Photo: Jeremy Chan/Getty; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Justine Batemanhas been speaking out about acceptance.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the writer, director and producer, 57, discussed the pressure many woman feel to “fix their face,” as they age and the “irrational fear” that lies underneath. She also noted how women, including younger actresses such asKristen Stewart, who embrace their looks, tend to stand out among the crowd.
“The bags under Kristen Stewart’s eyes… she’s young. This is just naturally on her face. It’s not an age thing or anything. I think that looks super cool,” said Bateman.
“In the same way whenAnjelica Hustonfirst came into our understanding … You would see pictures of her and that nose … Just like, oh my God, that’s so awesome,” she added.
Karl Ault/Michael Priest Photography
“People who have specific elements to them, I just find really cool. Somebody’s looking the same as everyone else, I just think is … truly erasure,” she said.
The formerFamily Tiesactress, who directed the 2021 filmViolet, has been examining how the idea of having to “fix your face” came about. As well as embracingallthe changes that come with getting older.
“I just don’t give a s—. I think I look rad. I think my face represents who I am. I like it,” she said during an appearance on60 Minutes Australia. “I feel like I would erase, not only all my authority that I have now, but also, I like feeling that I am a different person now than I was when I was 20. I like looking in the mirror and seeing that evidence.”
However, that wasn’t always the case. Bateman recalled Googling herself while writing her first bookFame: The Hijacking of Reality,and finding the autocomplete: “looks old,” and then looked at the photos presented as “evidence.”
RELATED Video:Justine Bateman Defends Her Decision to Age Naturally: ‘My Face Represents Who I Am. I Like It’
“I thought my face looked fine,” told PEOPLE in 2021 ahead of the release of her bookFace: One Square Foot of Skin, which she is currently turning into a film. “Because of some of the fears I had, unrelated to my face, I decided to make them right and me wrong … I became really ashamed of my face, ridiculously so.”
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Those societal pressures still have a hold, andBatemantold60 Minutes Australiait was troubling to think about how people can become obsessed with trying to reverse the natural process of aging.
“I feel sad for them, I feel sad that they are not just enjoying life. I feel sad that they are distracted from the things that they are meant to do in life … with this consuming idea that they’ve got to fix their face before anything else can happen.”
As she tells PEOPLE, “I’m really curious to see what my face is going to look like when I’m 87. I’ve got to tell you, part of me is way too curious to see how it’s going to look to do anything [to change it.] If I did, I’d never know and I’ve got to find out.”
source: people.com
