Mariel Hemingway Gets Real About Aging at 64

Mariel Hemingway was a blonde pinup beauty in the 1970s and 1980s.

The granddaughter of The Sun Also Rises novelist Ernest Hemingway was a model in for top fashion magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan.

She then parlayed that fame into a starring role in the  doomed romance drama Manhattan in 1979.

Soon after she appeared in a 1982 Playboy magazine feature following her role in the film Personal Best. 

And then the thespian landed the lead role in 1983's Star 80, in which she played real-life Playboy bunny Dorothy Stratton who was brutally murdered.

The actress was also in the films Bad Moon and Lipstick, and she popped up on popular TV shows like Roseanne and Law & Order. 

This month the 64-year-old artist penned a brutally honest Instagram post about dealing with the aging process and living with wrinkles.

Her note was long and covered a lot of ground as she posted an unfiltered close-up photo of herself.

'I have been talking about aging lately. But today it is not aging. It is wrinkles. The lines around my mouth I swore I would never have,' she mused.

'The soft crepe skin at my neck that seems to appear overnight. The mirror catching me in light I did not ask for.

'Some days I do not care. Other days it feels like a punishment. I eat well. I move my body. I take care of myself. I do the things we are told will protect us. And still… time touches my face.

'There is a voice that whispers, Why this? Why me? Why now? I know it is fashionable to say we earned our wrinkles. That this is graceful. That this is beautiful. And yes… part of me knows that is true.

'But another part feels something deeper. What I realized is this. The ache is not about the wrinkles. It is about identity.' she noted.

'Somewhere along the way we start to believe the mirror is telling us who we are. That youth equals value. That smooth skin equals worth. That beauty equals belonging.

'And that is the lie. Because there is a woman inside of me who has not aged one day. She is calm. She is radiant. She is grounded. She is sovereign. She does not disappear because my skin changes. She was never my skin. She is my rhythm.

'My breath. My voice when I stop performing. Time changes the body. But it does not touch the throne. When I remember that, something softens. I stop fighting the season. I stop punishing myself for nature. I stop confusing appearance with identity.

'This is not about pretending you love every wrinkle. It is about remembering you are not the wrinkle. It is not what you add. It is what you remove. Remove the belief that beauty is youth. Remove the fear that aging equals invisibility. Remove the story that your value lives in your face. When there is nothing left to remove, the Queen remains.'

She ended with: 'Where have you mistaken your reflection for your identity?'

Her followers loved the post as they commented on the honesty of her missive. Actress Lesley Ann Warren said, 'Absolutely glorious message. I’m right there ♥️.' 

Another fan said, 'Truth! Reconciling age is pain & joy all wrapped up together.. I hear you!' 

Soon after Hemingway shared another post with a profile photo attached. 'What if the insecurity wasn't the problem? What if it was the solution?' began the star.

'Because as long as you're not quite ready, not quite certain, not quite confident enough you never have to find out what happens when you actually step forward.

'You never have to risk being too much. You never have to carry the weight of a life you actually chose.

'Staying small has a hidden benefit no one wants to admit: It keeps the responsibility off the table. So the doubt stayed. And you let it. Not because you were weak. Because you were protecting something. You are not held back by self-doubt. You are held back by the fear of what becomes possible when you stop hiding behind it.'

Hemingway is a health and wellness advocate who has spent a lifetime studying how mental and physical health are linked.

Her work is focused on what to do to transform negative messages and influences into healing that becomes radiant energy, full of purpose and balance. She is an author, film and television producer and unstoppable voice in the ever-changing conversation around living a healthier, more meaningful life.

In 2014 Hemingway co-executive produced the Emmy-nominated film Running From Crazy, in collaboration with Oprah Winfrey. 

The film is an evocative documentary about the Hemingway family that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. 

The film documents Mariel's advocacy for mental health awareness, the dignity and rights of people of all circumstances and ability, and her commitment to connecting those of like mind and heart in order to optimize their lives in the best and worst of times.

Her books include her memoir Out Came the Sun, Running With Nature, Invisible Girl, Mariel's Kitchen, Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out and Finding My Balance.