Frances McDormand is still promoting her Olive Kitteridge mini-series that co-stars the awesome Bill Murray. This is the first press tour Frances has done in 10 years, which I didn’t realize until now. Frances tells Katie Couric how she avoided promoting her work to protect her privacy. She’s been watching Hollywood from afar, and she doesn’t like what she sees.
The main topic of this interview is aging in Hollywood. This is a follow up to Frances’ recent admission of fear and rage over plastic surgery. She’s not simply rehashing the same quotes. This crusade is intentional. Frances said she decided to promote this project because it gives a platform to her “image” and “voice.” She wants to let younger actresses know that it’s okay to age naturally. Frances has been married to director Joel Cohen for 32 years, and she talks about him too:
Talking with Joel: “We have a lot of conversations about aging, and how difficult it is in our culture. I go on rants about it. I get a little too zealous about it, and he cautions me to remember that not everyone ages the same way. And I’ve been fortunate that I’m happy with the way that I look and how I age.”
Is the cultural obsession with aging a new phenomenon? “That’s one of the things I was talking about. I wonder what it was like. I feel nostalgic for a time I didn’t even have. You know, that time before we regarded ourselves with such criticism but also kind of a currency that looking a certain age had.”
The influence of actors: “I think we have a lot of responsibility because we place ourselves in a medium that reaches a lot of people. I know that I haven’t done press or publicity for ten years. I made a conscious choice not to. I started to not like the job of acting because it involved not only the promotion of what I’ve done but also myself. And I wasn’t interested in that part. Also it was just getting too close to my personal life. I couldn’t live the way that I wanted to live. A friend of mine said, ‘Women need you. Younger women need your image, and they need your voice, and it’s a very selfish thing you’re doing.’ That was about five years ago, so it took me about five years to really listen to her. But I believe that’s true.”
Embracing her age & seeing herself on screen: “Oh yeah. It’s not like I don’t look at myself and say, ‘Whoa. Wow. [Points to chin.] Look at that.’ But I also at the same time, ‘That.’ That one right there? [Points to laugh line.] That’s Pedro. That’s my son. 20 years of going ‘Hi! Wow! or ‘Oh my god!’ You know, this is the map. This is the roadmap.”
Why she gets angry when she sees plastic surgery: “Because it takes it away. It’s like, ‘I’m going to cut out, I’m going to erase 10 years, 15 years.'”
[From Yahoo!]
Frances’ words don’t stand alone. Winona Ryder was stoked about the “traffic” on her forehead once she hit age 40. I wish both of these women could influence the rest of Hollywood. A little bit of touchup work is standard in the business, but some women make themselves look like completely different people. There are extreme examples of this (Renee Zellweger) that magnify the issue. Frances has the skills to make an impact. I’ll pay close attention to what she says next.
Photos courtesy of WENN
I love Frances!! I want her and Catherine Keener to be my 2 best friends! At the very least they’d be great fun to hang out with!
Ditto. I wanna sit around and drink wine with them!
I agree with her but the new culture makes it very hard, actors and actresses already have their insecurities and you add the new media where people are praised for looking younger and dressing younger and sexy is a currency, it must make it doubly hard.
Some women are excoriated on blogs for aging and looking older than what is now perceived to be the right age, it has to take a person who does not look to the outside world for validation to navigate Hollywood and stay true to themselves.
Not even just entertainers, people generally. It’s weird to me having people praise her on this and yet, for example, have freaked out over a portrait of Kate Middleton that apparently made her look older than her actual age – esp. when KM lived a lifestyle that would likely have given her signs of aging earlier.
Yeah, I agree. I find it troubling that the people who criticize the media for focusing on things like Lena Dunham’s weight are the same people who cause a kerfuffle about Renee Zellweger’s looks. If you want to argue that the media shouldn’t focus on looks so much, then don’t write an article about how bad it is that Renee Zellweger probably got some plastic surgery and judge her for it.
Bravo, Frances!
