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Nowadays, celebs come from all walks of life. There’s this celebrity culture, and it’s bigger than ever before. There are A-list celebs and then there’s the rest. This is a sweeping statement, but most 40-year-old celebs are A-listers. They’ve paid their dues, have done the hard yards, and have spent many years in the industry in an effort to climb that path to success. And a lot of the 40-year olds in the celeb world are damn hot, have the looks and the physiques to match. It’s therefore in no way a diss to say that someone looks like a 40-year-old celeb when they’re actually a lot younger. Okay, for some of these celebs, it is not exactly flattering, but it is not an insult for all these celebs. I mean Margot Robbie’s on this list, and she looks a lot older than she actually is, but look at her – that’s in no way a bad thing!

These celebs make up part of the young bunch. Most are sophisticated, are wise beyond their years, and look a lot older than they are due to their style and way of presenting themselves. We may have seen them in a different light too, and so to us, it just seems unfathomable that they’re as young as they are. But you better believe it. These celebs are all in their 20s, but look at least 40.

Rihanna

A lot of you probably had an inkling that Rihanna was going to feature on this list. The Bajan beauty has seemingly been around forever – in a good way, of course. Can you imagine the celeb world without Rihanna? She gives us something new, not only with her singing, but just the way she lives life, her antics, who she’s hanging with – there’s always something to see. The singing sensation began her life as a singer in 2003, and then enjoyed a meteoric rise to success in 2006. Since then it’s been plain sailing for Rihanna and she’s gone about building upon her success.

Rihanna’s someone who experiments with her look. More often than not, she’s sassy, looks sultry, and is oozing s*x appeal – the type of image she’s no doubt going for. But she also looks like a singer in her 40s. That because of her general look, but also how comfortable she is on stage and in front of the cameras. She’s a true veteran of the industry, a veteran at the age of 29.

Kristen Stewart

A lot of the people on this list seem a lot older than they are because they’ve been in the limelight doing their thing for a hell of a long time. The same holds true for American actress Kristen Stewart. She was born to parents who were both in show business, and naturally she followed suit. Kristen began her career as a child actress, rose to stardom as a teenager, then achieved international recognition due to her role in the Twilight saga. Her antics away from the camera have also received plenty of press, such as her cheating on her Twilight co-star. A lot of this makes her seem far older than she is. Kristen also looks older, like she could be in her 40s. The 27-year-old star experiments with her look, and on occasions, it seems as if she’s aged over a decade. It’s amazing what a new look can do.

Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, a.k.a. Lorde, chose her stage name because she’s fascinated by royals and aristocracy – each to their own! The name also fits her personality, because the singer-songwriter is very sophisticated, and at times, acts like she’s royalty. She’s already been in the industry for a good few years, and during this time, she’s acquired a ton of popularity and has achieved plenty of success. Look at Lorde, listen to her speak, see the way she conducts herself, and go through everything she’s achieved, and you’d think she was in her 40s. It’s therefore pretty hard to comprehend that when she burst onto the music scene she was still a teenager. People just couldn’t believe she was 17, and they only accepted it when they caught sight of copies of her birth certificate. Lorde is currently 21, but the way she looks combined with her level of maturity makes people think that she’s way older than she actually is.

Kate Upton

American model turned actress Kate Upton has seemingly been around forever. The busty blonde was first propelled into the limelight in 2011, when she graced the cover of the illustrious men’s mag, Sports Illustrated. People took to her immediately, and copies of that edition went flying off the shelves. Unsurprisingly she became a favorite of Sports Illustrated readers and she’s since appeared in four more issues, in addition to plenty of other sultry modelling gigs. Modelling’s her thing and always will be, but she’s since gained a new fanbase through her acting. Like I mentioned, it seems like Kate’s been around for many years. But she’s only in her mid-20s. She looks incredibly grown up, like she’s been posing for the cameras for decades. Her body’s reached maturity, and she just radiates beauty. Kate’s got the look of an experienced 40-year-old actress, someone who’s been there done that and is still killing it in her profession.

