Julianne Moore wants no part of "aging gracefully." She actually thinks the term is inherently sexist.
During a recent chat with As If magazine, the 60-year-old spoke of how we, as a society, speak about aging, particularly when it comes to women.
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"There's so much judgment inherent in the term 'aging gracefully,'" she said. "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."
She added that aging is "part of the human condition, so why are we always talking about it as if it is something that we have control over?"
The actress likes to view aging not as a number, but as growth.
"I think 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," she said. "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 aging should be about."
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Still, things are progressing. In fact, Julianne sees changes in how women and minorities are treated, especially in Hollywood.
"It's fantastic that these behaviors are no longer being tolerated. The old hierarchy is being disassembled," 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," she added. "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."
