In Lorde’s Rolling Stone cover story, she talked a little bit about how she felt confined by the goth-girl persona she had when she became famous at the age of 16. It’s true, that was her vibe – she was moody and serious and “dark” and “real.” Four years later, Lorde is ready to be something else. I’m just not quite sure she knows what she wants to be. Which is perfectly fine and part of young adulthood too, but I have to say – Lorde trying to be “sexy” isn’t really come across very well. It’s because she always seemed so grown-up anyway, so now seeing her in these Elle Magazine photos… well, she looks like a down-on-her-luck Real Housewife. She looks like a 40-something former pop star angling for a comeback. Anyway, here are some highlights from Lorde’s Elle profile:
On having a private creative process: “Everyone’s making music in L.A. now—which is great if you aren’t the shyest, most introverted nerd. I found it a little too social. I made my first record in New Zealand with very little discourse—I was just my own unit. In L.A., it’s very, ‘Oh, what project are you working on?’ I was like, ‘I need to be out of this.’”
How she balances her celebrity status and personal creative process: “New Zealand. That’s why I am so passionate about going home. Most of my friends are people I knew before I was famous. I’m very thankful that I never feel like the smartest person in the room, or the coolest person in the room, or the funniest. When I’m there, I’m just there. People forget that I’ve done anything. They say, ‘Ella’s this weird old dowager with a nice house.’”
I like that she’s gone back to New Zealand to replenish her well, so to speak. First of all, most young pop stars don’t do that. They go to LA and never look back, or they replenish their well with drugs and alcohol. I remember covering her interviews a few years back and it felt like she was in a hurry to get out of New Zealand and move on and experience life… and then she went back and she was like, “Oh, right, this is my home.”
Photos courtesy of Mark Seliger/ELLE.
I like Lorde but wow, these photos are bad….I always feel bad that everyone claims she looks a lot older, but she definitely dresses/styles herself as much older and it contributes to that image.
And it’s not even WILDLY off. I love that shade of blue on her – but the outfit is ridiculous. I love the slouchy tank – but I don’t like the shorts/fishnets. I feel like if they had done about half the editing to the blue jumpsuit photo, her face would have come away looking much younger. They focused so much on having intense shadows and highlights that when combined with contouring makeup really made her look on the cartoony side. I do like her hair, though.
I do not envy her, living this portion of her life in the public eye.
I think she’s strikingly beautiful face wise, but that jumpsuit. It’s really, really bad.
Disagree, catsuit is glorious!
on an 18 year old with her style?
Noooooooooooooo
Maybe on Rih, maybe on Cher, maybe on you? I dunno, it does look comfortable if it didn’t ride up where it shouldn’t. Anyhow, not on Lorde.
I’m getting Cate Blanchett vibes from these pictures. In a good way, obvs.
Def getting Cate Blanchett vibes from her now that you mention it.
Loure has always looked older than her age.
I agree, Loo. One year, when I taught kindergarten, I had a little girl who was the spitting image of her mum…who was about 35. I used to be intrigued at how a five-year-old could have such an “old” face. I taught her twice more in primary school, and her face didn’t change like the other children’s faces. By the time she was 12, she looked just like the day I first met her. Recently, I saw her again at her workplace. She’s abut 21 now, and still looks like that five-year-old being led into my kindy classroom all those years ago – she hasn’t changed at all. It’s very weird.
I think Lorde is gorgeous, and bet she’ll “grow into” (?) her looks as she gets older. I love that she doesn’t bother trying to look like everyone else, and believe she’ll be even more stunning in her 30s and onwards.
Lorde is my most recent musical disappointment.
She was so cool and such a good song-writer.
It’s such a pity that she equates the personal style she had with “goth girl” and the other side of that as “being sexy”. What a simpistic perspective on things that unfortunately is showing in her new song imo.
Ít’s the mid- and lower-part of her face that is way too gaunt / angular / harsh for someone her age. She’s not overly skinny so even if she gains weight, not sure it would help at all. She also NEEDS light / soft makeup and brighter clothing so she doesn’t appear undead or ready to suck out all your youth.
LOL
She was sort of big a year or two ago. You can Google it and decide.
Some people occupy themselves with questions on Beyonces age but me, I am a Lorde truther. I love her music but this lady is in her thirties. Imho. I think at the start of her career she gave her age as 31 and there was a clerical error that took it down as 13. And then she and her team just decided to go with it because a teen soulful songwriter is more impressive than a 30 year old soulful songwriter
I love this bonkers theory although I don’t believe a word of it. Preach 🙃
Sorry but this is utter bollocks. A friend taught her right through high school in NZ and she is the age she states.
That’s just how her face looks. I don’t necessarily think she looks old but some people do have a mature looking face not from aging skin just the face shape and features. Oh well
It probably has to do with lack of fat in the face. Younger women her age tend to have more fat there and so it is associated with youth.
She just has angular features. There is no lack of fat on her, her body is not too skinny and looks lovely. Why is this a subject? I think those photos look cute.
