“I Want to Age With Intelligence.” Jamie Lee Curtis Calls for Leaving Botox and Aging Naturally

Jamie Lee Curtis, an audience favorite, has forever gone down in cinematic history as the “Scream Queen” after her role as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise. Over the years, Curtis has been openly speaking out against the stigmas associated with aging in a culture that forces women to look young and beautiful at all costs. But it took her a long time to come to this self-acceptance.

Curtis is the daughter of legendary Hollywood couple Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. Living side by side with Hollywood stars, namely her parents, has accustomed the actress to the idea of going under the surgeon’s knife from time to time for the sake of work. Her mother spent her whole life having a toxic perception of her own body, “Like anyone who becomes famous for what they look like, when that commodity starts to change, the relationship with it deteriorates,” says Jamie.

The star had her first cosmetic surgery after the cameraman on set refused to film her, publicly justifying his refusal by saying Jamie’s eyes were too puffy. “I was so mortified and so embarrassed and had just so much shame about it that after that movie, I went and had routine plastic surgery to remove the puffiness,” says the actress.

Jamie had plastic surgery, liposuction, and Botox injections, but none of them made her feel better. “Does Botox make the big wrinkle go away? Yes. But then you look like a plastic figurine,” claims the star. She hated hair salons because of the chemical smell and having to spend hours under the hair dryer. After having her hair dyed and permed for one movie, she was left with almost no hair.

While millions of viewers admired her, wanting her to resemble the “cover girl” as she appeared on the pages of the magazines, the star was rapidly approaching one of the darkest periods of her life, which would last for years to come.

Curtis says, “I have tried to find my own mind, and finding my own mind has taken a while.” Healing came to Jamie as she began to rethink the past and its values. She gained an acceptance of who she is, inseparable from the acceptance of her own body. And the star, who by then was raising her daughters and thinking about how to keep them from making her own mistakes, as well as of others who have fallen under the same weight of social pressure, could no longer keep silent.

In 2002, Curtis was just over 40 and did a shoot for More magazine on one condition, that next to the “perfect” photo, they place a picture of her without makeup, without styling, in sporty lingerie. Why? Because she decided it was time to stop broadcasting the myth of possible perfection. She wanted other women to see her real body, of which she said, “I don’t have great thighs. I have very big breasts and a soft, fatty little tummy. And I’ve got back fat.” The photoshoot was her way of saying, “I’m sorry for deceiving you, for making you feel worse. I’m not really perfect, I’m just like you.”

The photo became iconic. It was a powerful statement and is one of the reasons we now live in a world where stars are more about looking natural and authentic, talking about embracing their bodies and their individuality. But Jamie didn’t stop there, continuing to fight for her convictions year after year.

She started speaking out about the dangers of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, as well as against the multibillion-dollar industry aimed at hiding our faces, our bodies, and who we really are. On her Instagram, Curtis posts raw, untouched photos and speaks of humanity and humility. And, if you think about it, the advice the star gives her daughters and to all of us, “Don’t mess with your face,” is actually much broader and sounds more like, “Don’t mess with your life.”

It’s no surprise that Curtis has become one of those stars who, at the Radically Reframing Aging Summit, demanded the abolition of the term ’anti-aging.’ She said, “I am pro-aging. I want to age with intelligence, and grace, and dignity, and verve, and energy.”

Jamie is 63 years old and hasn’t covered her grey hair or had a rejuvenating procedure in years. That hasn’t stopped her from appearing in movies, giving interviews, and doing a photo shoot for The New York Times in a swimsuit and fishnet tights. Age-related changes don’t affect her attractiveness or her self-identity. And watching her, we believe that it’s not only possible to overcome our own traumas, get rid of the pressures of industry and society, and learn to live in harmony with oneself but also to become a guiding star for many others, ridding many women of the stigmas behind aging.

We took the liberty of imagining what Jamie might look like if she had gone along with public opinion and had continued to get Botox and visit plastic surgeons. And we think that no amount of smooth cheeks and full lips can compare to the beautifully aged face of a confident woman.

Are you inspired by the example Jamie Lee Curtis has set, or maybe you have your own story about self-acceptance?