Barbra Streisand lays down the law when it comes to personal fashion.
During a recent conversation with The New York Times, the iconic singer, actress and director said that everyone should dress the way they want, regardless of their age.
“People need to express themselves on a given day and wear what they feel,” the 81-year-old told the outlet.
Streisand says his personal style has “nothing to do with age,” and that there have been times during her career when she didn't want to portray herself as sexy.
“I was too scared to be seen like that at the time,” the Funny Girl star said, before adding, “Now I'm too old to care.”
Barbra Streisand, 81, clapped back at critics who think she dresses too provocatively for her age: 'People should express themselves and wear what they feel on a given day'
“People need to express themselves on a given day and wear what they feel,” the 81-year-old told the outlet; seen in 2019
After beginning her career performing in nightclubs and Broadway theaters in the early 1960s, the New York native seemed to emphasize her singing career, releasing two studio albums a year from 1963 to 1967.
She also gained recognition for her Broadway performances at that time in I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1961–1963) and Funny Girl (1964–1965), both of which earned her a Tony Award nomination.
Her big break in film came with the adaptation of the musical comedy-drama Funny Girl (1968), which resulted in her winning an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Whether in film, as an actress or director, on television or on stage, Streisand succeeded in all areas of show business.
In fact, her broad skillset over a career spanning more than six decades has put her on the shortlist of people who could win an EGOT, i.e. someone who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
As of 2023, only 18 people have achieved competitive EGOT status and six others, including Streisand, have done so with honorary or special awards.
While she devoted the time to her wide talents and interests, her film career seemed to take the biggest hit, not because of a lack of love, but because of the enormous time it takes for a film production.
After scoring hits as star and director in The Prince of Tides (1991) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), the Brooklyn native has only appeared in three comedy films in 27 years.
After revealing in her recent memoir – My Name Is Barbra – that there was a time when she was 'too scared' to be seen as sexy, the Funny Girl star now confesses 'I'm too old to care'
During her storied career spanning more than six decades, Streisand is among the shortlist of EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) recipients; she can be seen in the film version of Funny Girl (1968)
With her last film coming out almost fourteen years ago, Barbra readily admits that she's just too tired to make another film.
“It gets tiring to figure out the structure of the movie and then not make it happen,” she said PEOPLE earlier this month.
“I had a lot of movies I wanted to make, and then I got lazy.”
She added, “I say, 'Oh yeah, to do this one, I need all these period clothing accessories. For this one, I have to live in Arkansas.' Don't know. It's complicated, but I'm complicated too, I guess… I get lazy,” she admitted.
In her recent autobiography My Name Is Barbra, she also revealed that if she had continued making films all these years, she would never have been able to write the book.
“If I could have made my films, I would never have written a book,” said the singer of The Way We Were. 'I had such good films to make, which meant they were about things I thought were important, very interesting subjects.'
Ultimately, it took Streisand about a decade to write her 970-page memoir, which spans her early life in New York and her career in New York and Hollywood.
In her memoir, the legendary performer also talks about her husband James Brolin, 83, whom she met on a blind date in 1996 and married two years later; the couple is seen in Los Angeles in August 2016
While the audiobook version included 48 hours of commentary from Streisand himself, it ultimately took about six weeks to complete.
“I think I was so fed up with myself when I made the audiobook, can you imagine? I mean, you write a book for 10 years, and then you have to say it out loud,” she said Variety last month.
In her memoir, the legendary performer also opens up about her life with husband James Brolin, 83, whom she met on a blind date in 1996 and married two years later.