“A little bit of touchup work is standard in the business”
I agree with this. But the thing is sometimes it takes a little time to settle so even if you don’t go overboard, people still judge you. Minor plastic surgery to some maybe be considered TOO much by other people. And some women like to brag that they don’t use any makeup, don’t colour their greys, no botox, & absolutely NO PLASTIC SURGERY. Which is awesome for them, they made that personal choice for their own body. I just don’t understand why some feel the need to belittle other women who are doing minor adjustments for health reasons or even for “vanity.”
Not to mention we are living a lot longer so letting yourself go after 20 doesn’t make any sense. Minor tweaks are ok, just don’t get a new face like so many women in Hwood.
“letting yourself go” – those words are very telling. Plastic surgery is a way of erasing the parts of ourselves that we are uncomfortable with – but why are we so uncomfortable with them? What does it say about our self concept and confidence in who we actually are? Why is leaving one’s body in its natural state considered a bad thing?
I think people need to make choices with their own bodies, I just don’t enjoy living in a society where one feels pressured to look a certain way.
Trashaddict: Wow!
She’s a character actress. She’s never tried to be the beauty. The pressure on her is different and she’s probably not been subjected to the same pressures a ‘beauty’ actress has.
I hear what you’re saying but I don’t think that’s her point. I think the women who rely more on their looks for roles need to take heed of her message just as much as, if not more so, than those who don’t or we’ll never make any progress on accepting that people can age gracefully and shifting the standard back to what’s important, that with age comes a certain wisdom.
I know Frances has real talent but I’ve always thought she’s really beautiful, too.
She is a beauty. Her face, roles she’s effortlessly portrayed, and her inner warmth are all beautiful.
And I agree that whether or not you’ve been hired for a role for your beauty, aging should be revered and not masked.
It’s sad what is expected of women, especially in Hollywood, but in everyday life as well.
You make a salient point; however, I’m not sure how much sympathy there is for ageing actresses who got a more successful career over greater talents, purely because they were born pretty!
I didn’t say she wasn’t beautiful, only that she’s never played or presented herself as ‘the beauty’. Compare with Nicole Kidman who has presented herself as ‘the beauty’ despite having the talent not to bother about such things. She’s riddled with such insecurity based upon her looks that she’s mummified her face to avoid (in her mind) aging.
In the industry they belong, Frances as a character actress doesn’t have to worry if her face ages naturally, if she’s not the beauty in the room etc.
Actresses like Nicole Kidman have to worry about aging and their beauty because they’ve made that a central part of their careers and feel pressured, rightly or wrongly, to maintain that beauty.
Being beautiful or making that the central part of your career can be devastating when the benefits of that fade as your beauty fades with age. The pressure to maintain that beauty via not aging is immense because their livelihood depends on their being ageless (or young looking)
I agree with this assessment LAK.
yes, i agree, too, but i’d imagine those actresses who haven’t banked on their perceived beauty for roles must not enjoy appearing older on the screen.
some seem to be more secure and confident and it may not necessarily depend on what role in the industry they have pursued.
same for those of us not in the industry…some are compelled to use plastic surgery to regain the appearance of youth, while others couldn’t care less.
nonetheless, it remains true that women are held to some crazy standard of ageless beauty no matter their profession.
and it’s insulting.
Good points LAK.
I saw part of Olive Kittredge at special event here a few weeks ago. Frances is fantastic in it. Looking forward to seeing the rest of it.
I really liked the book. I’m looking forward to seeing it, and it think the casting with Frances and Bill Murray was brilliant!
The book has been on my “to-read” list for years. So many people I know have raved about how great it is…not sure why I haven’t been eager to get to it. Maybe this mini-series will finally push me to read it!
The scenes with Bill Murray weren’t in the parts we saw, but Richard Jenkins is wonderful. She has worked with both of them several times before and plays off them both wonderfully.