I really like her, I believe she is indeed a good and mature person, but her previous persona was way too annoying. I’m glad she seems more into making music than be an icon. Plus, we don’t need another Avril Lavigne, that one was grating enough.
She was so young though! It was clearly a self-affirming thing. Now she is just very bland music-wise.
That said, I find it a bit sad that she is constantly being criticised for her face that looks older than she really is.
That’s beyond her control and actually, she’s really beautiful. Brad Pitt has baby face and no one ever said he looked like a 14 year old.
Seems cruel to me.
Agreed. And it’s not like she’s trying to be famous for her looks, so people should stop being mean. Growing up is hard, but at the public eye? Seems like a nightmare.
12 year old me was SO into Avril. I thought she was so cool, and I wasn’t a girly girl at that age at all – so it was a nice change from all the bubblegum pop. Can’t stand adult Avril though.
I adore Lorde, really. There were times where she was absolutely grating – but she was so young, that I completely give her a pass. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders for the most part, which is more than what can be said about most young stars. And I like that she looks different – she’s not about looking super approachable and cheerleader-y or like Kylie.
The first time I heard her new song, I really didn’t like it. I’ve heard it a few more times and it’s definitely grown on me. It’s kind of a large shift – and I don’t think one listen does it justice at all, so I’m glad I went back to it.
@Erinn. Ok, I’ll give t a try then. I loved all of her songs and really really like Yellow Flicker Beat.
I LOVe that Ella/Lourdes is cool with her natural born face.
I so so hope she stays as far away from Hollywood/America during her down-time so as to hopefully prevent the full-on pressure to kardasianize her unique and beautiful self.
@Erinn Were you into Avril??? Me too, lol. She was everything I wanted to be when I was 15: cool, pretty girl with an extremely straight hair. Luckly it didn’t take me too long to realize the shallowness of her persona. which was just a little bit better than Britney’s, Jessica’s, Mandy’s… Anyway. she and Beyoncé were the queens of my playlist, now it’s only Beyoncé.
I cry whenever I reflect upon the fact that Avril Levine is my age. How did the chick with the giant oversized ties and skateboards wind up in her THIRTIES? It’s ghastly when you think about it.
That is BAD makeup. As a MUA, A heavy smoky eye and cut cheeks on someone with bone structure like Lourde is always going to look old af.
The thing about her is she requires so little to no makeup to look stunning that when they spackle it on all “club 54-style like that, she looks like the worst of the 80’s.
…not to slag the MUA tho. I guess the hack styling is down the the creative director.
Hack artists gotta hack.
I don’t know what you talkin bout! I find her face so striking. Her hair even more so. Such a gorgeous mane of hair. I think she’s even learnt to pose which highlights her features even more. I feel like she’s grown more beautiful, not just facewise but also in body. She has always been deep. I feel like she still doesn’t like Taylor but she can’t risk alienating her coz Taylors got major clout in the industry. Anyway, the title was so funny and I LOL’d but I don’t agree with it. I hope she ends up dating…just not John Mayer or Orlando Bloom.
She is a lovely girl and I love the photo in the blue leotard, it reminds me of something Kate Bush would wear.
The only thing off here is that the coloring/lighting of the photos is a bit too gray.
Kate bush.
Nailed it.
Ah yes, absolutely, I can see a Kate Bush look going on.
I have never heard a song by Lorde, but I find it awesome that she’s not trying to change her appearance, or to look like most nepotism-models these days.
She’s very pretty and unique.
Saying that she looks older than her age does not equal ugly. I don’t think that she is ugly.
When I was in high school (and beer was legal at 18) my friends always sent me to buy the booze because I looked older. Now, many decades later, people always tell me I look much younger than my age. Some faces just aren’t meant to change as much through the years.
Lord is becoming what she used to criticize, a sexy pop star.
There’s nothing wrong with saying someone looks a lot older than their age. Lord looks older than her age, that is all.
Agreed and agreed.
These photo’s are terrible.
Those clothes are so unflattering! she is a bit too chubby for the outfits they have her in .
Chubby!?? Wow!
I am oficially a whale.
No, she’s just not an amazon or bean-pole (nothing wrong with that body type either). She’s like 5’4″ and not styled the best for her height. I think she looks quite tiny – but where certain clothes are cutting, it does effect her proportions negatively.
I think her body looks great. But tastes may differ…..so whatever
Ugh.
SHe must have failed to obtain permission to appear in that outfit from the anti-chub board of approval.
The nerve..
WTF???
“Chubby?” That girl is tiny. What a sad world that we live in when she is considered chubby.
