Salma Hayek Pinault Has the Perfect Advice for Millennial Women After Her ‘Existential Crisis’ in Her 30s
Salma Hayek Pinault is one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, but the actor admitted that she faced some insecurities as she got older. Hayek Pinault overcame her fears about aging and recently shared her tips on how women can embrace their 30s.
Salma Hayek Pinault’s acting career throughout her 20s
Hayek Pinault began acting in 1988 when she was just 23 years old. She became a star in her native Mexico before moving to Hollywood. Hayek Pinault’s big break came in 1995 when she starred alongside Antonio Banderas in Desperado.
This kicked off a massive movie career, with leading roles in Fools Rush In, From Dusk till Dawn, and Dogma. As Hayek Pinault faced her 30s, however, she felt some anxiety about her career and her personal life.
Salma Hayek Pinault recalls ‘existential crisis’ as she began her 30s
“I remember having an existential crisis as I arrived in my 30s,” Hayek Pinault shared in an interview with Glamour. “It’s like, ‘Oh my God. I’m just not going to accomplish all my plans ever; it’s never going to happen for me. I have nothing, no husband, no children.’ And you’re only 30! It’s so painful.”
It wasn’t just a husband and family that the actor was worried about missing out on — the Magic Mike’s Last Dance star also said that she “was also told that, as an actress, you kind of stop working around 30,” calling the idea “unfair.”
Hayek Pinault overcame these fears and has gone on to enjoy a massively successful movie career, marry Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault, and raise a daughter and three step-children. The actor also shared her advice for any women who are feeling nervous about their 30s.
The advice Salma Hayek Pinault has for women in their 30s
“I would say, ‘Stop being melodramatic; you’re only 30,’” Hayek Pinault laughed. “And especially for the women of my generation, it was like, ‘If I don’t have a child in five minutes, I’m not going to be able to be a mother.’ Now the clock is not as strict as we thought.”
The actor shared a few other tips as well: “Great things are coming your way. Do not settle for the wrong man. Do not listen to all these expiration dates that they give you.”
Salma Hayek Pinault thinks social media is affecting young women like her daughter Valentina
Something Hayek Pinault thinks is a factor in why many women feel like time is running out: the overwhelming presence of social media in our lives.
“The world we’re living with, social media, we are more addicted to immediacy, and we’re losing the capacity to stay present and be patient,” the actor explained. “I do feel like young girls have a lot of pressure to succeed fast. I actually think they’re suffering more than my generation.”
It’s no surprise Hayek Pinault has young girls and their relationship to social media on her mind — her daughter Valentina is 15 years old. The pair are extremely close, and, according to People, Hayek Pinault calls their relationship “the most incredible experience I have had in my life — and I have done a lot!”
