Introduction
I see a lot of people my age, and younger, trying to hide the fact that they’re aging. Whether it’s through plastic surgery or Botox or even just trying to look as young as possible when you’re out in public, I see it all. But there are a few celebrities who have decided to embrace their age and I’m here for it! Here are 15 celebrities who decided to be refreshingly honest about aging:
Carrie Fisher
You’ve likely heard the story of Carrie Fisher and her struggles with bipolar disorder by now. The actress famously spent years battling addiction and mental health issues, but she was also refreshingly honest about the effects aging had on her body especially when it came to gaining weight.
As an interview for TIME magazine in 2015 revealed, Fisher did not try to hide how aging affected her: “I’m not going to lie. I am still fat,” she said bluntly when asked about how losing weight while filming Star Wars had been harder than expected. She went on to say that something similar occurred during filming for Star Wars: The Force Awakens: “I can’t sit up straight because I put on a few pounds after having seven months off,” she said.”I got through it again… Slowly it comes off.”
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is a celebrity who has been quoted saying that she doesn’t like the way she looks in her 40s. She has said that she’s not happy with her body and even went on to say that she isn’t happy with her face. She talked about how she thinks it was okay for women to have wrinkles, but not for men, which further highlights this double standard in Hollywood: women are expected to look young forever while men can age gracefully without worrying about how they’ll look on camera.
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has won two Academy Awards, five Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, ten Golden Globes, and three Tony Awards. She is one of the top-selling artists in music history with more than 150 million records sold worldwide.
As she turns 71 this month, Streisand has been vocal about aging gracefully through her film A Star Is Born (2018). In it, she played a star who struggles with drinking problems as well as ageism in Hollywood.
Helen Mirren
One of the most recent examples of a celebrity being refreshingly honest about aging is Helen Mirren, who is now 68 years old. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Australia, she said, “I’m very happy in my skin and with the way I look now.” She also went on to say that she doesn’t care what people think about her plastic surgery or her age: “I’m proud to be who I am and where I am.”
Beyonce
Beyonce is a role model for women in the entertainment industry, and she’s a great example of someone who has been refreshingly honest about aging. In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Vogue wearing only a leotard and posing in front of an airbrushed background. She was 34 at the time an age when most celebrities try to hide their wrinkles under layers of Photoshop. But instead of trying to stay young forever, Beyonce embraced her natural beauty by showing her face without any makeup at all.
Another thing that makes Beyonce’s honesty refreshing is how she talks about her body in public interviews. She’s had some health issues over the years including several life-threatening scares and she doesn’t hesitate to talk about them with reporters who want to know what happened behind closed doors during these scary times (or what goes into maintaining such a perfect figure).
Bruce Springsteen
- Bruce Springsteen is a singer-songwriter best known for his songs about working-class life in the United States. His work has garnered him Grammys and other accolades, and he has performed at multiple Super Bowl halftime shows since 1990.
- He’s also known for being politically active, performing at rallies, and speaking out against President Trump’s travel ban.
- In 2018, the 66-year-old musician publicly announced that he was dating Patti Scialfa who had been with him since 1989 after they separated in 2015.
Dame Judi Dench
“What do you mean, ‘how old are you?’” Dame Judi Dench asked a reporter in a 2014 interview. “I’m 80! I don’t care anymore. It’s ridiculous to deny it or be embarrassed by it. Women of my age are so often denied leading roles, so if somebody wants me and I’m right for the part, f*** off. Let’s go!”
You’ve probably heard this sentiment before that at a certain point in your life, it becomes pointless to deny that you’re getting older. But what makes Dame Dench such an inspiring role model isn’t just her willingness to embrace aging; it’s how she does it so nonchalantly and powerfully. Her comfort with her aging has made her one of the most refreshingly honest celebrities about growing older on screen and has given us all permission not only to talk about our aging process but also to embrace its many gifts (like wisdom).
Madonna
Madonna is one of the most famous pop stars of all time. She’s also been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and equality. That said, Madonna has never been one to back down from a bold statement and she’s not about to start now that she’s in her fifties. “I feel better than I’ve ever felt before,” Madonna says in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. “I have so much energy.”
