There is no doubt that Hollywood, the music industry, and the modeling world have long been hotbeds of ageism, especially for talented women who do the kind of work that puts them in the public eye. There is constant pressure on actresses, models, and singers to look young at all costs, something that comes in part from the fact that there have historically been fewer good opportunities for talented women once they age out of the ingenue or pop princess phase of their career.
The thing that is frustrating about ageism is that so many people find that they are so much more interesting, confident, and secure in their talent and skills as they age. Ageism can result in people who are at the height of their professional skills finding it hard to find meaningful work or feeling like they have to pretend they aren't aging (hello, plastic surgery nightmares).
Thankfully, there are some bold and outspoken celebrities who are pushing back against ageism in the entertainment business and making the case for why there should be no age limits on plum movie roles, mega pop hits, or gracing the covers of magazines. Read on for inspiration from the best possible examples of age being nothing but a number!
Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange has had an iconic career and, now in her 70s, is still acting. But she was blunt about how hard that has been. "Ageism is pervasive in this industry. It's not a level playing field," she told AARP magazine. "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. I think about how few wonderful actresses of my generation are still doing viable, important film work. You go to television. You go to the stage. You do whatever you can because you want to keep working."
Cameron Diaz
Actress Cameron Diaz has so much to say about aging that she actually wrote a whole book about it. In an interview with Rachael Ray, she described how she was regularly asked by journalists if she was "afraid" of turning 40. She said it made her want to "change the conversation" and to be empowered by age and not ashamed of not looking 25 anymore. Yes!
Drew Barrymore
In addition to being one of Cameron Diaz's BFFs, Drew Barrymore also shares her belief that aging isn't something to fear, but rather something to celebrate. She's also got a bit of a rebellious streak, so she's talked about how the pressure to look young forever has actually made her more resistant to getting plastic surgery on her face.
"I think because I'm so rebellious that I saw all of that pressure, and I saw all of those women torturing themselves to look a certain way and I thought, 'You miserable people,'" she said. "I just wanted to never be afraid of what life would do to me. I probably went to too many opposite extremes. Now I'm boring and safe and healthy."
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has been famous for decades now and she has seen firsthand the pressure to stay thin and young looking and is trying to reject it. According to her: "There is also this pressure in Hollywood to be ageless. I think what I have been witness to is seeing women trying to stay ageless with what they are doing to themselves. I am grateful to learn from their mistakes, because I am not injecting s— in my face."
Christy Turlington Burns
Christy Turlington Burns has been massively successful as a supermodel and as an activist (her nonprofit Every Mother Counts does amazing work around maternal health). She's also been quick to point out that even someone who has made a living off of her face doesn't have to stress about dumb ideas around losing value as we age. In a 2016 interview, she spoke out about the fact that she'll never get plastic surgery. "I wasn't worried about aging at 16, and I'm not worried about it at 47," she insisted. "[Aging is] a fact of life, and it's good that people close to me see that I'm relaxed and okay about aging, not neurotic or worried about it."
Bebe Rexha
Singer and songwriter Bebe Rexha wasn't even 30 years old before she started facing ageist comments from music industry executives. In 2019, she tweeted: "I recently had a music executive tell me that I was getting too old and that my brand was 'confusing.' Because I'm a songwriter and I post sexy pics on my Instagram and that's not what female songwriters are supposed to do, especially for my age. I'm 29. I'm fed up with being put in a box. I make my own rules. I'm tired of women getting labeled as 'hags' when they get old and guys getting labeled as sexy with age."
Nicole Kidman
In a 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards speech, Nicole Kidman took that moment in the spotlight to call for more opportunities for actors over the age of 40. Her powerful words electrified the crowd. "I just beg that the industry stays behind us because our stories are finally being told," she said. "It's only the beginning, and I'm so proud to be a part of a community that is instigating this change. But I implore the writers, directors, studios, and financiers to put passion and money behind our stories. We have proven that we can do this; we can continue to do this, but only with the support of this industry and that money and passion."
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Johnson is a third-generation actress and she's seen the role that ageism has played in limiting the options for both her mother and grandmother. In an interview with Vogue, she vented her frustrations. "Why isn't my mother in movies? She's an extraordinary actress! Why isn't my grandmother in movies? This industry is f—ing brutal. No matter how tough you are, sometimes there's the feeling of not being wanted. It's absurd and cut-throat. Whenever I have downtime, I'm unsure that I will ever work again."
Olivia Colman
We love Olivia Colman! She's an amazing actress and is so refreshingly honest about how getting older has changed her and why she's become even better with age. "To be the ingenue and to keep working is rare because once people see you as that, they don't like the process of aging," she told Vogue in 2019. "Which is f—ing ridiculous. I grew to my place. Over the years, pounds have gone on, and my body has changed; I've had children. If someone doesn't like me because of the size of my bum, they can f— off."
Salma Hayek
One of the insidious parts about ageism in Hollywood is that not only does it limit options for great performers once they have a wrinkle or two, it also limits what kinds of stories are being told. Salma Hayek pointed this out to AARP magazine when she spoke about own experience with aging: "When I was going through menopause myself, I wondered, 'How come nobody talks about this in the movies?'"
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is here to prove to Hollywood that actresses can kick ass (literally in her newest movie, Bruised) at any age. "It used to be when you were 40 your career was done — and I mean really done," she tweeted. "I couldn't think that I'd be playing an MMA fighter at 54 years old. Yet I did, so it's got to be changing. I'm proof of that."
Sharon Stone
It's probably easier than usual to stand up against ageism when in conversation with Oprah Winfrey, a woman who has only gotten more confident as she's aged. Actress Sharon Stone chatted with the queen of talk about the realities of aging in a March 2021 Super Soul podcast. "I think as we grow older, we have this societal pressure where people start to try to tell us that our worth is diminished, and I think that this is a time in our life when our worth is most enhanced," Sharon declared.
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is fabulous and in her 90s and is not afraid to be really blunt about the reality of ageism in Hollywood. "Why should I have to play a grandmother simply because I'm old? Can I be a lawyer? A scientist? So far, the answer is … not so much. Hollywood suffers in a profound way from ageism," the West Side Story star told Variety in 2021. Hollywood, listen to the elders and give actors like Rita the roles they want!
Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson is a prime example of how to have an amazing second act in life. Although she became famous as an actress, she's shared that "there just aren't that many great roles for women over the age of 25." So she's shifted her focus to music and is happy to point out that there is no limit on creativity and age.
Pink
Another celebrity who is flipping her middle finger at the plastic surgery industry and the pressure to not age is the always bad-ass singer Pink. In a series of tweets, she said that when she gets tempted to alter her aging face she remembers that she just "cannot get behind it."
She further pushed back against ageism saying: "I'm fortunate because I've never really depended on my looks. I've decided that my talent and my individuality are far more important than my face. So get onboard cause I am about to AGE THE OL FASHIONED WAY (in a tutu ruling s— at 30 mph 100 ft in the air over 40)."
Viola Davis
Viola Davis may look like she barely ages, but she certainly thinks about it. In an interview with Essence, she said, "A lot of times with Hollywood, there is a huge shame factor with getting older, and it doesn't help women, especially because our value is so often placed in how we look, how well we cook, and how we raise our children."
But Viola isn't about accepting that shame. "Even when I was younger, I'd look in the face of Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda and Cicely Tyson, and all I'd see was beauty. But yes, the industry does put a lot of pressure on you. There's a feeling like you're no longer valuable when you get older. I don't feel that our society has embraced what comes with aging. They think that you just get old — we don't value wisdom and experience."
