Meg Ryan is 64 now. Let that sink in for a second. If you grew up watching her fake it at Katz’s Delly or waiting for a dial-up connection in You’ve Got Mail, your brain probably has her frozen in a very specific, amber-hued 1990s aesthetic. People search for pics of Meg Ryan expecting to see that "America’s Sweetheart" version of the girl next door, but the reality is much more interesting—and honestly, a bit more complicated.
She’s spent the last twenty years essentially fighting a war against her own image. It's weird to think about, but the very photos that made her a global icon became a kind of prison. Today, her public appearances, like the 2025 Oscars or her recent 64th birthday celebration in November 2025, show a woman who has traded the "perky" label for something much more grounded.
The Trap of the 90s Time Capsule
When you look at the most famous pics of Meg Ryan, you’re usually looking at work by legendary hair stylist Sally Hershberger. That 1995 choppy "shag" from French Kiss? It launched a thousand salon appointments. It was messy, it was "undone," and it perfectly matched the quirky, slightly flustered characters Nora Ephron loved to write for her.
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But fame has a shelf life, or at least the public’s patience for a specific "brand" does. By the time In the Cut came out in 2003, Ryan was trying to shatter that image. She did the dark hair. She did the gritty roles. The press, frankly, wasn't having it. They wanted the blonde curls and the crinkly-eyed smile. When you dig through the archives from that era, you can see the visible shift in her body language. She stopped performing for the lens.
She recently told People magazine that she took a giant break because there were "other parts of my experience as a human being I wanted to develop." That break lasted eight years. Think about that. One of the biggest stars on the planet just... stopped.
What She Looks Like Now (2025-2026)
Lately, the pics of Meg Ryan hitting the wires are from high-profile galas where she’s supporting causes like Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's foundation. At the 2025 Oscars, she made her first appearance on that specific red carpet in 27 years. She wore a stunning burgundy/red velvet gown by Ashi Studio. It was sleek, architectural, and about as far from a "shabby chic" rom-com outfit as you can get.
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Here is the thing people miss: she’s 64. The internet is often cruel about aging stars, particularly those who were once dubbed "sweethearts." But if you look at the shots from the 2025 A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's event, she looks vibrant. She’s smiling with friends like Tracy Pollan and Justin Long. There’s a certain "I don't care what you think" energy that wasn't there in the 90s.
- The 2025 Oscar Return: Red velvet, 3D bodice, and those signature voluminous curls.
- The Barcelona Appearance (2024): She rocked a slinky black midi dress with spaghetti straps that went viral for being "youthful" but also sophisticated.
- The Director Look: In photos from the set of What Happens Later (2023), she’s often in hats, glasses, and functional gear. She’s the boss, not the Ingenue.
Behind the Lens: Meg the Director
We often focus on her face, but Meg Ryan has spent the last decade focused on the frame. She directed Ithaca in 2015 and then What Happens Later in 2023. If you look at the promotional pics of Meg Ryan from that film, you see her chemistry with David Duchovny. They weren't friends before the movie, but the photos tell a different story—lots of laughter, leaning into each other, and a shared "old pro" vibe.
She’s even got a new project on the horizon called Good Sex, slated for 2027, co-starring Mark Ruffalo and Natalie Portman. This tells us she isn't retiring; she's just curated her life so that when we do see a photo of her, it’s on her terms.
Why We Are Still Obsessed
Honestly, it’s the nostalgia. We look at her and remember a time when rom-coms felt like they could solve anything. But the most recent pics of Meg Ryan suggest she’s moved past being a solution for our collective loneliness. She’s a woman who raised a successful son (Jack Quaid), adopted a daughter (Daisy True), and decided that being "bankable" was less important than being happy.
If you’re looking for her nowadays, you won't find her in the tabloids as much as you’ll find her in the credits. She’s a producer, a director, and a writer. The "sweetheart" has graduated.
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How to Follow Meg Ryan's Modern Style
If you're inspired by her current evolution, there are a few takeaways from her recent public looks that actually work for regular people.
- Embrace the Curls: She’s stopped fighting her natural texture. Whether it’s shoulder-length or a bob, she lets the volume do the work.
- Texture Over Trends: Notice she leans into velvet, tulle, and satin. It’s about how the fabric catches the light in photos rather than following whatever the Gen Z trend of the week is.
- The "Power" Smile: In her younger years, her smile was often portrayed as "cute." Now, in photos with her peers, it’s a wide, genuine grin that says she’s exactly where she wants to be.
The next time you see pics of Meg Ryan pop up in your feed, look past the "then vs. now" clickbait. Look at the woman who survived the peak of 90s fame and came out the other side with her sense of humor—and her curls—fully intact.