People in this culture connect aging with death. This culture is TERRIFIED of death, and goes to great lengths to pretend it doesn’t exist or that it only happens to other people. People in this culture are obsessed with the power of sexual attraction and of that drive, diminishing any and all qualities or other aspects in life that have equal or greater value and importance. And it’s no wonder: 24/7 advertising utilizes sex as a method to sell everything from cars and beer to hamburgers.
@Kiddo. You hit the nail on the head. This culture is terrified of death and it seems that if you don’t make the effort to hide your ageing, you become invisible and/or irrelevant. I never experienced ageism in Europe, but stateside – out came the hair dye.
@PunkyMomma. Yes. And if you noticed, many foreign films use people who look average for their age, and I find that the stories told can be more convincing because you aren’t distracted by unusual beauty in casting.
Sorry, but also in Europe, ageism exists, only it’s more subtle. If you want a job there, you will notice (and I’m not even talking about ‘representative’ jobs here). And there is hair dye, too 🙂 But in the States, it’s simply more obvious, since almost everyone is trying to hide their real age, and you are constantly told that looking young/fresh/sexy is the way to go- 24/7. But I agree with @Kiddo, behind all this is the fear of death. So instead of embracing all the moments we have until that very moment, we try to run away from it. Basically, we are all actors in this regard, some more, some less. That fear leads us to focus on the wrong part of our being- the outside. But next to Frances, there are other actresses, like Gena Rowlands, Joanne Woodward, Sissy Spacek, Jodie Foster, or Sigourney Weaver, who seem to have managed aging naturally without a nervous breakdown.
The irony is that the culture that is supposedly afraid of death has the least value for human life. From their death penalty to gun laws to their bullshit stand your ground law where you can take a human life and suffer no consequence. I sometimes that the society place more value on property than they human life.
He who dies with the most things wins?
This American culture ABSOLUTELY places more value on property than on human life. Just look at the onerous sentences for people who commit some sort of theft. Moreover, those who destroy property in the name of protecting the environment are labeled
“eco-terrorists” (even though they have yet to harm any individual at all), but those who produce toxic substances, pollute our air and waterways, and cause irreparable havoc to human health and the environment always get off with a slap on the wrist – at most.
I could go on and on …
I agree with you. I am happy to be my age, and have found a lot a benefits to it, but you can’t live in our culture without feeling the terror of aging, the pressure to be young, and what feels anywhere from ridicule to loathing of getting older, almost as if I should be ashamed that I have the gall to still be alive if I’m no longer young. I even get that on here from younger posters at times. And I think it does stem from terror of death, and from losing sexual attractiveness, because, as you said, we are receiving hundreds of messages every day telling us that our worth is derived from our looks. It’s sad, and it takes lot of soul searching and self-love to keep it from getting to you.
Not singularly, but in part, I think that advertising has played a significant role, as have corporations (maybe more so) and it all has to do with money. In the past, there was respect given to wisdom, knowledge and experience. But as we have progressed to be worshipers of capitalism, instead of humanity; those older, with more work experience are turned over for younger applicants, because they can be paid less and expected to have energy to work more. As a consequence, people who are older, without pensions and work, have less disposable income, or may generally not feel the need to keep up with trends. They have limited to zero value to advertisers and corporations who wish to sell stuff or exploit production. If you are not a consumer, and you can’t work enormous hours without exhaustion,enriching the big money, you are no longer a commodity to be bought and sold. You have no financial value…plus death, lol.
I agree. In other cultures, the elders are treated with respect for their wisdom. In America, you’re overlooked and stepped over. Except for meds for menopause, male disorders, etc…the demographic that is looked upon as gold is 18-48. I’m getting closer by the minute….lol…..guess I can’t go to the party anymore!
Hey, my wine consumption hasn’t gone down a bit, nor that of my friends. They should take note and show some respect. Lol.
@GoodNamesAllTaken, The beige bootie short industry has been negligent in addressing your keen fashion sense too!
