"If you're trying to look like everybody else, you're trying to look [like] one particular standard," said Bateman.
Justine Bateman has been vocal about her feelings on acceptance. The writer, director, and producer, 57, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the pressure many women have as they age to "fix their face" and the underlying "irrational fear."
She talked about how women who embrace their appearance tend to stand out in a crowd. She gave a shoutout to Kristen Stewart specifically, appreciating the bags under her eyes. "The bags under Kristen Stewart's eyes… she's young. This is just naturally on her face. It's not an age thing or anything. I think that looks super cool," said Bateman.
She also appreciated Anjelica Huston, adding that she loved pictures of her nose. "In the same way when Anjelica Huston first came into our understanding ... You would see pictures of her and that nose ... Just like, oh my God, that's so awesome," she added.
The actress, who has especially been under the spotlight ever since her liberating comments about aging on 60 Minutes, points out that, in part because of social media, distinguishing appearances are becoming less and less common.
"People who have specific elements to them, I just find really cool. Somebody's looking the same as everyone else, I just think is ... truly erasure," she said. "If you're trying to look like everybody else, you're trying to look [like] one particular standard ... I think people are trying to erase themselves. I think they're trying to not stand out … If you're an outlier, you'll be picked off by predators. I think it's a bit of that," she explained.
The former Family Ties actress has been delving into the nuances of the concept of having to "fix your face." Along with accepting all the adjustments that come with aging. "I just don't give a s---. I think I look rad. I think my face represents who I am. I like it," she said during the appearance on 60 Minutes Australia. "I feel like I would erase, not only all my authority that I have now, but also, I like feeling that I am a different person now than I was when I was 20. I like looking in the mirror and seeing that evidence."
Justine Bateman responds to online reaction to her aging face: 'I think I look rad'
— Narnack Records (@NarnackRecords) April 4, 2023
"..So it's an opportunity to take care of that fear so it's not leading you around by the nose and making you make other decisions that are not you, taking you off track." https://t.co/FkT5o4mDNp
Bateman told 60 Minutes Australia that it was unsettling to consider the way people would do anything to stop the natural process of aging. "I feel sad for them, 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."
As she tells PEOPLE, "I'm really curious to see what my face is going to look like when I'm 87. I've got to tell you, part of me is way too curious to see how it's going to look to do anything [to change it.] If I did, I'd never know and I've got to find out."
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Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images | Frederick M. Brown ; (R) Getty Images | Sebastian Reuter
