Kristin Davis: Ageing in the public eye is extremely stressful

7 January 2022

Kristin Davis says ageing in the public eye is “extremely stressful”.

Kristin Davis at a No Kid Hungry event

The 56-year-old actress has insisted she has no problem getting older and embracing the changes that age brings, but finds it particularly tough to age while being a public figure, because she’s constantly compared to her younger self.

She said: “It can be extremely stressful to be aging and to be compared to your much, much, much younger self.

“If I was from a regular life, I would feel fine; I would feel great! I’m healthy, I’m strong, I’ve got this little three-year-old son, and I carry him around and it’s all good - but, no, I’m on television, where every bit of my physical being is analysed.

“That part was always very stressful and difficult for me, because, as much as I can look back on my life and think, ‘Oh, I looked great then,’ you never think that at the time. I guess no one does.”

Kristin has recently found herself at the centre of ageist commentary along with her ‘Sex and the City’ co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon following the reprisal of their roles in the spin-off series, ‘And Just Like That…’.

The actress said paparazzi are constantly angling for unflattering shots of the trio during long days on set, and although she tries to ignore the comments she receives, she still has “bad days”.

She explained: “I have bad days; I have days where I literally want to put my face in a bowl of ice like Joan Crawford.

“There’s going to be bad pictures, and they’re going to talk about them, and they’re going to discuss your hair, your face, your this and your that and that’s just how it is I guess … at least in this industry.”

Kristin also acknowledged ageism isn’t an isolated issue, as all women have long been held to impossible beauty standards.

She told NewBeauty: “I like to think there’s more to life than how we look, but it’s unavoidable in our culture that, as you age — especially as a woman — that how you look is a lot. It’s a whole, bigger cultural conversation we need to have, but, right now, it’s hard.”