Bikini Glamour After 40: Stars Who Are Redefining Ageless Beauty
Throughout so much of human history, the world has had an obsession with youth. While that may have had to do with low life expectancy and related anxieties in centuries past, that fixation is no less powerful in an image-conscious modern society.
For that reason, the sad truth is that when people start to get older, it can be hard for them not to feel like their best days are over. But they don't have to be. And while it's true that the average person may not have the resources these celebrities over 40 do, that doesn't mean they're any less capable of looking beautiful and glamorous in a bikini.
Jennifer Lopez
When the popular singer and actress was 47, she hosted the 2016 Carnival Del Sol party in Las Vegas, which saw her don some appropriate beach wear. That included the bikini top shown here and demonstrated how incredible she looked approaching middle age.
Indeed, she would later demonstrate that the same is true at 55, as she rocked an even more revealing bikini in the video for "Can't Get Enough" featuring Latto. Considering how hard she works in her performances, staying in shape seems to come with the territory.
Sofia Vergara
Although Sofia Vergara has been acting since the mid-90s, her rise to stardom came fairly late in life after she started co-starring in the mega-successful and long-running sitcom Modern Family. Yet, while she has playful charm and great comedic timing, her attractiveness has also been a key part of her brand since she landed her breakout role.
Indeed, she proved from the very beginning that age would never slow her sensuous mystique down, as she was on the cusp of 40 as soon as the first episode of Modern Family aired. So it's hardly a surprise that she would look just as great in her 50s.
Heather Graham
Heather Graham is an underrated performer in many ways, as she's always been a natural actress and a charming, ebullient presence throughout her body of work. And in recent years, it's been abundantly clear how gracefully she's been aging.
Her beauty is as captivating at 53 as it was when she was just starting out, and this photo — taken at a Jamaican resort in June 2023 — proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Here's to many more years of her!
Salma Hayek
Ever since she got her big break by co-starring in Robert Rodriquez's films during the '90s, Salma Hayek has proved herself as a charismatic and talented actress. Of course, that's not the only way she's turned heads, as her elegance and beauty have been undeniable throughout her career.
As this yachting photo from Ibiza, Spain, from August 2024 ably demonstrates, that's just as true in the months before her 57th birthday as it was 20 years ago. She's still got it!
Elizabeth Hurley
If one were to guess Elizabeth Hurley's age from this 2024 photo of her, it's unlikely that many people who aren't already fans of hers would guess that she's 59. However, that is indeed true, and that's a credit to how hard she's worked.
Although it's true that celebrities often have a team at their disposal to make that work easier, it's nonetheless true that maintaining a svelte body like hers takes some serious exercise and discipline. It's certainly paid off!
Eva Longoria
After she got her big break on Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria developed a reputation as an actress of incredible glamor and poise. Indeed, it's not exactly a coincidence that two of her biggest and most enduring endorsements came from the personal care brand L'Oréal and the fashion brand New York and Company.
Although this photo — which saw her playing volleyball in Ibiza, Spain — was taken in 2017, she had already passed her 40th birthday by then and still looks incredible at 49.
Mary J. Blige
Although she's been a respected figure in R&B since her 1992 debut album, What's The 411?, Mary J. Blige has since gone on to be a nine-time Grammy-winning music legend and an Oscar-nominated actress. Yet, while it's certainly understandable to see her beauty as secondary to these incredible accomplishments, that also can't be denied.
Indeed, even a picture that isn't posed to be as flattering as possible —as this candid 2022 photo from Miami shows her squinting from the Sun glare while she gets out of her lounger — shows that she looks as naturally lovely in a bikini at 51 as she did at the start of her career.
Kate Hudson
Growing up is realizing that the youthful scions of Hollywood stars that we loved seeing as kids are now having kids of their own. For veteran actress Kate Hudson, that threshold was crossed 20 years ago.
As staggering as that may be for people who remembered seeing her in Almost Famous in 2000, it's understandable that it would be hard to believe so much time has passed. After all, the way she can rock a bikini and maintain a healthy body at 45 makes it easy to forget how long she's been in the limelight.
Kate Beckinsale
Although Kate Beckinsale rose to prominence as the vampire Selene in the action-packed Underworld movies, she also secured some more prestigious nominations — including a Critic's Choice Award nomination and a Screen Actor's Guild nod — for period pieces like 2017's Love & Friendship and The Aviator in 2005.
