We may not be Liz Lemon staring at a photo of Helen Mirren in a bikini, but while looking at Jennifer Lopez on the latest cover of Harper's Bazaar, we most certainly wondered: Is she a wizard?
The question of how a celebrity like Lopez remains so ageless is often met with a short list of overused and cliché answers: It's sleep! It's yoga! It's hot water with an organic wedge of lemon! We've heard that last one time and time again — from Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington, to name just a few. But none of those are Lopez's radiant-skin secrets. Instead, she tells Bazaar it's all thanks to the power of positive affirmations.
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More specifically, it's one affirmation in particular that she tells herself every single day: "I am youthful and timeless at every age." (Fun fact: She has it embroidered on a pillow.) This is her fountain of youth; that's the big secret! Fine, and maaaaybe some lasers, clean eating, pilates, etc. Just guessing.
Lopez isn't alone when it comes to believing that a positive attitude and daily dose of self-love can keep your skin taut and wrinkle-free. Just ask Jane Fonda and Dame Helen Mirren. Mirren told The Mirror in 2011 that she's always known that positive manifestation can have a better outcome than self-doubt. "My mother told me an amazingly wise thing that I've found to be true, which is that you should never worry about getting older," she said. And although Fonda does credit her graceful ageing process to some cosmetic surgery, she stands by the fact that feeling good about yourself is the key ingredient to a better beauty routine. "The most important thing is … your attitude, how you feel," Fonda told Byrdie in 2017. "Is there love in your life? Are you good in your skin? All of this will make you feel and look younger."
This mentality — that a sunny outlook mixed with meditation can directly affect your complexion — is what some wellness gurus call "spiritual Botox." L.A.-based medium and author of Intuitive Being Jill Willard explained the term on the podcast That's So Retrograde. She said that calling it "spiritual Botox" helps people understand that just breathing and being mindful creates a physical shift. The old "when you feel good, you look good" idea. Willard also told Refinery29 that reciting a line of affirmation can help you stay focused while you meditate without completely pulling you out of the moment. Now, whether that's Lopez's go-to line or not is up to you. "The saying gives your mind something to do," she explains. "Since it takes a minute and a half, or longer, it gets you through the process."
Is the concept of spiritual Botox and positive mantras totally bogus? That's up to you to decide. Is it better than hearing a celebrity brag about drinking a gallon of water a day one more effing time? Absolutely.