This 53-Year-Old Ballerina Will Change The Way You Think About Aging

Alessandra Ferri is here to lead a wrinkle revolution. The 53-year-old prima ballerina is a legend in the world of dance, with more than three decades (!) on the stage. She's starred in countless acts, including Swan Lake and Requiem. And last year, after taking a brief hiatus in 2007, Ferri returned to star as Juliet from Romeo & Juliet — as if she never left at all. Needless to say, the woman has lived. And now that she's made her way back to the spotlight, she has some words of wisdom for us all: Don't fight your age. Her wrinkles remain a fixture of her memories and they're not something to be ashamed of, she says. "I've never been afraid to show who I am," Ferri tells Refinery29. "There is beauty in every age and every face and every body." We had a chance to sit down with the iconic ballerina to discuss her long-standing career, aging in the world of ballet, and the importance of her latest partnership with No7. (She's currently the face of its Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum, out now). And Ferri's honest discourse on aging — while being the face of a product for mature skin — couldn't be more on pointe. "When a brand says, 'If you use this product, your wrinkles are going to disappear in two weeks,' first of all, it's not true. And second of all, you're promoting an idea that there is something wrong with having a wrinkle. And why? Why are we promoting that beauty is wrinkle-less?" she says. Of course, she acknowledges that it's perfectly okay for women — and men — to want to look like the best version of themselves. "We all want to look as beautiful as you can at every age, so yes we do things to make us feel better, but [we cannot] deny who we are," she says. "And unless we stop rejecting the fact that the passing of age is part of life, then we will be unhappy. It's fine to have a wrinkle; it's fine to be 50. There is beauty and there is energy and there is life and there is love in every age." Now that's a tune worth dancing to.