Kiddo I agree mostly with your analysis, but I have to tell you I think the advertisers are wrong or at least slow to the party. The fastest growing group with disposable income is older Americans. They are also one of the fastest growing groups on social media. Having worked in advertising and media for longer than I would like to admit as an industry we usually follow the trends not forge to make them. I know it is a chicken and egg thing, but I think the advertising is following culture in general not the other way around. Not that they couldn’t try to buck the trend and change the story to less ageism and sex, but for whatever reason in our culture it really sells and that is why they use it.
@noway, I disagree to the extent that advertising works on fantasy, the psychology of creating need in place of want, and creating ‘pain’ for which it has the resolution, while people generally live in reality and on some portion of Maslow’s hierarchy, while advertising aims to muddle the levels. But I would change my other comment by making the more critical impact of capitalism, first, because that is what drives advertising, anyway.
@Kiddo: yes, it’s the system we are all more or less in that produces ‘unnatural’ desires, mainly by manipulation. Fearful/insecure people are a huge potential market. The good thing is, WE are aware of that, so there’s a good reason to celebrate! Happy Halloween!
So very true, excellent points.
It’s really interesting what you’ve written, are people terrified of death? Carving up your body and injecting toxins doesn’t strike me as something you’d do if you valued your life. I’d imagine it was an esteem issue rather than a death issue as dying might be preferable to ageing for some? But I can only guess what it is as I’ve never had cosmetic surgery and I have no fear of death after a NDE.
I think people do a lot of dangerous things and are in denial about consequences, even potentially fatal ones, if it makes them feel good or happy.
I’m not really afraid of death. I’d say I’m more apprehensive about the manner and process of dying.
I seem to be trailing you today Kiddo. I actually have been thinking about death since I’ve been watching the young lady on tv who is in preparation to end her own life after being diagnosed with brain cancer. I, like you, am not afraid of death, as it is just another phase of life if you have certain beliefs. But, like you, it’s the how is it going to happen. Suffering isn’t how I won’t to go out. My mom’s wish was to pass sweetly in her sleep, didn’t happen….maybe it skipped a generation and that will be my demise with beautiful angels lifting my spirit above. Lol. Happy Halloween. Boo!
Thanks, Happy Halloween! The holiday to CELEBRATE THE DEAD!
@Prim – I think there are two issues here – ageing in the American culture and fear of death. Sometimes the cosmetic surgical choices are done in an effort to appear less older in employment situations. And in other situations, cosmetic surgery, Botox, etc. are used to look youthful as a means of denying the inevitable.
I think that there are two vastly differing sides to the perception of death in the US. We either fear it, and use cosmetic procedures or frighteningly unnecessary elective surgeries (preemptive appendectomies, anyone?!?) as a means to stave off any potential of ageing. Or alternately, its glamourozed and taunted (everything from “goth” culture to hyperviolence in gang culture to the appeal of “extreme” sports). A lot of people have many different coping mechanisms to deal with a misunderstood phase of life.
Personally, I can’t wait to get laugh lines, crow’s feet, or that little wrinkle between my eyebrows. It truly is character. And this is coming from a 33 (almost 34) year old woman whose new neighbor called the county school truancy officer on me last week during my “use it or lose it” vacation from work. Because apparently, I look like a high schooler. O_o
I am just finishing a book called “Opening Heaven’s Door” by Canadian author, Patricia Pearson. She examines NDEs and OBEs, after witnessing her sister’s death, and it is fascinating.
I think that when people have these experiences, they really value their life, but, also are not afraid of death.
I am all for making your self feel beautiful, but, we have to know that it won’t put off the inevitable, and, that no one should amend themselves to adhere to someone else’s “standards” of what that is. This comes from my perspective of a 57 year old, that still feels 25 and is somewhat shocked to see photos of myself and my laugh lines.
Kiddo, so very true, well said.
Kiddo, your comments were incredible.
I love her <3 More Frances please!
Thank you for putting that out there, Frances.
She has aged beautifully. I’m glad she acknowledged that at the beginning. If I aged like her I wouldn’t want surgery either. SHE looks great older! Not everyone else does.
