Actress Justine Bateman is bravely going against the norm in a field where youth and beauty are often admired. The 57-year-old actress, who is best known for her parts in Family Ties and Desperate Housewives, has talked about her choice to let her skin age normally instead of getting plastic surgery or other beauty treatments.
Bateman’s stance is a nice change from all the constant talk about how beautiful celebrities should be. “I think I look rad,” she says with confidence. I think my face shows what kind of person I am. “I like it.” Her attitude not only gives her strength, but it also shows that she loves and accepts herself.
Bateman had to go through a lot of hard things to finally accept himself. She remembers people being mean to her about how she looked; some even called her a “sea hag” or a “meth addict.” However, Bateman refused to give in to the pressure to meet social beauty standards. Instead, she decided to rise above it.
She knew that changing her face would not help her deal with her fear of getting older and looking old. She says something wise: “Changing your face won’t make that fear go away.” “You’ll look different if you get plastic surgery.” Okay. You’ll get that, but you still haven’t dealt with the fear.”
Not only does Bateman’s message tell people to love their natural beauty, it also tells them to live their lives to the best. She feels bad for women who are focused on getting plastic surgery and hopes they can find the freedom to enjoy life without having to worry about what other people think.
Bateman is getting women to rethink how they think about beauty and getting older through her book Face: One Square Foot of Skin and her conversations. Being brave and sure of herself is a strong lesson that real beauty comes from within and that being true to ourselves is the most beautiful thing of all.