Kendall Jenner

Not many 22-year-olds lead the life that Kendall Jenner leads. She’s basically spent her entire life living in front of the cameras and having a filming crew following her around. Being a member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kendall has had to grow up very quickly. I mean, just look at what she’s had to deal with. She’s got some seriously strong women in her family with big personalities, so to emerge from that group and have a successful career of her own is a mighty achievement. Then there’s experiencing her father transitioning to a woman, and listening to people trash her family – she had to have a strong head on her shoulders to deal with everything with maturity. At the age of 22, Kendall is certainly all woman. She’s the shy one of the group, but gets herself out there walking the ramps and catwalks as a fashion model. See her walking the catwalk or in front of the cameras in a modelling shoot and you’d think she’d been doing it for decades.

Justin Bieber

Boy, do these celebs lead crazy lives. There’s been a craze about Justin Bieber for a pretty long time now. A pretty long time means around nine years. During this time, we’ve seen him get up to all sorts, grow and develop, although not necessarily in the cute sweet way people once thought he’d turn out to be. As a youngster he was sweet, but then he developed a loud, brash personality of his own, and it’s something that’s landed him in plenty of hot water over the years. Nevertheless, he’s still got a tremendous fan following; people are just obsessed with the Biebs. Due to him being around for so long and the success he’s tasted, not to mention the numerous bouts of controversy and legal issues, you’d think that Justin was a guy into his 40s. Even just going by his looks, he’s no longer the sweet, innocent kid people once grew accustomed to seeing. He’s developed his own personality and his own look, and that makes him seem way older than 23.

Adele

This soulful singer has had one hell of a career to date. She’s smashed records for fun, and is already regarded to be one of the greatest solo artists of all time. It’ just ridiculous what she’s managed to achieve in a relatively short space of time.

You’ve got to say that Adele is the most unassuming character. Body shamers have a field day with Adele because she’s not your stereotypical drop-dead gorgeous celeb – well, that’s the general consensus anyway. But she’s curvy, is comfortable in her own body, and truly rocks her look. Adele doesn’t live a grand, flashy lifestyle, and seems very grown up. It’ll therefore probably surprise a lot of people to learn that Adele is in her 20s! Going by looks alone you’d deem her to be in her 40s, then add her personality into the mix, and you’d think it was a sure bet that she’s in her 40s, but nope, Adele is actually 29.

Abigail Breslin

Actress and singer Abigail Breslin has been living her life in the limelight for pretty much her whole life. She was a child star and got her first taste of the cameras when she starred in a commercial at the age of three. Abigail got her first movie role at the age of five, and from then on, she’s gone about building her filmography. We’ve seen her grow up on screen over the years and blossom into a beautiful, successful woman. She’s also acquired a pretty extensive filmography, one that most 40-year-old actresses could only dream of having. Abigail was thrust into the world of TV and films, and she’s lapped it up, and has emerged successful. She’s no longer the young kid, or the baby-faced teen we grew accustomed to seeing. Abigail’s all woman now, and she resembles someone far older too. It’s staggering to think that she’s still only 21.

Cara Delevingne

English fashion model and actress Cara Delevingne is another person who’s lived most of her life in the limelight. She grew up leading a privileged lifestyle, got into modelling at the age of 10, and has never looked back. As she entered her teenage years, she became known as the hot new property in the modelling world, and became one of the most famous, wealthiest, most sought-after models in the world. One thing led to another, and then she tried her hand at acting. People love Cara because she’s so open. She divulges all to her fans, enjoys being a celebrity figure and has a lot of fun with it. But when it’s time for business, she’s the ultimate professional. She can pull off that professional look too, and when she does, she can look a lot older than she is. Her recent new style and that short hair also make Cara seem a lot older than her 25 years.

Bella Hadid

Hadid is already a massive name in the fashion industry and the world of modelling. The Hadid siblings created a stir when they got signed to modelling contracts, what seems like many moons ago now. They’re now big names in the celeb world too, and are always being papped and are out and about with various celebrity figures. Pretty much all of the siblings look far older than they actually are. You can add Gigi Hadid to this list too. But Bella, the middle Hadid sibling, looks far older than she actually is, and most certainly looks older than her elder sister, Gigi. I know makeup artists, designers and photographers can work their magic on anyone, but Bella’s pics are just ridiculous. Set your eyes on most of her modelling pics, and if you didn’t know so, there’d be no way you’d deem her to be in her 20s. She’s only 21 but definitely passes for a woman double her age.

