Julianne Moore wants people to stop using the term “ageing gracefully”.
Julianne Moore
The 60-year-old actress has slammed the popular statement as “totally sexist”, because it’s often used to make women feel as though getting older has to be a “negative thing”.
She said: "There's so much judgment inherent in the term 'ageing gracefully’. Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don't have an option of course. No one has an option about aging, so it's not a positive or a negative thing, it just is.
“It's part of the human condition, so why are we always talking about it as if it is something that we have control over?"
The ‘Still Alice’ star went on to say it’s more important to focus on the “inner growth” that comes with getting older, rather than trying to revert or prevent the physical signs of ageing.
She added: "We are given a narrative as children that we keep growing through school, maybe go to college then, after school is finished, the idea of growth is done.
“But we have all this life left to live. How do we continue to challenge ourselves, to interest ourselves, learn new things, be more helpful to other people, be the person that your friends and family need or want? How do we continue to evolve? How do we navigate life to have even deeper experiences?
“That's what ageing should be about."
Julianne also addressed the way people are changing when it comes to sexism and racism, as she said she’s glad certain "behaviours are no longer being tolerated".
Speaking to As If magazine, she said: "The dismantling of these systems and putting other more equitable systems in place is helpful in preventing people from abusing one another and giving everyone equal opportunity. It's the first time in my life that people are talking about representation. Are there female directors? Are there Black or Asian directors? Is there trans representation and are people with disabilities being represented? These are conversations we have never ever had before. It's been amazing."
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