'I think I look rad': Justine Bateman opens up about her 'old face' as she embraces natural look
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Justine Bateman, the director, author, and actress who rose to fame in the 1982 sitcom, 'Family Ties,' believes that confidence in one's image should grow as one age, not diminish. In a recent interview with '60 Minutes Australia', the 57-year-old shared her body-positive message with people who need to hear it. When asked about criticism she has received regarding her natural appearance, Bateman had a simple message for her detractors: "I just don't give a s---. I think I look rad. I think my face represents who I am. I like it."
Although she has considered procedures like Botox and fillers in the past, Bateman's realization was that these treatments could take away something far more valuable than what they could give her. "I feel like I would erase, not only all the authority that I have now but also, I like feeling that I am a different person now than I was when I was 20," she said, adding "I like looking in the mirror and seeing that evidence."
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Bateman Reflects on Overcoming Ageism
In her early 40s, Bateman googled herself and came across the autocomplete "looks old". The comment initially hit her hard, but after examining why she accepted it, she realized she "didn’t know what to do with it" and "decided that they were right and I was wrong." Bateman reflected on the experience in a Glamour interview, saying "It settled inside of me and took a long time to get all that out." Now, she embraces her appearance and says, "When I see lines or loose skin on my neck, I think, 'That’s what a cool neck looks like.'"
The criticism of women's appearances as they age bothered Bateman so much that she wrote a book called Face: One Square Foot of Skin, in which she interviewed 47 women about their aging faces and turned their words into short stories. Speaking about the book, Bateman said, "I wanted to find a way to approach the subject that wasn't so deadly serious," adding that she hopes the book will help women feel less alone in their experiences.
'Forget about your face'
During the interview with '60 Minutes Australia', Bateman further expressed her concern over how people can become fixated on reversing the natural process of aging. "I feel sad for them," the 57-year-old director, author, and actress said, "I feel sad that they are not just enjoying life. I feel sad that they are distracted from the things that they are meant to do in life...with this consuming idea that they've got to fix their face before anything else can happen."
Her message is clear: "Forget about your face. That's what I'm saying. Get at the fear that is making you think that the fact that your face is wrinkled is gonna ex-out a bunch of opportunities for you."
