In a fantastic interview with the New York Times, 57-year-old Frances McDormand talks about the new HBO series Olive Kitteridge and her fight-back against the age-old problem:
' We are on red alert when it comes to how we are perceiving ourselves as a species. Adulthood is not a goal. It's not seen as a gift. Something happened culturally: no one is supposed to age past 45 - sartorially, cosmetically, attitudinally. Everybody dresses like a teenager. Everybody dyes their hair. Everybody is concerned about a smooth face.'
'I have not mutated myself in any way. Joel (her husband Joel Coen) and I have this conversation a lot. He literally has to physically stop me from saying something to people - to friends who've had work done. I'm so full of fear and rage about what they've done.'
And now, I love her just a little bit more. Read the full interview here.
And she has just gotten more and more beautiful. The smart and authentic I think she always had. Thank you for posting this. I just had to take a whole bunch of headshots and Frances makes me feel much, much, better.
ReplyDeleteI adore her! And I loved Olive Kitteridge, the novel. I am so happy that someone as gifted and genuine as Frances took it on.
ReplyDeleteYes! Yes! and Yes!
ReplyDeleteThank you for including the whole interview...she is inspirational and convicting at the same time...but speaks truth about a youth captivated culture that so easily entraps. I really admire her.
ReplyDeleteHow inspiring ! and what a breath of fresh air. I feel like i know her just from reading her words.
ReplyDeleteHa, I've got this ready to go up tomorrow, trash time!
ReplyDeleteShe has to be physically restrained from raging against friends who have chosen a different path to aging? Just because a person chooses hair dye or elaborate makeup or surgery, it doesn't mean they're trying to look 20. Maybe they just want to feel comfortable in their 50-60-70 year old face and body.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't we all just accept another person's choice regarding their appearance? Wrinkles or not, blond hair or not, yoga toned body or not.
I thought all these blogs, about we are women over 50, hear us roar, are about being the best we can be, whatever that means to us. For some, not me, that means cosmetic surgery. To others, like me, that means dying my hair. To each their own.
Even her appearance driven profession, she still gets work so all those friends and their choices regarding THEIR appearance haven't prevented her from working on her art.
I love her more too.
ReplyDeleteI don't see it as accepting other's appearances, since those others can't even accept their own, they had to surgically change it. As if no one knows they have had a lift . I see that all the time and it is so sad, that women are deluded into thinking that that stretched tight line free face on a woman over 50 is natural looking. All they do is erase their character they have accumulated over the years.
Too bad ..
Jean.....I couldn't agree more. To me it sounded as though she is making assumptions about someone without perhaps actually knowing the whys of their decision....each to hi down!
ReplyDeleteJean & OlderbutWiser - I agree with you about the hair dye (women of all ages dye their hair & it's reversible anyway) but I don't think that women in the public eye should feel that they aren't allowed to age and need to have drastic surgery in order to remain employed. I believe that's what Frances McD was getting at. Why can't we just be ourselves?
ReplyDeleteI found you on Pinterest and so glad I did. Love your blog. Love Frances, too! Kudos to her. I just wrote a piece on BlogHer about this very idea of 'anti' aging. I put your site on as a reference for aging inspiration. Hope you don't mind. :)
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