Why Hilarie Burton Says Embracing Her Gray Hair "Was a Relief"

Hilarie Burton Morgan is proud of her roots.

The One Tree Hill alum recently shared insight into how embracing her gray hair took away the pressure to look like a Hollywood ingénue.

"It's a weird thing when you were a teen drama actress," the 41-year-old told Joy Behar on the Oct. 5 episode of The View, "and the expectation to be 17 forever is out there. And I didn't necessarily like my younger years. I dealt with some dark stuff in my younger years."

If anything, the Grimoire Girl author explained she felt giddy about seeing her silver strands peek through.

"This idea that you can level up and get to the place where you're the salty one in the room was exciting to me," she noted. "So, going gray early had been a relief."

Hilarie—who began going gray in 2020—said she felt inspired by silver-haired trendsetters like Bea Arthur, Ruth Gordon and Betty White.

But as Joy pointed out, the Drama Queens podcast host is also setting new beauty standards. 

"You're on trend, a lot of women are doing it," the talk show host told Hilarie, who replied, "Well, good. We're going to take over the world."

This isn't the first time Hilarie has opened up about her decision to go gray.

"There's something really rewarding for me to just say, 'f--k it,' and let my hair grow gray," she told People in June. "'Cause I wasn't necessarily respected as a kid, so why would I want to hang on to that?"

And making this drastic style change has given the White Collar actress a sense of empowerment.

"I think people put so much emphasis on staying young forever," she continued. "But I have found so much more fulfillment and respect and success and happiness the second I was like, 'I'm not going to play by those rules anymore.'"

Hilaire is one of the many celebrities to show off her natural beauty as of late. Keep scrolling to see all of the stars that have celebrated the skin they're in. 

The OG celebrity to go makeup free, Alicia shows off her radiant skin.

"I don't think about age," Anne told Today's Sheinelle Jones in an interview published Sept. 18. "To me, aging is another word for living. So, if people want to pay a compliment, it's nice. But whatever the hype is, I'm interested in what's beyond the concept of hype."

The rapper proved that hot girls don't need makeup to look beautiful.

The Baywatch alum is kickstarting a new beauty trend after going makeup-free during Paris Fashion Week. 

"It's all about self-acceptance," she told i-D magazine on Sept. 29. "This is the chapter of my life I'm trying to embrace now. Since I really walk out the door as me, I feel relief—a weight off my shoulders."As she put it, "I'm dressing for me now, not for everybody else."

"This is 47!" Drew celebrated in February 2022.

The Modern Family alum shared a rare makeup-free selfie during Paris Fashion Week.

The Grown-ish actress is known for celebrating her natural beauty and this thirst trap is no different.

The Rare Beauty founder not only snapped a selfie of her fresh-faced look, but showed off her natural curls.

Even makeup rebels have to let their skin breathe.

The supermodel struck a pose to show off her fresh-faced beauty. "Some take a chill pill," she wrote. "I take a wig break."

"Thank you for sharing your love, making me feel supported and many times making me laugh," the actress told her followers. "I always learn from all of you and I hope many blessings come your way in this new adventure

The actress skipped the makeup for a good cause, writing on Instagram, "Spreading some self love today with zero filter and zero makeup for my girl @KateUpton."

"She's on a mission to encourage everyone to feel strong and love themselves *as they are*... and I'm so honored to help spread that message," Jessica continued. "Take a second to show the real you."

The actress is often told she doesn't look a day over 21 and this selfie proves it.

The Goop founder is known for rocking a makeup-free look.

The Oscar winner bared more than just her face in this sexy snapshot.

To celebrate a social media milestone, the actress showed off her natural beauty.