Jennifer Lawrence

And here’s another 27-year-old actress who’s wise beyond her years. She knows how to make it big in the industry, and has done things that even people twice her age haven’t achieved. In 2015 and 2016, Jennifer was the highest-paid actress on the planet. She was earning megabucks, figures you don’t really expect a woman in her mid-20s to be making – perhaps one in her 40s, but not in her 20s. Jennifer has risen to global superstardom and has only continued to build upon that success.

Until Jennifer hit the 25 mark, you wouldn’t really say that she looked 40. She was actually quite baby-faced. But in recent years, all of that’s changed. She’s gotten older, and with that has come a mature look. Mature doesn’t mean boring, by the way, not by any means. There’s just a more sophisticated nature about Jennifer, and that comes across in the way she dresses and her overall look.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie could easily pass for a woman in her early 40s. Again, that’s no diss on her part – it’s a compliment. She’s sophisticated and elegant. Perhaps it’s because of her poise as she’s strutting her stuff being all seductive, her makeup, and just her general look – there are plenty of factors contributing to making Margot look older than she is. Another factor is that although she’s been around in Hollywood for a relatively short space of time, it seems as if she’s been doing her thing for decades, because we have seen a lot of her during her time in the spotlight. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. It therefore truly staggers people to learn that the sophisticated beauty from down under is only 27. She just has the look and the acting prowess that makes her seem a lot older. I reckon that Margot’s someone who, when she is 40, would look even better with age, if that’s at all possible.

Harry Styles

This British singer-songwriter rose to fame on the UK version of The X Factor. He auditioned and got through as a solo artist, but later joined forces with four other lads to make up the boy band One Direction. It truly is staggering to think that occurred just seven years ago. The band’s rise has been meteoric, and Harry’s someone who emerged as the most famous member of them all, due to his unique style, his overall look, and his antics when not on stage. Styles has this vibe about him that make women of all ages swoon and go weak at the knees. He’s also known for dating women significantly older than him, and I’m talking decades. That’s one reason people think he could be 40, because when he’s with these women, the relationship just fits, and there’s nothing evidently strange about the age gaps at all. That’s because Harry’s a suave and sophisticated chap. But in terms of his look, it just screams rock star. Harry’s rock star to the core, and it’s this combination of factors that makes him seem far older than his 23 years.

Hailey Baldwin

Hailey Baldwin has only recently started to appear in the limelight. As you’ve probably clocked from her surname, she’s a member of the famous Baldwin family, daughter of Stephen Baldwin. Her photos started to get picked up, and she’s regularly spotted out and about, keeping company with the rich and famous and other well-known celebs. You wouldn’t exactly call her a socialite, because she is a model, but even so, I reckon Stephen must be cringing every time he sees his daughter kissing guys and getting up to all sorts in front of the paparazzi. But he’s also probably come to terms with the fact that his daughter’s all grown up. Look at her physique and her face that radiates beauty, and Hailey really does look like she’s in her 40s. It’ll therefore probably come as a surprise to a whole lot of you that Hailey’s actually just hit the 20-year mark.

Zayn Malik

Here’s another one of those One Direction boys. The members of that band really did achieve superstar status, none more so than Harry Styles, but Zayn Malik wasn’t too far behind in the popularity stakes. Since the group disbanded and he’s gone about launching his solo career, this level of popularity has just skyrocketed. He’s the recipient of a ton of accolades, and has proven to be a massive hit with the opposite s*x too. He’s dated Perrie Edwards, and is currently in a relationship with Gigi Hadid. Forget about all of this for a second. Just going by looks, he looks like he’s in his 40s. That so-called designer beard, the hair, his dress sense, those tattoos – his resembles a 40-year-old rock star. This rock star is still only 24. It seems ludicrous, due to the light we see him in in the papers, but he is only in his mid-20s.