When Lauren Hutton looks into a mirror, she doesn`t see the same gap-toothed beauty the world has come to know as a magazine cover model and actress.
”I see myself as a cross between a 1943 Lamborghini and a World War II Jeep,” she says. ”I have these cheekbones and sleek lines, but I`m tough as old boots.”
Hutton, 45, says women over 40 ”have some serious maintenance requirements, and we should all do something like a 200,000-mile checkup on ourselves.”
Still, she admits her own body-tuning routine is ”hit and miss.”
To keep in shape, she tries to work out daily, with a loose regimen that ranges from skipping rope to ”hiking around my apartment, trying to find my checkbook.” She`s trying to become more disciplined.
Her ideal morning? ”Roll out of bed and meditate. Anybody can do it, and it really makes a difference in how you feel about yourself. If I have just 20 minutes to meditate several days in a row, I`m in really good shape.”
Next, she likes to stretch, do some yoga, shower, have fruit and cottage cheese for breakfast.
Most mornings, however, find her in her New York apartment on the telephone from 9 a.m. on, fielding business calls, and then finally venturing out to eat around 2 p.m.
”My life is in transition now, with about five careers: modeling (she`s featured in J. Crew catalogs); doing voiceovers; being a special projects editor and writing at Harper`s Bazaar” and working on a documentary film.
Perhaps most important on Hutton`s 200,000-mile checkup list is the emotional part. Her advice? ”Lose the emotional baggage you`ve been dragging around, and get help doing it if you need it,” says Hutton, who has never been married. ”Facing yourself keeps you alive.”
Hutton speaks from experience. Turning 40 was a difficult transition for her. Revlon terminated a 10-year contract with her and other modeling jobs were sparse. ”I became a B-movie queen. (”Zoro The Gay Blade,”
”Lassiter,” and ”American Gigolo,” are among her film credits.) It was deeply depressing.”
What started the turnaround for Hutton was what she says always brings balance to her fast-paced life: spending time alone.
In fact, she attributes her endurance as a young model to taking two months off for every two months she worked. ”The pressures in modeling are unbelievable, and perhaps the worst of it is that you get addicted to attention.”
Five years ago, Hutton was forced to spend lots of time by herself, after one leg was badly broken in a car accident. For nine months she was confined to bed and a wheelchair.
During that time she consulted a Jungian therapist, which she says set her on the road to emotional recovery. The key: discovering and cultivating self-reliance.
It`s a quality she believes has helped propel her into the limelight now, where she`s gratified to be able to be a positive role model.
”I`m helping to change a prejudice about American women: It doesn`t have to be over and out when you turn 40.”
Quote: `I have cheekbones and sleek lines, but I`m tough as old boots.`
