Gabrielle Union: I'Ve Grown More Confident With Age

6 May 2015

Gabrielle Union says growing older has given her more confidence in her looks.

Gabrielle Union

The 42-year-old actress has confessed she isn't concerned with looking young and insists growing to learn her body and appearance has helped her to feel attractive regardless of her age.

She said: "[Confidence] has come with age - age and continuing to read and travel and realise that nobody, except for mean girls, gives a s**t about a dimple in a thigh or what your upper arms look like.

"If you carry yourself with confidence, and you move through the world with your head held high and your shoulders thrown back, you don't need to be a [size] double-zero. What people are attracted to is the fact that you're attracted to yourself."

The raven-haired beauty joked she is still having to remind her friends to choose realistic role models, after one of her close pals told her she wanted to look like 19-year-old supermodel Kendall Jenner.

Gabrielle said: "[My friend and I] were having this discussion the other day, somebody was like, 'Uh, if I could just look like Kendall Jenner!

"I'm like, 'Kendall Jenner is 12 years old, you are 44. Clearly you are going to need some other role models. You are going to kill yourself in an attempt to look like a child! It's okay for Kendall Jenner to look like Kendall Jenner, and it's okay for you to be fly and amazing and fit and a healthy 44-year-old woman.' It's okay to have a range of beauty ideals."

Although that doesn't stop the 'Bring It On' actress admiring her fellow stars.

She told PEOPLE: "Some days it's Beyoncé, some days it's Rihanna, some days it's Jamie Chung, some days it's Jessica Simpson - it just kind of depends where my head is at."

Gabrielle is also inspired by busy mums who head to her local gym with their kids.

She explained: "They come in harried, drop their kids off and you see them get Zen in the workout class they're strong, fit and amazing. And then they grab their kids and the kids hug them, and you're like, 'Those are dope women.'"