Getting Real About Ageing In Hollywood

2 min read

The preservation of youth is the main issue in Western societies resulting in the predominance of ageist beauty norms. As a result, modern women still fall victim to society’s normalization of equating ageing with ugliness.

Luckily, despite all of the pressure and double standards that come with ageing in the public eye, more and more Hollywood stars are eager to share the refreshing perspectives they’ve cultivated in the face of a youth-obsessed culture, showing us that “beauty is (still) in the eye the beholder“, no matter what their age.

If you are feeling deflated by those ageist beauty standards, we hope you’ll find consolation in the following actresses who are not afraid of speaking candidly about ageing—and how they’re doing it on their own terms.

According to Jessica Parker: “Society puts a huge emphasis on youth when it comes to beauty standards, but it’s not productive“, she said. “There should be no apologies. I am not trying to cover anything up with my approach to skincare, fashion, or beauty. It almost feels as if people don’t want us to be perfectly okay with where we are as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether we do something if that makes you feel better. I know what I look like. I have no choice. What am I going to do about it? Stop ageing? Disappear?”

On the same page Helen Mirren, who recently said to Vogue: “It’s much better to age disgracefully! With every age comes advantages and disadvantages. And you tend to find that you don’t want to go back. You want to be exactly where you are with everything you’ve experienced.”

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And what about Brooke Shields? She is not concerned about getting older either.

There’s a sense of pride I think that comes with it, but I don’t want to wait for that pride to have to look like ancient wisdom. You know, I’m not stopping a thing I love doing. Yes, I’m limited in a lot of physical activity, but I’m still going. I’m still taking on new jobs. There is still more to come. And this is all a part of it. So I want that message to be out there because I want especially women over a certain age in their 50s to feel like they are at a new beginning. You know, just because their ovaries are not producing babies anymore, are they supposedly not as important or not as valuable? I don’t believe so.

In the end, ageing boldly and embracing the changes in our appearance is not something to be considered brave, but should actually be the norm against all odds.

“Ageism is pervasive in this industry,” said Jessica Lange to AARP Magazine. “It’s not a level playing field. You don’t often see women in their 60s playing romantic leads, yet you will see men in their 60s playing romantic leads with costars who are decades younger.” Her solution? Find the arenas that work for you. “I think about how few wonderful actresses of my generation are still doing viable, important film work,” she says. “You go to television. You go to the stage. You do whatever you can because you want to keep working.”

Whether you like the idea of growing older or not, we all should follow the advice of Susan Sarandon: “The secret is staying engaged, staying curious and having a good time.” Be wise, age playfully!