Julianne Moore wants to redefine how we speak about aging, especially as it pertains to women.
The 60-year-old actress is one of many Hollywood stars who have been praised for their appearances as they grow older and, frankly, Julianne is over it. She tells As If magazine that it's "totally sexist" to say a woman is "aging gracefully."
"There's so much judgement inherent in the term 'aging gracefully,'" she remarked. "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. It's 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 added she's a follower of Helen Mirren's belief that "aging is a requirement of life, you either grow old or die young."
So, Julianne said she wants people to think about aging from a different perspective, remarking, "Shouldn't aging be about inner 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," Julianne continued. "But, we have all this life left to live. 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."
And the actress remarked that lessons like these shouldn't just apply to Hollywood, but the world at large. As she put it, "I think it's about time things change, and it's fantastic that these behaviors are no longer being tolerated. The old hierarchy is being disassembled."
Julianne previously spoke about sexism in Hollywood when she revealed she doesn't receive equal pay in comparison to her male counterparts. She explained to The Telegraph in 2019 that part of the disparity is because of antiquated beliefs, but a character's importance is a factor, too.
"So if there are people who have bigger parts and are bigger stars, they'll be paid more," she said. "But I think the question everyone is asking is, well, even if it is hierarchical, and you have actors of equal stature and equal parts, then they should be paid the same. But obviously it's very challenging."