I wish her focus was on the sexism that is motivating this and how women are taught to hate the way they look at every age. She’s always been fearless in the past about apeaking out on women’s rights, especially in Hollywood. I wish she’d just stay on that. But I love her point that age was a currency at one time. Great point!
She has aged beautifully and the sad thing is with some women, Nicole Kidman comes to mind, we will never even know how well they might have aged since they never gave the aging process a chance.
While I admire her thinking, I don’t share it. If I could erase a line here or there from years of sunbathing, I sure would. And…I don’t believe it would take away any memory of the glory days. Some people age more gracefully and good for them. While youth and beauty are definitely an obsession, a nice appearance does wonders for the soul. The barn looks better with a fresh coat of paint. Somehow I think I’d feel better if some of the road map took a detour. BTW I’m sure nobody will agree with me because woman who cop to embracing the aging process usually get applauded.
I said something similar few comments ahead. I completely agree with you. I’m not talking about looking like an over botoxed alien. Few minor adjustments can do wonders for your self esteem. Same thing with makeup, I have HORRIBLE dark circles genetically but good overall skin so I just put concealer so I don’t look like an extra from the Walking Dead set. It has nothing to do with vanity, I look unkempt, horribly tired & unprofessional without covering them. Same goes for botox or minor surgery. If someone doesn’t like ANY touch ups then don’t do it, stop criticizing others you know?
If you have to have a problem, at least dark circles are easy to hide. A lot of good makeup out there. I totally get the vanity thing. I have a lot more respect for a woman who takes pride in her appearance than those who just give up. I guess I’m preaching to the choir since we both have the same agenda….which can be a healthy thing too. If you’re aware of your body and it’s changes, the more apt you are to take care of abnormalities. Aww life is a cabaret, isn’t it!! All I know is when I open the door tonight, I want the kids to smile and not say it’s a trick, it’s a trick, lol!
@Gina, I hear you. I work hard to embrace aging, and I haven’t done anything so far, but I haven’t just “given up.” I still color my hair, I wear makeup, I exercise, I love pretty clothes, and I’m considering having my neck done because it looks so much older than my face. But I want to do it for the right reasons – because it will make me feel better, not because I’m trying to deny that I’m 58. I don’t want to be one of those women who try to look 20 again, you know? I want to look the best I can for my age, while not denying that I’ve aged, if that makes sense. I want to do it in the spirit of making the best of what I am, not out of fear of being who I am. It’s a fine line.
I totally agree with you. I have no intention of aging gracefully as so many put it. I like makeup, hair color, and would have no problem doing botox, fillers, or surgery. They won’t take away from my life experiences. There’s nothing wrong about wanting to improve your appearance at any age unless it becomes an obsession. Good for Frances if she doesn’t want to do cosmetic procedures, but don’t shade those who do.
Yup – same here. I long for the day when I can afford to have some work done. First, I’d start off by erasing my ‘youth’ by getting my acne scars dealt with, some laser resurfacing or something? I have no idea what you can get done. I see no reason to report to the world my ‘roadmap’ of having acne. My face has been insisting on doing it’s own thing since I hit puberty – I very much long for the time when I can start dictating things back. I’m not bothered about the lines around my eyes, but forehead lines (which, I’ve had since a teenager anyway), GOODBYE.
I dye my hair and occasionally get some Botox, and won’t have any reservations about getting a blepharoplasty and/or mini-facelift in about 10 yrs from now.
I agree but I’m also thinking there is a significant difference between the beauty industry and grooming. To be well groomed (at any age) is one – desirable – thing but the beauty industry is a totally different animal (pressure to stay thin, look vastly younger than you are etc). Also, what’s of course ragingly unfair is that it is different for men. Men can be any age (and frankly look like sh*t) and they can still date young attractive women (think for example Leo and the Victoria Secret’s models, and he isn’t the only man doing this). Men don’t get judged for their age, women do. None of the single men of my acquaintance (all in their fifties, all of them of average income and looks) would consider dating a woman their own age, their cut-off age is 28).