I like the blue catsuit. I just think they could have styled her better. I don’t like the backdrop or the lighting. Her hair is too 80’s . She could definitely benefit from a more youthful cut. And the makeup is too overpowering. She has great eyes and eyebrows. Cute nose and nice lips. Her cheeks are just sunken in. This is a case of a makeup artist just using the standard cut and past contouring job that’s on every face in every YouTube tutorial instead of customizing the makeup job to suit the individual’s face. For starters, I would not have gone so heavy on the bottom lid. No Smokey eye ish under her eyes and maybe just lightly lined from outer corner to the middle. I definitely would not have contoured her cheek bones. And I would have applied blush higher on her cheeks to give her face a more rounder, youthful, glowing appearance. The makeup pattern she has on now is creating the illusion of pulling her face down. That “lot lizard chic” outfit with the shorts and fishnets is dreadful. Would it have hurt to put her in something salmon colored or pastel yellow??
I would say remove everything south of her lower eyelid make-up wise.
Ethereal.
I have also noticed that ppl who detest 80’s styling are 99% more likely to have been alive and forming memories during the 80’s
It’s a just thing I’ve noticed
Yes I agree with klo and jwoolman too. She’s not underweight. However if she were over weight at some point her face would get chubby enough to cover her cheekbones and she’d look “younger.” But yeah. I guess we are perpetuating sexism by discussing this, since she isn’t a model and we do this to men less. I don’t find most male popstars cute. No to Bruno, Levine, jay z. I’m sure plenty of men would find her attractive. Nice skin and hair big eyes petite. Not sure if she’s still dating a Chinese guy but their kids would probably be gorgeous!
I have never found ANY male popstar cute. I must be crazy.
(I thought I was when I was really young and everyone was nuts about the Backstreet Boys and I was just TOTALLY meh lol)
The only famous male musician I have ever had the hots for was young John Frusciante.
yes! Backstreet boys are sooooooo meh. And JT is repulsive to me. I’m (Very!) ok with Enrique inglesis, Zayn, Pharrell though.
Her hair is gorgeous. I agree the lighting isn’t doing her any favors but I still think she looks good. I like her makeup.
She looks much older than her age but it will serve her well when she actually is older. My great grandmother looked 50 her whole life. Even when she passed at 91 – she never looked young but literally never aged in her face/neck area.
That’s a weird thing that happens with some people, those who forever look 40, even when they’re 60.
My mom’s friend is like that, he looked 40 at 20, and he looks 40 at 64. Simply amazing.
She looks much older than her age but it will serve her well when she actually is older. My great grandmother looked 50 her whole life. Even when she passed at 91 – she never looked young but literally never aged in her face/neck area.
Celine Dion is bit similar. She looked 50 when she was 30 and still looks good. (in fact better than when she was young. Her body is crazy)
…
Didn’t Beyonce wear that blue sparkle outfit during one of her tours? Lorde is pretty, but it seems she will age badly. Is she a smoker? Or maybe it’s bad lighting/makeup. The weird facial expressions don’t help either. Unfortunately she suffers from “bitch face” LOL
It’s clear that both Lorde and Katy Perry are headed for flops this year. The music they’ve released has been mediocre at best. I don’t think the lack of sex appeal is a problem with Lorde, it’s more because she’s not interesting.
I always thought Lorde was a very sexy girl/lady. I cant really tell what kind of “sexiness” she might add without becoming boring/slutty imagewise.
She looks about the same age as Gigi Bebe or whatever those two model sisters names are. It’s the makeup and the harsh lighting. They wanted to go off her old persona which was goth and since she’s older make it sexy. Which would’ve worked if she was 40 years old. More color in the makeup or the clothes with better lighting would’ve did wonders for this shoot.
She does look older. I remember the episode of South Park where Lorde was actually a 50-year-old man or something masquerading as a 16-year-old.
I also have an old face for my age. I am the youngest in my family but people often think I am older than the two sisters before me.
My mother also likes to tease me that I am an old soul. She says I always looked very old even when I was a baby, so the family used to call me old woman baby lol. It used to bother me but now I just embrace it. I have an older face, oh well.
Millie I hope you are not scarred for life 😀
Family members commenting on your looks can eff you up real bad sometimes.
Thank you KLO! I am not. I am working progress 🙂
I used to be in a really bad place. I had body dysmorphia and an eating disorder. I have learned to accept myself in terms of my facial features and appreciate my perceived flaws as unique.
I do however still struggle with eating. I am working through it though. I have finally acknowledged the problem and am getting professional help.
I am happy that you are getting there Millie! Hugs.
Love her new song. Think she looks great. Hope she does well.
I really miss her curly hair.
I have loved her music but her new song was a huge disappointment to me.
On another note, it sucks that so many women here are ripping her looks apart. She’s only 18 and she didn’t style herself. The comments on her weight are really gross. The pictures aren’t flattering but I really just think it’s a case of bad overhead lighting. Even celebrities aren’t immune to looking like shit with harsh overhead lighting.
Damn, censorship much? I posted a comment about how messed up it is that all these women are being hateful in these comments calling her chubby or too thin and how hypocritical that is since this website claims to be pro-feminism but every time I comment on a post by Kaiser, the censorship is ridic.
Will never get into the over the belly button jeans. They cring worthy on EVERYONE