She was also renowned for her elegant and occasionally gothic beauty back when she got her big break and that's something she's maintained just as effectively as her celebrity status in recent years. For instance, she was 50 when this photo was taken.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Daughter of Supremes legend Diana Ross and accomplished TV actress Tracee Ellis Ross has received a total of five Primetime Emmy nominations for her role on Black-ish. At the same time, she's shown herself to be a natural beauty who is aging very gracefully.
As they say, if you've got it, flaunt it. And that's not something the confident and elegant Ross has any problem doing in vacation photos like this one from May 2024. She's as stunning as ever at 51.
Heidi Klum
Although it's technically true that model, producer, and entrepreneur Heidi Klum isn't wearing a bikini in this photo, her choice of garment nonetheless demonstrates how easily she could rock one at the age of 51.
Indeed, that's quite appropriate for Klum in particular, as one of her early successes as a model saw her appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998. She may be twice the age she was at the time, but she's proven that doesn't matter in the slightest.
Shakira
While Shakira has long made her name as a singer and songwriter, she's also a performer who's known to follow some intense choreography in her shows. Not only does one often need a seriously toned body to dance at that level, but that exercise is also a great way to maintain it.
Not only does Shakira undeniably have that kind of body, but she even designed the bikini-like swimsuit she's wearing here to proudly show it off. Not every 43-year-old is realistically going to look like she did when she took this picture, but that kind of confidence could benefit all of them.
Gwen Stefani
Although pop artist, rock vocalist, and The Voice host Gwen Stefani doesn't seem as keen to wear as many bikinis as she once did when she was with No Doubt, rare glimpses in similarly revealing outfits like this one illustrate that she definitely could if she wanted to.
She's worked hard to maintain some impressive abs and will sometimes show them in performance outfits, but Stefani usually incorporates mesh into those outfits to obscure her features slightly. As great as her body looks in her 50s, showing it off doesn't seem to be much of a priority for her.
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union has always looked very healthy and youthful, which is likely how she was able to convincingly play high school students in movies like Bring It On when she was pushing 30. Yet, while that movie was released over 20 years ago, you wouldn't know it from looking at her.
After all, this photo from Miami Beach shows her with a trim figure and enviably clear skin at the age of 50. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was taken a decade earlier.
Michelle Monaghan
Mission Impossible actress Michelle Monaghan has been acting since the early 2000s, and her career has included prestigious dramas like Gone Baby Gone and underrated action comedies like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Throughout her acting career, it hasn't been unusual for other characters to fall head over heels for hers, and that's never been hard to imagine.
That remains just as true now that she's 48 as it was when she was in her 20s. And while her playful vibe in these bikini photos is a big part of why, it's also undeniable that she still looks great.
Kerry Washington
Although actress Kerry Washington started picking up major roles in the early 2000s, her star especially rose in 2012 due to her starring role in the popular TV show Scandal and a key supporting role in Django Unchained.
In addition to being a deeply gifted actress who made audiences fall in love with her sweetest characters and drew them into the tales of her more scandalous ones, Washington has also shown the world how incredibly beautiful she is. Indeed, photos like this show that beauty is as self-evident as ever at the age of 47.
Brooke Shields
Actress Brooke Shields has had a long, hard personal journey throughout her career, and has undertaken some serious and sometimes trailblazing efforts to keep her physical and mental health strong over the years.
Yet, while only she could say whether she's at peace mentally, it's self-evident that she's taken her physical health seriously. This bikini photo was taken when she was 55 years old, and it's a stunning example of how gracefully she's aged. She still looks great years later, too!
Jennifer Aniston
Friends star Jennifer Aniston has embarked on a successful film career since the ending of the juggernaut sitcom, and several of those movies have made one thing abundantly clear. In The Breakup, the Horrible Bosses series, and We're The Millers, Aniston has shown ample evidence that she's taken some serious care of her body.
In this photo from 2022, Aniston also showed that this was just as true when she was 53 as it was almost a decade prior. No wonder she was so sleepy on this trip to the beach.
Kristen Bell
The Good Place and Frozen star Kristen Bell has certainly been an open book about her family, but most of the photos she's shared with the world show her dressed fairly conservatively.
