautiful.’ And (at) my age! So, I was amazed,” Oscar-winning actress Mirren told the magazine.

However, instead of focusing on beauty, Mirren wants to shift the focus to swagger instead. Claiming that beauty tends to be exclusive, Mirren believes that swagger encompasses confidence and joy instead.

“There are incredibly beautiful people in the world, and it’s an absolute delight to look at them, male or female. Beautiful people are a wonder to behold,” Mirren said.

“But most of us are not beautiful. We have other stuff, which is just as powerful as beauty.”

While many of her fans and admirers may disagree with Mirren’s not feeling beautiful, Mirren manages to shifts the conversation from outward beauty into what we as people can bring to the table. She focuses on growth, personality and inner confidence as sources of true beauty — rather than makeup, products or skincare.

The Beautiful Issue photoshoot shows Mirren covered in layers of pink tulle, while on the cover, she shows a different side: a metallic outfit that moves like waves in the sea.

“I think I got through my youthful insecurities by growing up. Simple, really: getting older,” Mirren told People.

“It happens, and, you know, you have to continue working on yourself to a certain extent. That’s the great advantage of, I call it growing up, but other people call it growing older. Because there are advantages in that…You literally get to be wiser.”

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