THE EDIT: LOOK WHO'S TALKING ABOUT AGEING
So many incredible women are joining the conversation on ageing. And about time, too – because where once, it was treated as something to be feared, these days we need to recognise that ageing can be a cause for celebration.
Here at Studio10, we aim to change the negative rhetoric around ageing – and celebrate the wisdom, self-knowledge and experience we gain with every passing year. Some of our favourite women are getting on board with that idea, too. Only last weekend, actor Kate Winslet was talking about how, on screen, she’s enjoying “a bit of sneaky pushback. ‘Yeah, I am older.’ Because what I observe are people spending a huge amount of time worrying how they look, with filters. I do not want to play roles that feed into anything unattainable any more.”
Here, we’ve canvassed some of our favourite celebrities for their thoughts on ageing. Why don’t you join the conversation, too, and tell us what you love about your midlife years?
Kate Winslet
“I’m baffled that anyone might not think women get more beautiful as they get older. Confidence comes with age – and looking beautiful comes from the confidence someone has in themselves.”
Drew Barrymore
“Gravity and wrinkles are fine with me. They’re a small price to pay for the new wisdom inside my head and my heart.”
Jennifer Aniston
“I think our bodies are beautiful, and I think celebrating them and being comfortable in them – no matter what age you are – is important. There shouldn’t be any kind of shame or discomfort around it.”
Oprah Winfrey
“Every year should teach you something valuable – whether you get the lesson is up to you. Every year brings you closer to expressing your whole and healed self.”
Cher
“I do think that when it comes to ageing, we’re held to a different standard than men. Some guy said to me, ‘Don’t you think you’re too old to sing rock’n’roll?’ I said, ‘You’d better check with Mick Jagger.’”
Emma Thompson
“The infantilisation of our generation is one of the huge issues of our time. People wanting to be 35 when they’re 50 makes me think: why? Why don’t you be 50 and be good at that? And embody the kinds of choices that are sustainable at that age.”
Diablo Cody
“Don’t underestimate the powers of an open mind. A lot of people are concerned with staying physically young. While that’s appealing, I’m more interested in maintaining my curiosity.”
Cameron Diaz
“It’s almost as if we have failed if we don’t remain 25 for the rest of our lives – like, my fault that at 40 years old I don’t still look like I’m 25. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I apologise I wasn’t able to defy nature.’ I feel that ageing is a privilege. It’s something I feel very honoured that I get to do.”
Helen Mirren
“When I was 45, the idea of being 70 was, like, ‘Arghhh!’ But you only have two options in life: die young or get old. Then you realise that life is fascinating and wonderful and emotional. So you just have to find a way of negotiating getting old, psychologically and physically.”
Reese Witherspoon
“It’s a great thing getting older. You are who you are; you say what you mean.”
Dolly Parton
“I will never retire unless I have to. As long as I’m able to get up in the morning, get that make-up and my high heels on – and even if I can’t wear high heels, I’m going to do like Mae West: I’m going to sit in a wheelchair with my high heels on.”
Whoopi Goldberg
“Listen, the best advice on ageing is this: what’s the alternative? The alternative, of course, is death. And that’s a lot of shit to deal with.”
Halle Berry
“Ageing is natural, and that’s going to happen to all of us. I want to always look like myself, even if that’s an older version. I think when you do too much of that cosmetic stuff, you become somebody else, in a way.”
Sharon Stone
“People are afraid of changing – that they’re losing something. They don’t understand they are also gaining something. I can’t tell you how many doctors try to sell me a facelift. Yes, I have come close – but, frankly, I think that in the art of ageing well, there’s this sexuality to having those imperfections. It’s sensual.”
