Jennifer Garner was seen out at a Big Brother Big Sisters Gala in LA last night with a new haircut, a lob, in a lighter color. She also got caramel highlights. Garner was in a crisp white suit and she’s wearing a ring on her left ring finger. That makes me wonder if it’s an engagement ring, which we’ve speculated about before. She’s been with entrepreneur John Miller for years. It isn’t a typical engagement ring though and it matches her bracelet. Garner likely realized that people would speculate about it and that may be why she kept her hand in her pocket for most of the photos.
I love everything about her look here, including her styling. The haircut and color suit her! Her makeup also looks great. As I was looking for stories about Garner I found her cover interview with Town & Country, which came out at the end of October but I’m just seeing it now. It’s mostly a profile of her tireless work with Save The Children, to which she’s dedicated over a decade. There aren’t a lot of big quotes from her except for the one I put in the title – that she sort of threw herself a wedding for her 50th birthday in April.
Addressing that word, nice, she says, “I have no reason not to be nice. My life is lovely.” But, she adds, “I’m not always just nice. I can also be salty, and I can be taciturn, or I can be really serious about what I want to get done. It’s not that I feel I’m underestimated in that way—I’m not afraid to stand up for myself and say, ‘Just so you know, this isn’t going to fly with me.’ When that happens, I don’t want you to be shocked that I’m a real person.”
In April she did do something out of character: She threw herself a splashy 50th birthday party. “I basically had a wedding for myself,” she says with a laugh. “I was so shocked that I was doing it.” But her birthday fell on Easter weekend, and after she invited her sisters and her parents, well, it snowballed. Just let the record show she also asked her guests to fill 5,000 backpacks each with enough food to feed a family of four for a program called Blessings in a Backpack.
“I put everyone to work,” she says. And then they danced to “Rocky Top” by the Osborne Brothers…
Suddenly I wondered if Garner has some unfinished business with Hollywood. “I don’t know,” she says, genuinely thinking about it. “Because I’m not ambitious in that way. Do I feel I’m owed some kind of accolades or something? Not really. I’ve kind of played it differently. How lucky am I that I’ve gotten to work all this time and raise a family? It’s more that the work truly comes from a place of love. I love being with a crew. I love being part of a crew. And I love when I get to be on set. It’s different from anywhere else. It’s just mine…”
“I treat Save the Children like a job—and it’s a job I take as seriously as any job. I mean, how you do anything is how you do everything.”
I like that quote “how you do anything is how you do everything.” Garner has definitely worked hard for Save the Children and the T&C profile is full of people singing her praises, including Maria Shriver and her brother Mark Shriver, the head of Save the Children. As for throwing herself a wedding for her birthday – Selena Gomez just admitted she did that too. You may as well embrace the milestone birthdays with parties if that’s your thing. My 50th is coming up and I’m taking suggestions. There will definitely be a custom cake involved. My friend Karen just did a girls’ trip for hers!
photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, FAYES VISION/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
I don’t think she’s saying she threw a wedding for herself. I think she is saying, she threw a huge party for herself like a wedding.
I really like her but she comes off as saccharine – so it’s good that she is saying she doesn’t take shit basically lol.
You’re right. It was just a comparison to the scale of the event/type of guests.
I like this pic of her. I guess saccharine does describe her usual annoying expression.
For my 40th I’m going to wear something wild and beautiful that I know I’ll never have an excuse to wear otherwise. I don’t care if I stay home, I’m going to be dressed extravagantly
This haircut and color is my dream style but nobody has been able to do it right so I’ve given up. She look great here, the outfit is really flattering.
As for this wedding business … I don’t get it. Why? Isn’t your birthday enough? This sounds suspiciously like these woman have 100% bought into the idea that a wedding is the most important and the grandest party you can throw. It’s not. You can call it a birthday party, it won’t make you less fabulous.
It was a comparison in terms of scope and size. And weddings generally ARE the biggest parties most people will throw in their lives. Hence the comparison. I don’t think these women are actually calling their birthday parties weddings – well except Selena.
Emmi,
I’ve been trying to get her hair color for years, and I cannot find anyone to get it right either. They either make highlights too blonde or brassy. It must be nice to have celeb connections to have perfect hairstylists.
