What would Salma Hayek do? Swear often, push herself, push others, fight for what she wants – but with honor – and, when necessary, become a b***h. Laura Craik learns from a master.
To All Women: You Are More Than Enough
We are a lot more demanding of ourselves than men are. It’s a horrible sensation – we’re not enough at work; we’re not enough for the guy who’s cheating on us; we’re not enough for our children who always want more of us, no matter what we give. My husband has a company that is very feminist [Hayek is married to François-Henri Pinault, the chairman and Ceo of luxury fashion conglomerate Kering]. They do a lot of studies on how to empower women and I’ve learned some really interesting details. Women work harder than men and are more demanding of themselves, yet they have the sensation they don’t do enough, and therefore they are less daring about asking for a better position or salary. Men do a lot less, they are less demanding on themselves and their standards are lower, yet they feel entitled to ask for a raise or a promotion.
Ambition Is A Good Thing
I wanted everything, but I wanted to be a good person, and I wanted to get it with principles – that’s true ambition. The other type is desperation. My biggest ambition now is to become an organized person. It might seem like nothing, but I’m telling you, I’ve been trying it for 50 years and I still can’t do it. In parts of my life I am disorganized; a procrastinator. My god, that’s been a hard one to conquer. If I don’t want to do certain things, I don’t do them. I am a rebel in that way. And then I get into trouble, like when you don’t do your homework at school. I am better with exercise, I am better with food, but I am still not where I should be; I am getting older and I still don’t have the discipline. I always find excuses for myself – and they’re all brilliant, by the way. I will sometimes say, ‘I am 50 years old! Why do I have to look good? I already got my guy!’ But then, I don’t want to lose the guy, either.
It’s All In The Eyes
The menopause is not the same for everyone – some women go through it with no problems. If you are not there yet, visualize that you’re going to go through it with no problems! It’s not fun. But the worst part of the aging process has been my eyes. Not the wrinkles – the eyes themselves. I’m such a visual person and [now] I cannot read without depending on glasses, and I lose them everywhere. I never hear other people complaining about their glasses. I really resent having to depend on my glasses to look at the world. It has been really, really sad. The eyes, for me, that’s worse than the menopause.
Fashion Is Harder For Curvier Women
I was born in the wrong era; with [big] boobs, it’s impossible to find the right thing. I’m sure the ’50s or ’70s would have suited me. But I love the word ‘curvy’; it’s artistic. It’s a beautiful image, there is a flow to it. A straight line can be boring. You have to think about energy, the beauty of sound. Sound doesn’t travel in lines – it oscillates. Energy is oscillations: water is curvy, vibration is curvy. It’s sexy and it’s powerful. I’m not going to lie to you, I would like the curve to go in instead of out in some places, but I love a little curve.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Change
I don’t dye my hair, but I recently wore a pink wig. Naomi Campbell inspired me; she’s always changing. It’s fantastic. My husband hated it; he said, ‘You are crazy.’ But he likes makeup, and he likes me to dress up, because he loves fashion. And he loves my curly hair. I say, ‘I cannot go to the event with my crazy curly hair,’ and he says, ‘But that’s who you are – you are electrical. They connect you to the power and you’re electric. That’s why your hair is like that.’
Swear Freely And Often Swearing?
We can do the whole interview on this topic. I come from a part of Mexico that is known for its swearing [Hayek is from Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz]. When you are really passionate about a situation, like if you make a huge mistake or you’ve just crashed into another car, you cannot just say, ‘Oops.’ I don’t like swearing to insult people, though; I don’t agree with that. My daughter is not allowed to swear because she’s nine. I don’t swear in front of her. But she asked me the most brilliant question. She said, ‘Mom, sometimes I’m really angry at something, and I feel like swearing but I know it’s wrong, so can I make up my own swear word? Then when I say the word, the frustration comes out?’ I thought that was brilliant. There is a lot of swearing in my new movie [The Hitman’s Bodyguard, co-starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds], and it’s a must for my character [Sonia Kincaid, the wife of an assassin]. If you’re going to be married to Samuel L. Jackson...
We Have To Work Together
Recent events have made me feel less politicized, not more. I’ve always been interested in politics. I studied political science in school, but it’s just made me disgusted in
the subject. There was a point where I said, ‘I have to take a break; I don’t even want to hear about it.’ When there is corruption, we have to have an organized system to protect the workers. The world has to work together more, because the earth is in crisis. Now I sound like Beatriz [Hayek’s character in comedy-drama Beatriz at Dinner]. We need to come together to protect the world. We are all part of one race. It’s divided by territories, but we are one race. The immigration crisis? You either have to deal with it now or you have to deal with it later, because it’s not going away, and it will continue to grow. There is no way that you can isolate yourself from it; you have to confront it. Nobody’s really looking for the global solution. The next generation has a lot of burden, we are really creating a big mess for them. It will be a bleak future.
Don’t Let Yourself Off The Hook
My advice is to use the frustration nd the fear and channel it into productivity. To push yourself in whatever you do, for yourself and your community. By reaching our full potential, we can prove racist and prejudiced people wrong. So I say use that fear, use that anger, use that frustration as an energy to make yourself be the best you can possibly be, and set yourself as an example to others.
Happiness Is…
Being present and being inspired, especially by the simple things in life. Happiness doesn’t come from the satisfaction of having a great career, but from the satisfaction of being proud of your choices. When I’m unhappy, sometimes I become a b***h. Sometimes I drink a beer. It works. Sometimes I take a bath – I am not a water sign but I’m a water creature, happiest when diving. Another thing that helps is music: I like all kinds. I also meditate. I breathe. But first, I become a b***h.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is out August 17 (Uk); August 18 (Us)
