How Naomi Watts Faced Early Menopause and Made the Decision to Age Naturally
Fighting prejudice can be very difficult. Women face stereotypes about attractiveness and age every day. In the world of cinema, life is just as harsh, so it’s encouraging to see actresses stand up to these antiquated views. Naomi Watts sets an example of not only standing up for your right to look your age and be considered attractive but also of not judging someone else’s choices. After all, for some people, plastic surgery is also a way to be happy.
The thorny path to glory
The actress had a difficult childhood. Having lost her father early on, she and her mother often didn’t have much money. When Naomi was 14, they moved from England to Australia, which was a culture shock for the girl. The different continent seemed like a whole “new world.” But this made it possible for the future actress to meet Nicole Kidman, which turned out to be a crucial event in her life, and the 2 are still good friends to this day.
Naomi tried to work as a model, a newspaper clerk, a negative cutter, and even a shop manager. Her first film appearances failed to impress the critics. The actress tried to take the U.S. film industry by storm, but without success: “I had to drive for hours into the Valley to pick up three bits of paper, then go back the next day and line up for two hours to meet the casting director who would barely give me eye contact. It was humiliating.”
The actress would later say of this period in her life that her career really only started after she turned 30.
Her first success and having to face injustice
The breakthrough in Naomi’s career was David Lynch’s drama Mulholland Drive, in which she starred at the age of 33. The director chose the actress based on just one headshot, without watching any of her previous work: “I saw someone that I felt had a tremendous talent, and I saw someone who had a beautiful soul, an intelligence — possibilities for a lot of different roles, so it was a beautiful full package.” The film was released in 2001, and resounding success awaited Naomi. But it was overshadowed by one unpleasant aspect of the film industry.
It turned out that at that age, by her own admission, she was in the “aging” category: “I was told that I better get a lot done because it’s all over at 40.” This made her very angry. But the actress was about to face another difficult trial.
According to Naomi, the symptoms of early menopause started when she was 36. Until then, she had never imagined that so early in life she would have to face difficulties with getting pregnant. There was still strong social prejudice against not being able to conceive naturally: “My doctor mentioned I might need a donor egg, and for whatever reason, there’s still a societal stigma around not conceiving naturally. So that kicked off a whole world of secrecy and shame, and I started looking into other possible alternative routes I could take.”
After trying dozens of different ways, Naomi managed to become a mom twice. However, the stress of the experience prompted her to look deeper into the issue of hormonal changes to help other women.
Attitudes towards plastic surgery
The actress has now launched a line of beauty care products for menopausal women. Faced with the early signs of hormonal change, she fights the stigma surrounding this difficult period in life.
Naomi believes that society is unfairly more accepting of men’s aging: “They get wiser, more powerful, and more desirable, and no man is talking to another man really about how they wish they could look better. They may talk about their aches and pains, but there’s no real pressure.” The actress speaks out against the common problem of sexism when it comes to aging in the film industry.
Self-acceptance and battle against agism
The actress has a balanced attitude toward plastic surgery. In interviews, she has admitted that she spent a lot of time researching procedures and their consequences. But she never made up her mind. Naomi doesn’t deny that she would have had surgery if she were sure that her appearance won’t change drastically. At the same time, she has not ruled out the possibility of plastic surgery in the future.
Naomi turned 54 in September 2022. Her looks continue to be admired, as she is one of the few who have embraced her age-related changes and opted to age naturally. The features and facial expressions of her character in Mulholland Drive are still evident in her face, inspiring fans to be more tolerant of age-related changes. Naomi is now more in demand than ever. 2022 saw the release of the series The Watcher, with Naomi in one of the lead roles, as well as the movie Goodnight Mommy, in which she plays a plastic surgeon.
The actress urges us not to judge those who choose to undergo plastic surgery, nor those who have chosen to age naturally: “I don’t think we should ever shame anyone who’s made that choice because everyone should approach it at their own level.”
What does our judgment of a person’s attractiveness depend on? Does age have that much of an impact?