Absolutely. These fools have it made and still want you to look 25. The expectations on women is bizarre. If you’re not a size 6, you’re fat, if you don’t work out every day, you’re lazy….on and on. So according to the advertising world, we should all be thin but have big boobs and have a high paying job and still have the perfect meal on the table. I guess things haven’t really changed all that much since the the 50’s and 60s….especially the fact I have never worked with any man who even resembles Jon Hamm!
I’m with you laughing girl, there’s a big difference between “not letting yourself go” by keeping on top of your grooming and taking care of yourself through exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices and choosing surgical interventions that can drastically alter your natural looks. I think a little vanity is fine, especially if it spurs you to make healthy choices, but in many cases vanity drives people to do way too much in a desperate quest to look eternally young.
The problem that I see, is that the prime reproductive ages are 18-28. (men can spread their seed anywhere and everywhere).. Bearing children consumes but 21 or so years of a woman’s life. What about all the other years; are women merely for breeding; are we valuable to ourselves when our focus is on being less than we are (in years)? Are we actually just another pretty face? I’ve had the great times! I also had children; and now I have me, just as I did as a child. Why would I want to suit up to look like a young woman, when I’ve done it all, already, and had a marvelous time of it? Now, it’s all about me again. I’ve done enough men, and there is no curiosity about that or having a relationship with one who wants a 28 year old. (That still doesn’t stop the endless stream of them wanting to get down anyway.) However, I love my freedom to create a comfortable life for myself. I am growing out my steel and silver hair, to the waist, and I will look fierce! I want to give back in my wizened glory! There is no time to waste – this is my time! Focus: making me cozy. No expectations or concerns about men. There is lots of focus concerning physical fitness though, so I can keep playing! I’m too old to care what somebody else thinks about me – I simply don’t care anymore. The next 20 years are mine: all mine.
I totally agree with you. Like many things in life for me, it’s about moderation. You don’t have to change and if you do want to change a lot without considering the consequences maybe you should go to a psychologist and understand why are you up for something who will change you so drastically. Grooming helps a lot, but if you went through some trauma you can at 45 have the neck of a 60 year old woman and I don’t see why you have to accept that if there’s a way to give you your 45 neck (not a 20 year old one). I also don’t see how that erases anything about your life experience or memories. You could say the same about painting grey hair and that’s a case where some women look really good and stylish with grey hair and others (usually because of their style) really look old. I’m about choice for healthy, balanced changes that can do a lot for someone’s confidence.
I’m with you on this one, Gina. A little tweak here and there is fine. Youre not changing your appearance and if it makes you feel better about yourself, more power to you! I get botox twice a year on my forehead, I don’t want to look angry because of the frown line I have. The key ismoderation. I hate that women are so judgemental towards each other. It’s really one one’s business what you choose to do to your face.
It seems that most of the women who have work done look rather ridiculous, even when it is fairly minor. To defend them by saying that their job depends on their beauty is utter B.S. As a culture, we should strive to eliminate jobs that rely on beauty – and on any of these other superficial, vapid values that we have – not cater to them. The more we all succumb to the pressures of maintaining this superficiality, the more we all serve to promote this narcissistic nonsense.
Rock on, Frances and all other women who age naturally and wear little to no makeup. You are exemplars for our children and for a better world.
I love Francis, but what other actresses do with their faces is their business.
She has always had a really attractive quality to me and even though she’s a great character actress she was very good looking (and sexy!) in her younger days (see Blood Simple, great film). She’s a fantastic actress and one of those women who will always make you want to watch her. Kudos to her for trying to counter the overwhelming aging bias in this culture, particularly as it applies to women. She and her husband have never played the Hollywood game – we need more real artists like them to counter our crap culture and it’s emphasis on the superficial. Side note: she and her husband have a second home in our neighborhood and they are the coolest, most down to earth people ever.
But Winona Ryder has crazy eyes, which to me was an effect of “scientific intervention”. That or some really bad sh1t.