Madonna has always been open about her aging process and has talked openly about how she stays fit and healthy as she gets older (she even wrote a book on the subject). She practices Pilates regularly and maintains a strict diet (though there are some rumors that she eats meat). And while no one wants to hear their parents talking about getting plastic surgery, it seems like Madonna takes it all in stride: “I had my eyelids lifted because I wanted my eyes closer together,” Madonna says matter-of-factly, before adding that she started getting Botox injections when she turned 40 “it was the only way that I could keep my job.”
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is a famous actress, dancer, and fitness guru. She has been open about aging in the past and has even said that she believes “aging with grace” is a myth. However, she isn’t against getting older as long as you strip away the negative stereotypes that come along with it. For example, she once said: “When I was in my twenties and thirties, I used to think it was so weird when people would say things like ‘You look great.’ And now I’m happy they say that because it means they don’t see me as old.”
As for advice for men who are struggling with their age? Well according to Jane Fonda: “It’s all about how you move through life. You have choices about how you live your life every day.”
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is a talented and beautiful American actress. Diane is best known for her roles in films such as The Outsiders (1983), Under Fire (1983), Streets of Fire (1984), A Walk on the Moon (1999), Hollywood Homicide (2003), and Unfaithful (2002). In 2003, she married actor Josh Brolin; they have two children together. She has also been nominated for an Academy Award twice for Playing by Heart in 1998 and Unfaithful in 2002. Diane also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Series Drama or Mini-Series for HBO’s Cinema Verite’.
Cher
Cher is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, producer, and philanthropist. She has been known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment over her career.
Cybill Shepherd
- Cybill Shepherd.
- “I’m not getting younger, but I’m certainly getting older gracefully.”
- “I’ve been told that I’m not aging in reverse I’m just aging forward.”
Susan Sarandon
You probably know Susan Sarandon as an actress, but she’s also a refreshingly honest advocate for aging gracefully. Sarandon has been candid about the effects of getting older and even wrote a book on the subject called Aging: A Natural History. She’s not afraid to talk about her wrinkles or her sagging skin, and she doesn’t try to hide the fact that she’s in her 70s (she’ll turn 77 this year). Instead of hiding behind makeup or going under the knife, Sarandon has accepted her age gracefully. She even advocates for others to do the same!
Sarandon said in an interview with The Guardian: “I think women should embrace their age and be themselves,” adding that there are too many expectations placed on women when it comes to beauty standards. “We’re put down by society if we don’t look like a 21-year-old model,” she said. “You get so much criticism if you don’t fit into society’s perception of what is beautiful.”
Tina Fey
Tina Fey, who is best known for her work on 30 Rock and Mean Girls, has also been an actress, writer, producer, and comedian. She has won five Emmy Awards for her work on Saturday Night Live.
She told Vogue that she doesn’t want to be “a Hollywood hottie.”
“I don’t think anyone looks at me as a sex symbol,” she said in an interview with Vogue in 2018. “There are other women who are much younger than I am who have a lot of men throwing themselves at them.”
Don’t try to hide the fact that you’re aging.
“It happens to everyone,” the actor said. “Don’t try to hide it. Just keep going.”
You’ve probably heard that one before that as we age, we should be proud of ourselves for making it this far and not be ashamed of our physical changes. And yet, many of us do exactly that: We hide our gray hair under a hat or dye our hair back to its natural color when no one’s looking. Why? What makes us so desperate to look younger than we are?
I think I know what the problem is: Our culture tells us over and over again that women who are past their prime aren’t worth anything anymore; they’re invisible; they’re outcasts who don’t deserve attention or respect and no matter how well a woman age naturally (or even if she doesn’t), she’ll never measure up in popular opinion because she lacks youthfulness and beauty. And then there’s this unattainable ideal of beauty itself what counts as attractive changes constantly, so even if you don’t fall prey to society’s narrow definition of attractiveness, chances are good that someone at some point will call you ugly anyway (whether they mean it maliciously or not).
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that aging isn’t something to fear. It is something that happens to all of us, and it should be celebrated. I hope you have enjoyed reading about these 15 famous people who publicly embraced their age and refused to play into society’s expectations of them.
