A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
There is a whole slew of products marketed to women with the promise of “turning back the clock” or, inversely, ensuring the clock stops before the signs of aging have a chance to strike. The fear of looking in the mirror to find gray hairs or wrinkles is instilled early on. Often, advertisements for these products have young models or actors with unbelievably glowing and flawless skin. In an industry where beauty is often determined by physical appearance—and more specifically, youth—one acotr is standing up to say enough.
Earlier this year at the Radically Reframing Aging Summit, hosted by Maria Shriver, Jamie Lee Curtis spoke about reassessing how we talk about aging. “This word ‘anti-aging’ has to be struck,” Curtis said. “I am pro-aging. I want to age with intelligence and grace and dignity and verve and energy.” The actor emphasized, “I don’t want to hide from it as if it’s a bad thing.”
Stating to be a “free masterclass in aging well,” the week-long online event sought out to provide “a new outlook” on aging. The summit had a range of expert speakers including doctors, authors, sociologists, and celebrities such as Goldie Hawn and William Shatner. By offering a range of views, the summit addressed the question, “People are living longer, fuller lives than ever before. So why is our society so behind in its attitudes about aging?”
In Shiver’s conversation with Curtis, the actor spoke frankly about how she has come to terms with her older body. One way, she says, is to not look in the mirror as much. “I’m not denying what I look like, of course I’ve seen what I look like,” Curtis stated. “I am trying to live in acceptance. If I look in the mirror, it’s harder for me to be in acceptance. I’m more critical. Whereas, if I just don’t look, I’m not so worried about it.”
The Halloween star has been candid about beauty and aging standards on her social media as well. When reflecting on the filming of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, Curtis stated that there is an industry of “hiding things,” using a multitude of means like concealer and fillers, “to conceal the reality of who we are.” The actor decided against that for her character, saying, “And my instruction to everybody was: I want there to be no concealing of anything.” She continues, “I’ve been sucking my stomach in since I was 11, when you start being conscious of boys and bodies, and the jeans are super tight. I very specifically decided to relinquish and release every muscle I had that I used to clench to hide the reality. That was my goal. I have never felt more free creatively and physically.”
At the summit, Curtis also reflected on her heritage and how worrying takes time away from moments that count. “I am 63 years old. My mother died at 76. My father died at 85. I have no effing time to waste,” Curtis asserted. “My motto is, ‘If not now, when? And, if not me, who?’ And, that has unleashed me and freed me, and allowed me to do everything I’m doing with zero attachment.”
A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
A post shared by Sounds True (@soundstrue)
A post shared by Sounds True (@soundstrue)
A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
h/t: [Upworthy]
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