I’m torn. It’s sad that American actresses in particular are so pressured to conform to Hollywood standards . but I’m also starting to feel that they are just constantly ganged up on, from all sides. That old feminist saw about women’s bodies being a battle ground is still true.
I love her, and I’m glad she’s decided to speak up. Not everyone has to agree with her or follow her lead, but it’s nice to have that voice in the conversation too, and she’s a great reminder that talent will triumph over looks alone (I do think she’s pretty as well).
I am so happy to live in a world where there are Frances McDormands.
these aren’t the most flattering pics of her, however, in comparison to other actresses her age and younger, Frances looks much better. I’m not sure how people think plastic surgery makes them look younger, because it does not..at least not to me. I recognize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though..so, to each his own.
Would she think the same way if she had married a pussy hound? If the man she loves is, let’s be honest like 90% of men in Hollywood, drooling over a pair of available tits, over famewhores willing to do anything to get ahead, would she feel as self confident with her looks? She’s lucky, she married a man with brains, just imagine for a minute if she’d had fallen in love with a Nicholson, an Affleck , a Penn…
With the type of loser you are mentioning, It is much better to skip them. No matter how beautiful or tempting he is, if he does not have a loyal character, one can expect pain, sometimes exquisite. Pick your reproductive partners carefully!
I never lie about my age (almost 53) and I freely confess to botox. I love it – glad it’s available. Happy Frances enjoys her wrinkles, but I don’t.
No shame about it at all. My mom has fake tatas, and she recommends her surgeon openly to anyone who asks (because he did a good job!). After having kids and getting wrinkles I’ll probably get some work done, too.
I understand her point and everything, but plastic surgery is such a non-issue for me. I’m more worried about the opposite spectrum, actually, young girls getting procedures to look older when their bodies are just changing. Now that’s something I don’t stand for. Adult women getting botox and breast implants? Eh, your money, your body, your choice. This sounds weird, but I just see it as some kind of permanent makeup. An accessory of sorts. Nothing else.
Frances is so bright. I always loved her acting, and I love her way of thinking. I myself am not against getting something done if you are really unhappy about it. But I am very against the amount of (often BAD) work I see. So much pressure on women to cut, laser, etc. It removes flaws, yes, but in removing the signs of aging and nature’s imperfections, you make yourself a bit less interesting. I like unique features, and lines and scars. It lets me know you have a story. I want to talk to someone with a face that tells me something. If everything is erased, lifted, and pulled that also tells me a story. One I don’t really want to hear.
Beautiful comment! And so true.
She’s certainly entitled to her opinion. Let each person decide for her/himself if they want plastic surgery. That’s their business. As for her comments regarding erasing the roadmap of life, well people age differently. The numbers don’t necessarily present themselves the same in every face. There are people who appear much older than they are because genetically that’s just the way it is. There are some people who appear much younger, same reason. In any case, she is a beautiful woman and a fine actress and apparently, happy in her life.
She is so awesome.
I love this woman, and have done since I first saw her in Blood Simple, and will continue to love her and every screen moment of her, but she’s coming at this from the perspective of someone really talented, really fulfilled, able to please herself and pick & choose as far as roles go, and in a really healthy and happy relationship. So: she might need to rein it in a little bit and put herself in the shoes of those less gifted, less fulfilled, and with fewer options.
I have no argument with her starting premise regarding ageing, but antagonising those who opt for procedures that allow them – sometimes the only option they have in a male-dominated/sex-dominated industry – to stay in the Hollywood game is not the way forward.
I love her, but women will do as they please.
It’s a personal choice. Who am I to judge when someone has done too much to her face or whatever?
I had my huge nose done 25 years ago and still am grateful for the technology that allowed me to do that. I don’t like seeing the chest wrinkles and the little face droop that’s begun (I’m 50+) in the mirror. It’s not just fear of death, it’s fear of being irrelevant someday.