However, the actress has taken some rare opportunities to show the world how fit she's kept her body. And while this swimsuit may not show quite as much skin as a traditional bikini, it showed enough when she was 41 to prove she's put the work in.
Morena Baccarin
Every time the Firefly and Deadpool co-star has appeared in a movie or TV show, she has cut such a glamorous figure and it's been hard to resist getting lost in her eyes. Yet while Morena Baccarin typically prefers one-piece suits when she goes swimming, she'll be inclined to break out the bikini every so often.
In this picture taken when she was 43, Baccarin stunned in this Earth tone bikini that shows her clear skin and toned body.
Teri Hatcher
Although she's not technically wearing a bikini in this photo, this sporty workout attire shows clearly that Teri Hatcher could easily rock one as she lounged after completing this grueling triathlon in Malibu, California. It happened back in 2009 but she was 45 at the time.
That event also made it clear how the Desperate Housewives star maintains her figure so effectively, as she's not afraid to push her body to the limit for fitness and personal fulfillment. She still looks great over a decade later, too.
Christie Brinkley
Even before Billy Joel managed to woo her in the '80s, legendary model Christie Brinkley had already appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue an unprecedented three times in a row. However, her famous one-in-a-million beauty has only improved with age.
While so many celebrities have proved they can confidently and beautifully rock a bikini at 40, Brinkley goes several steps beyond in this photo by proving she could look just as fetching in one at 69.
Courteney Cox
Judging by her social media presence, Friends and Scream star Courteney Cox takes her physical fitness seriously. Indeed, it's not unusual for her to post videos of her working up a sweat at her home gym.
The results of that hard work speak for themselves, as her penchant for aquatic activities and warm locales have led her to don bikinis fairly often. As this shot from when she was 58 demonstrates, she's maintained a body that even someone 30 years younger would be jealous of.
Nicole Scherzinger
As people get older, a common sentiment among them is that the 2000s do not feel like they took place 20 years ago. As such, it would likely be jarring for some people to realize that Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger is already 46 years old.
In fairness, they could be forgiven for being blindsided by that fact because one look at her toned body in this bikini would tell people she hasn't aged at all since her group broke up in 2010.
Padma Lakshmi
Although she broke through as a model, Padma Lakshmi has also written multiple cookbooks. It's also clear that she's long been following her own healthiest advice because there's little difference between how she looks at 53 compared to this joyful bikini photo from when she was 45.
Her writing and TV work has long made it clear that she has a sophisticated, international palate, but the way she hardly seems to have aged at all also shows her dedication to a healthy lifestyle.
Freema Agyeman
As the Doctor Who co-star explained on Instagram, she makes a habit of posting bikini selfies on her birthday, which she describes as acts of "personal appreciation and self celebration." Indeed, her adoring fans thought she left them with much to appreciate.
Although this photo was taken on her 44th birthday, her healthy, youthful body struck people as though she looked 18. Indeed, such a disconnect between how old someone is and how old they look shows a level of impressive care for their body.
Naomi Campbell
The legendary model has always impressed with her beauty, and her body was even fit for the overly critical and exacting standards of the '90s fashion industry. However, not a lot has changed on that front since her heyday.
Indeed, she still looked absolutely stunning in this bikini during a 2012 trip to Ibiza when she was 42. And she could probably pick that same one up at the age of 54 and look exactly as incredible. She doesn't mess around.
Alison Brie
The Community star was on a relaxing vacation in an unspecified but beautiful tropical locale when she met this friendly cat. Yet, as cute as it was to see Alison Brie play with her new little friend, that photo also proved something that was unlikely ever in doubt.
Namely, that Brie can 100% rock a bikini at 41. If anyone was immature enough to have any doubt of that, this should be more than proof. Plus, there's a bonus cute cat, which is always nice.
Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer is best-known for playing Pam Beesly on the now-classic sitcom The Office. Although fans could reliably see her on the show for eight years, it's easy to forget that it's been over a decade since the last episode aired.
Indeed, that likely makes it a little jarring to realize that Fischer has since turned 50. Although this bikini photo was taken when she was 45, it's still a good indicator of how well she's aged since The Office.
Lupita Nyong'o
Mexican-born actress Lupita Nyong'o made her name from the incredible talent she displayed in gripping movies like 12 Years A Slave and Us, but fans have also been drawn to her elegant beauty ever since she first rose to prominence.
