The Moment
Halle Berry did not just walk the red carpet in London – she owned it.
The 59-year-old Oscar winner stepped out at the European gala screening of Crime 101 in a plunging black bodysuit paired with a shimmering silver, bejeweled maxi skirt that caught every flashbulb in the place. Add black platform heels, a long floral necklace and chunky rings, and you’ve got a look that said, “Yes, I’m almost 60. And?”
Her hair was styled in soft, light waves, and the overall vibe was very much “Bond girl meets rock goddess,” which, to be fair, is kind of Halle’s permanent setting at this point.
The premiere, held in London, was for Crime 101, a thriller directed by Bart Layton and slated for release on February 13. But the movie wasn’t the only headline. The real moment was Berry using this big, glitzy carpet to double down on something she’s been talking about for a while now: aging and menopause as something to embrace, not erase.
On the beauty front, she’s been very open that entering perimenopause and then menopause changed her skin – drier, more temperamental – and she’s leaned into richer, peptide-based skincare, including the Lancome Renergie C.R.x. Triple Serum Retinol she’s raved about in past interviews and campaigns.
“I love that I’m more confident than I’ve ever been. I feel good in my skin; I’ve taken care of my skin,” she’s said, calling it a “privilege to age.” She’s also pushed back on the idea that the goal is to erase every line, insisting, “We’ve earned every one of these lines, and they’re OK. That’s part of our beauty as we age.”
Combine that with her fitness focus – including a high-profile partnership with Peloton and that viral photo of her flexing in a black workout set with the caption, “The answer is YES. Exercise can make a real difference during menopause” – and you’ve got a woman turning what used to be a whispered life stage into a full-on brand pillar.
And yes, this is the same Halle who happily posts tiny bikinis on Instagram and says menopause has taught her not to “give a f-k” about anyone’s opinions on what she wears or how she moves. The London look just put an exclamation point on that attitude.
The Take
I’m going to say the quiet part out loud: the phrase “defies aging” needs to be retired like, yesterday. Halle Berry is not “defying” anything. She is aging in public with receipts – and doing it in a bodysuit cut to her sternum.
Halle Berry defies aging in plunging black bodysuit and bejeweled maxi skirt at ‘Crime 101’ premiere https://t.co/OVDRz1BqOa pic.twitter.com/Ftx42EdsdU
— Page Six (@PageSix) January 29, 2026
Hollywood has spent decades selling women, especially those over 40, the fantasy of “ageless.” If you squint at most red carpet coverage, it’s basically: “She looks amazing for her age… as long as we pretend she has no age.”
Berry is playing a different game. She’s not pretending she’s still 32. She’s walking onto a major premiere carpet at 59, talking specifically about menopause, lines, drier skin, and the fact that your face changing is not a personal failure. It’s like she’s turned the red carpet into a TED Talk in sequins – but the message is, “You’re allowed to grow up and still be hot.”
What I appreciate is that she’s not selling some fantasy of “I woke up like this.” She’s crystal clear: she takes care of her skin, she works out, she partners with big brands, she uses products that help. She’s not against softening a line; she’s against hating yourself for having it in the first place.
For women 40 and up – the ones juggling reading glasses, hot flashes, and the occasional “Ma’am” from a barista – seeing a famous woman in her late 50s in a plunging bodysuit, owning the fact that she’s in menopause, is quietly radical.
Is there still an image machine here? Of course. This is a movie premiere, not a documentary. There’s glam, there’s styling, there’s a luxury skincare contract and a fitness partnership. But if Hollywood is going to sell us something anyway, I’ll take “menopause is powerful” over “you must disappear at 50” any day.
The real shift is this: Berry isn’t asking permission to stay in the game. She’s rewriting the rules of what the game even looks like.
Receipts
Confirmed:
- Halle Berry, 59, attended the Crime 101 European gala screening in London wearing a plunging black bodysuit, silver bejeweled maxi skirt, black platform heels, a long floral necklace, and chunky rings, as seen in red carpet photos from January 28, 2026 (including images credited to REUTERS, BACKGRID, GC Images and Splash News).
- The film Crime 101 is directed by Bart Layton and scheduled for release on February 13, according to promotional materials for the movie.
- Berry has publicly called aging a “privilege” and praised peptide-based skincare, specifically Lancome Renergie C.R.x. Triple Serum Retinol, in her role as a longtime beauty ambassador.
- She has said in interviews that her skin became drier after entering perimenopause and that she focuses on nourishing, line-softening products rather than trying to erase every wrinkle.
- Berry announced a partnership with Peloton and shared a photo of herself flexing in a black workout set, captioned, “The answer is YES. Exercise can make a real difference during menopause,” on her official social media in October.
- She has repeatedly posted bikini and workout photos and stated that menopause helped her stop caring about other people’s opinions of her body or clothing choices.
Unverified / Framed by Media:
- Any claim that Berry “defies aging” is a media spin, not her own wording; her quoted language focuses on embracing aging, not fighting it.
- How much of her look is due to specific products versus genetics, lifestyle, or professional treatments is not detailed in public statements.
Sources (human-readable):
- Red carpet and event photography from the Crime 101 European gala screening in London, credited to REUTERS, BACKGRID, GC Images and Splash News, dated January 28, 2026.
- Halle Berry’s past skincare and aging comments from brand campaign interviews and materials for Lancome Renergie C.R.x. Triple Serum Retinol.
- Halle Berry’s official social media posts announcing her Peloton partnership and discussing exercise and menopause, including the “The answer is YES…” caption shared in October.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you haven’t kept up with Halle Berry since her Monster’s Ball Oscar and Die Another Day Bond era, here’s the quick catch-up. She’s been one of Hollywood’s most visible leading women since the ’90s, fronted major beauty campaigns for years, and built a reputation for intense fitness and action roles – from X-Men to John Wick: Chapter 3. In recent years, Berry has shifted into something of a wellness-and-aging truth-teller, speaking openly about perimenopause, menopause, and how her health, skin, and workouts have evolved. Instead of quietly disappearing into “youthful at any age” cliches, she’s using her platform to talk about what actually happens to women’s bodies – while still showing up on red carpets in looks that would make a 25-year-old nervous.
What’s Next
On the professional side, all eyes are on Crime 101 as it hits theaters February 13. If the London premiere is any hint, expect a full press run – more carpets, more fashion, and probably a few more quotable moments about aging and confidence.
On the lifestyle side, Berry’s Peloton partnership gives her a built-in stage to keep talking about movement, strength, and menopause in a way that feels less like a lecture and more like a workout invite. It would be surprising not to see more menopause-focused content, whether that’s new fitness programs, more brand tie-ins, or additional candid posts about what she’s personally dealing with as she moves through her late 50s.
The bigger picture? If Berry keeps this up, she may quietly reset what “leading lady in her 60s” looks like in Hollywood – not ageless, not invisible, but visibly grown, glamorous, and still a little bit dangerous in a plunging bodysuit.
Your turn: When you see someone like Halle Berry leaning into menopause and aging on the red carpet, does it feel genuinely empowering to you, or does Hollywood still have too far to go in how it treats women over 40?
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