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Salma Hayek at the 2023 Academy Museum Gala held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.© Getty Images

Salma Hayek is almost unrecognizable rocking classic 80s style in a throwback

The Magic Mike star has been a style icon for decades

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
January 25, 2024
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It looks like Salma Hayek has known how to remain in style and on trend for decades, as evidenced by her latest throwback photo shared on Instagram.

The actress, 57, took to her social media page with a snapshot of herself with her cousin, writing alongside it: "My cousin Arturo and I in the 80s."

While her handsome brother wore a brown button down with jeans, Salma rocked a tan fur jacket with exaggerated sleeves, a white undershirt, jeans, and short hair that had been styled into a swoop.

VIDEO: Salma Hayek's Family Life

Several of her fans commented on how good-looking her family tree was, while many others gushed over her ageless radiance and era-appropriate attire, particularly fawning over her hair and look.

In the '80s, Salma had just kicked off her acting career, with her breakthrough coming in the Mexican telenovela Teresa, which ran from 1989-1991 and made her a star in her native Mexico.

However, with aspirations of making it in Hollywood, she moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and struggled to be taken seriously for the first few years. She landed a leading role in the 1994 Mexican film El callejón de los milagros, which is to this day ranked as one of the most acclaimed movies in the history of Mexican cinema.

Salma Hayek and her cousin in a throwback image shared on Instagram© Instagram
Salma and her cousin in a throwback image, rocking classic '80s flair

She finally achieved her Hollywood breakthrough thanks to the one-two punch of Desperado (1995) opposite Antonio Banderas, and then From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Salma spoke about moving to the United States with a very limited knowledge of English, which she remedied by taking English lessons and acting classes under the tutelage of Stella Adler.

SEE: Salma Hayek's ultra-racy throwback might be her most daring yet – 'It's the best view'

"You know what? I knew more when I was 12, because I came to school here [in Texas] for two years," she explained. "Then I went away for ten years and didn't really practice. 

Salma Hayek wearing a beaded brocade dress; circa 1990; New York.© Getty Images
The star moved to the United States in the early '90s

"My English was limited to vacationing and not really engaging with Americans. I knew 'shopping' and 'eating' English – I could say 'blue sweater', 'crème brulée', and 'Caesar salad' – so I came here thinking I spoke English."

MORE: Salma Hayek parties with daughter Valentina and stepson Augustin in Aspen, Linda Evangelista declares them 'party animals'

She also recalled the struggle of trying to fight for her place in the industry as a famous actress coming from Mexico, citing moments of "desperation" and "anger."

Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek walking away from burning flames in a scene from the film 'Desperado', 1995.© Getty Images
She achieved her breakthrough with "Desperado" in 1995

"I certainly had my moments of desperation, of anger, of self-pity, of self-deprecation," Salma remarked. "Yet after a lot of struggling, I am finally working. I am beginning to make money. I am famous. And I say, 'This is not what I wanted, either. It doesn't feel good, either.' 

MORE: Salma Hayek is the ultimate ski princess in snowy Aspen snaps with her husband

"And I go, 'Why?' Well, I am famous, doing movies that my agents want. People around me are saying, 'This is what you need to do now so that you can get to do what you want later.'

Mexican actress Salma Hayek on the set of From Dusk Till Dawn, directed and produced by Robert Rodriguez.© Getty Images
The following year's "From Dusk Till Dawn" made her a global sex symbol

"And I say, 'Well, this is not my dream, either. How scary!' After all this work. So what's my dream? I thought about this, and I wanted to do a different kind of movie. I wanted to have a voice, and it was okay if I wasn't going to be so famous or so rich."

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