And while it's true that this bikini photo in El Salvador was technically taken before the Academy Award winner turned 40, that was still recent enough to show how easily she can rock on. It's definitely not a problem for her.
Maria Menounos
Although veteran TV host Maria Menounos looks very lovely and healthy in this selfie, it's also a powerful reminder of how fragile life can be. After all, those scars near her navel are a reminder that even people who take the best care of themselves can find themselves in medical peril.
According to Today, Menounos spent much of her 45th year dealing with stage two pancreatic cancer. While she has thankfully since been declared cancer-free, these scars are now sobering signs of how close she came to having to say goodbye to her loved ones forever.
Elsa Pataky
Before she became internationally known for her part in the Fast And Furious series or for her relationship with Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, Elsa Pataky started working as a model and actress in her native Spain.
Like many models, she's committed to as disciplined a lifestyle to maintain her famous figure as her husband has been when it's time to pick up the hammer again. And at age 46, it's pretty clear that the results speak for themselves in this photo.
Busy Phillips
Although she's best known for his major role in the sitcom Cougar Town and more recently known for the show Girls5eva, Busy Philips also appeared as Regina George's mother in the Mean Girls remake. Indeed, that's why she specifically chose to wear a pink bikini on a fine Wednesday afternoon in 2023.
She was 44 at the time but her clear skin and toned body made her appear about a decade younger. As her name has suggested since childhood, she's always staying active.
Vanessa Williams
After becoming the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America in 1984, Vanessa Williams embarked on a long professional journey that that her achieve Grammy and Emmy nominations, four top-ten hits, and successful careers as a singer, actress, model, and producer.
In short, there seems to be very little on this Earth that Williams cannot do. And based on the picture, we can definitely add "looking amazing in a bikini at 58" to her list of accomplishments. It may not be the most important one she's achieved, but it's a surely a confidence-booster nonetheless.
Demi Moore
When this photo was taken in 2002, veteran actress Demi Moore was filming Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and was just a couple of months away from her 40th birthday. Clearly, at least a couple of scenes required her to wear a bikini, and it was a look she rocked with poise.
Of course, Moore has famously aged incredibly in the decades since. So, while she could certainly sport a bikini confidently at 40, it would hardly be surprising to learn that she looks just as stunning in one in her 60s.
Sharon Stone
Although Sharon Stone has always come across as a confident and formidable actress, it's also true that her sensuality has been a significant factor in some of her most famous roles. No matter how much time has passed since those roles, her provocative spirit is still very much alive.
It's for that reason that Stone was just as proud to don a bikini at 65 as she would have been back in the '90s. And she's clearly been keeping her body bikini-ready, too.
Christina Milian
While singer and actress Christina Milian has only recently returned to music following a long hiatus occupied by steady roles in movies and television, it seems like she's hardly aged at all since releasing the sensual jam "Dip It Low" 20 years ago.
That makes this stunning bikini photo a pretty impressive feat, as she's not only turned 42 since that time, but Milian has also had three children. That's a lot to bounce back from and she has done so elegantly.
Charisma Carpenter
The former Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress and Angel co-star has had a long and winding career since the TV shows that introduced her to the world, but it appears that she's navigated that road with grace and poise.
Although it may have been a while since casual viewers have seen her, it's abundantly clear that she has aged incredibly. If she hadn't explicitly posted this stunning bikini selfie at the age of 53, that probably wouldn't be most people's guess as to her age in the photo.
Kristin Chenoweth
Broadway and TV star Kristin Chenoweth has commanded respect as a triple threat in both avenues since the late '90s, but she's still a very busy performer today. And when your day job requires so much dancing, it's natural to keep your body toned.
Although Chenoweth isn't typically spotted in bikinis so often nowadays, this shot from when she was 53 shows that she can rock one wonderfully if the mood strikes her. Based on her happy expression, she must have felt particularly liberated that day.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Although Jada Pinkett Smith had been acting for over 30 years by the time she took this picture to ring in 2021 at 49 years old, it's also true that her life and career were about to see significant and unexpected changes.
Not only would she be diagnosed with alopecia areata in the year that followed, but she and her husband Will Smith would also be embroiled in an Oscars controversy that coincided with the end of her popular Red Table Talk web series. Those changes have made her less inclined to wear a bikini since this moment, but could be certainly rock it when she did.