Um .. is “I’m not looking for accolades” a swipe at JLo, who recently was on a campaign to get recognition for her work? Maybe not. It seems like they’re getting along.
I get why she said it was LIKE a wedding because she invited a large group, she dressed up and had canapés and a large cake and she usually doesn’t although some people do that every year. And everything jlo and Jen say shouldn’t be seen in the hoary lens of a triangle between Jen Jen and Ben. Only one Jen wants him remember. The way some haters had a meltdown when she talked about throwing a wedding for herself on Instagram showed how some women are constantly comparing them. I really hope this doesn’t last as long as the Jen Brad Angie comparisons.
Sounds like she turned it into a charity event so good for her.
@equality, Yes! And Yes! Such a great idea. It sounds like she said to people “I have enough but other people don’t, so instead of gifts I want you to fill these backpacks with food for those who need it.”
Practical as well as thoughtful. 👏🏻
She looks fantastic here, I have serious hair envy.
Yes she looks amazing and I am not usually a fan of hers. And I am appreciative of her more recent dialing down of “anonymous source” leaks to US weekly. I always felt it came across as thirsty. Not that I am that judgy. I mean maybe you have to do PR damage control when you have Ben Affleck for an (ex)husband.
Someone send this pic to Katie Wales-this is the haircut she should have.
She looks so GOOD here! I love this look on her. This celebration of milestone birthdays with wedding themes is interesting. I’m going to have a celebration for my 50th but I don’t think I’ll have a wedding theme.
She looks fabulous.
I kind of get it with the big party. I’m not usually one for big birthday plans, but after all these years of attending weddings, baby showers, etc for others, it would be nice to get to have a big celebration for myself.
I don’t think she had a literal wedding-themed birthday party like Selena did, I think she’s just saying she through herself a really big, over-the-top party. In the case of Selena, I found that to be really quite bizarre, so I’m glad Jen didn’t also do this lol.
People don’t talk enough about this woman’s amazing skin. I don’t know what she’s doing but it’s always been so gorgeous yet she looks exactly like herself. I’m turning 50 next month and just cut my hair in a similar style and thankfully discovered the power of tretinoin so maybe I’ll be glowing like she is in a few months!
She looks awesome. I feel like this is the look I should be gravitating towards at my age but when I put on a suit, I just look like a kid playing dress up. Boo.
Hi Kitten! Long time no see. 🙂 Your comment made me laugh because my friend (we are fiftysomething) just told me she is going to make blazers her thing. I told her exactly that – that it would be tricky to pull off without looking like she was playing dress up. We’ll see how her style evolves.
The worst mistake she ever made was falling for and marrying Affleck. All the shit he’s caused her and doubtless is still causing her in one way or another.
Yet, she got 3 beautiful children from their time together, so who’d to say… But he definitely wasn’t good husband material!
How is it causing her exactly ?
Maybe J-Lo is keeping him disciplined, but if and when he starts drinking he probably causes everyone anxiety.
Or maybe Ben is a grown ass man who want to be clean for himself and his children and it is no one responsability and certainly not JLO to keep him sober..SMH…And you said if and when:are you wishing that on him? or waiting for a slip?Some of you really be telling on yourselves.
Ben and Jennifer Garner had a marriage which didn’t work out (and maybe it will be the same with JLO) but they had 3 beautiful children.Divorce happens every day but to act like Ben is some monster and Jennifer Garner is a saint or a martyr is really astounding!! I guess ppl need villains…
She keeps wearing different rings on her left ring finger and she knows it makes people speculate. Either she doesn’t care, or she wants them to talk.
She is beautiful and clearly living her best life!
Anyone speculating about her choice of ring should look at the matching bracelet and earrings. It is obviously a set.
She isn’t trying to promote a cheesy romantic comedy!
How is this woman 50? I need the name of her facialist or whoever is doing subtle work. Or maybe she just has great genes. But holy hell, she looks amazing. I’ve always liked her and every time I read an interview she comes across as very earnest and generous, like the kind of friend you wish you could hate because they are so damn perfect but you can’t because she’s also so nice with it. I have major hair envy now.