She also called out the sexist double standards at play.
When it comes to celebrities, plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures can be a touchy subject. On the one hand, people should be able to do what they want to their bodies and faces without being judged for it. On the other hand, celebrities influence beauty ideals, and when they are dishonest about how they achieved their looks, it sets an unrealistic standard for the rest of us — so to some extent, it makes sense to wonder about what goes on behind the scenes (or, more accurately, under the knife). The pressure for women to look a certain way can have negative consequences, and there are a number of celebrities who regret plastic surgery.
That said, even though cosmetic surgery has become more prevalent culturally, it’s not necessarily less stigmatized. From Instagram accounts to articles, there are still swaths of the internet dedicated to picking apart celebrities’ appearances (almost exclusively female celebrities) to try to discern if they’ve had any procedures. Stars of all ages are subject to this speculation — everyone from Kylie Jenner to Madonna has been subject to the rumor mill at one point. Charlize Theron is well aware that people have speculated about whether she’s gotten plastic surgery, and she responded to the rumors in a seriously refreshing way in a new interview.
How old is Charlize Theron?
Charlize Theron has been in the public eye for decades — she had her breakout role in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1999. Theron is now 48 years old, has an Academy Award and a Golden Globe under her belt, and she’s been recognized by TIME as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She’s been the face of Dior’s J’Adore perfume for nearly two decades, and will appear in the ads for L’Or de J’Adore, the designer’s latest fragrance. In a new interview for Allure, Theron opened up about aging and how her career has changed since turning 40.
“I make action movies now and if I hurt myself, I take way longer to heal than I did in my 20s,” she said, adding, “I wish I had my 25-year-old body that I can just throw against the wall and not even hurt tomorrow. Now, if I don’t work out for three days and I go back to the gym, I can’t walk. I can’t sit down on the toilet. It’s all those very real moments.”
Did Charlize Theron have plastic surgery?
In her interview with Allure, Charlize Theron also addressed how her face has changed with age and dispelled rumors that she’s gone under the knife. “My face is changing, and I love that my face is changing and aging,” she said. She added, “People think I had a facelift. They’re like, ‘What did she do to her face?’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I’m just aging! It doesn’t mean I got bad plastic surgery. This is just what happens.’”
She also called out the sexist double standards that come into play when we talk about aging. “I’ve always had issues with the fact that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers,” she said. “I despise that concept and I want to fight against it, but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them. I think we need to be a little bit more empathetic to how we all go through our journey.”
What have other celebrities said about aging in the spotlight?
Theron isn’t the only celebrity to call out the sexism at play when we pick apart the way women age. In June, Jennifer Aniston explained why she dislikes when people say she “looks great for her age.” “I can’t stand it,” she said. “That’s a habit of society that we have these markers like, ‘Well, you’re at that stage, so for your age…’ I don’t even understand what it means. I’m in better shape than I was in my 20s. I feel better in mind, body, and spirit. It’s all 100 percent better.”
Early this year, Madonna appeared at the Grammy Awards looking… well, different, and people online were quick to make comments about her face and imply she’d gotten fillers or more robust enhancements done. The Queen of Pop didn’t hesitate in clapping back about how messed-up the chatter was.
“Once again, I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in,” she wrote on Instagram. “A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 and feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong-willed, hardworking, and adventurous.”
And actress Andie MacDowell has been outspoken about embracing the aging process, particularly since she decided to stop dyeing her hair and let it go gray. “I felt more powerful and I felt more genuine. I felt more myself. Just more me. This is who I am,” she said of her transition.