Mr. Other Renee is a hospice nurse and he sees such beauty in the elderly. Because he sees an individual, not an “old person.” He truly doesn’t understand why I can’t see my own beauty beyond the lines and extra poundage. I wish I could, but with most (not all) media outlets telling me otherwise, I’m not there yet.
I’m 56 and discovering that the sense of perspective and hard-earned wisdom that come with aging far outweigh the downside. I’m well-groomed and still at my ideal weight — I always wear make up (hello Southern women) — but find it actually liberating not to be judged by my appearance constantly. I’ll take insight over a firm butt any day. The world is a lot more fun when you’re no longer insecure about your looks. Younger ladies, fear not! My fifties have been a blast and grandchildren are everything they’re cracked up to be. I have nothing against anyone who wants plastic surgery, but I’m team Frances. My friends who had plastic surgery in their early 50s are beginning to look scary.
I think it’s important to notice that the phrasing says she gets angry when she sees plastic surgery, not the women (and men) who’ve had plastic surgery per se. I think it’s an important distinction. I choose to believe she means that it upsets her that people feel the need to erase decades, for whatever reason. It’s not that their fears or desires are illegitimate or they aren’t entitled to them, so much as that it’s too bad the world values youth over age, a blank slate over experience. And that value system upsets her. When she gets worked up and “get off my lawn” about it, Joel talks her down by reminding her some people face different choices.
TL;DR: Love the sinner, hate the sin, kinda.
She’s fierce, authentic and every kind of awesome. She’s who I want to be when I grow up.
I’m personally too much of a wuss to brook needles, knives and/or general anesthesia on an elective basis. Plus I’m afraid I’d wind up looking like a platypus in a wind tunnel, which seems to be the de rigeur face of so many of my contemporaries these days.
As for aging, well, that’s doing a number on me. And I’m childless, which, although entirely by choice, tends to magnify that whole feeling of being marginalized by society and the media. *sigh*
“platypus in a wind tunnel” = excellent description 🙂
also i agree with you about the elective childlessness thing. it’s like, after all of our progress, women are still mainly supposed to be beautiful, young, and make babies, or the majority of people can’t figure out what to think.
I like her.
Also I like that the coverage of her comments on this website has led to such insightful commentary. seems odd in a celebrity gossip blog. props
I will click on any story about this woman because I love her. I am so grateful that she’s sharing her opinion. Our culture is so fixated on youth, and the expiration date gets lower and lower. I knew women who were really sad about turning 25! I was like, b*tch, you aren’t even good yet! Do not mourn the loss of the most narcissistic, foolish time of your life! The idea that you get better with age because of your increased confidence, skill, and intelligence is one I embrace (largely by myself). Hollywood is brutal, and the pressure is insane. However, non-Hollywood women feel a lesser version of the same thing: Your duckface isn’t flawless, which means you have nothing to offer. We have the power to reject this notion.
A person’s fear of aging directly corresponds with their fear of death. The more they fear death, the more they fear aging – and some people go to extreme lengths to hide one in the hopes of avoiding the other. For some people, looking in the mirror and seeing their aging self is scary because it makes them take account of their mortality and that’s an unpleasant thing. We do that when people we know die. Yesterday, my friend died of liver cancer. He was 51. I am 50. And yeah, it scares me and makes me think. And it’s a strange thing: the fact that we will all go through it someday – no exceptions – doesn’t make it any more comforting. Personally, I made a conscience decision when I turned 40 not to mourn the loss of my youth, but to celebrate all the things that come with getting older…wisdom, experience, etc…and to share then with younger people so as to enrich them in the hopes that when they become older, they will realize what they have gained is so much more than what they have lost.
Love her so much right now. ❤️
Unfortunately, she’s correct. At my age, my face looks like it’s been run over by a truck. Soon I will need a touch up to be competitive in my line of work. Unlike her, I don’t have a movie star salary. Many of us can’t complain about this culture because we don’t want to be fired. Ageism is alive and well in the US. I would respect actors much more if they actually did something for the cause. And no starring in movies is not enough. How about a PSA? How about going further than noticing a problem and actually doing something about it?