It is so common for Hollywood celebrities to do whatever they can to keep themselves looking as young as possible. Cosmetic procedures, expensive treatments — you name it, they have done it. Jamie Lee Curtis used to be a celebrity who would go to great lengths to make sure that she looked good. But she has since realized what is best for her.
Like most women, Jamie Lee used to be constantly criticized for the way she looked. At 65 years old, Jamie Lee no longer feels the pressure to conform to these standards and hasn’t for a long time. She has a full head of white hair and does not dye it anymore. She has also quit wearing high heels.
Getting consistent work and staying famous can be harder for stars as they grow older since fewer roles tend to be available. At 65, the star is still glowing and glamorous and has no plans to slow down her vibrant career.
Jamie Lee has been a pinnacle icon in the film and television industry since the late 1970s when she rose to fame with her starring role in the horror franchise “Halloween.” The successful actress has played a variety of characters in her many career avenues, with some of her most notable roles being a mother, such as her part in “Freaky Friday.”
From time to time, Jamie Lee has defied those odds and conventions set by society. For instance, the Academy Award-winning actress posed nude in a nature-inspired photo shoot she did with The New York Times, surprising many people once again with her confidence and beauty that has not faltered throughout the many years. Keep on reading to learn more about Jamie Lee’s insights about beauty, her thoughts on aging, and her brilliant 2023 photo shoot!
Jamie Lee Curtis (1978), (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
In an interview with The Telegraph back in 2002, Jamie Lee revealed that she had plastic surgery when she was in her 30s. She had hoped that going under the knife would help her achieve her desired youthful look but later realized that none of it worked and that it was not worth the trouble. She said:
“I’ve done it all. I’ve had a little plastic surgery. I’ve had a little lipo. I’ve had a little Botox. And you know what? None of it works. None of it,” she said to the newspaper.
In the same interview, she said she had been so scared about turning old that she coped by drinking alcohol and then later found herself struggling with an addiction to both drinking and pills. She needed professional help, but the producers and directors that she was working with at the time only pressured her to go under the knife again. Jamie Lee also recalled an incident that really shook her up.
“Ten years ago, before anybody did that, I had fat taken from underneath my eyes because I was in a movie and I was puffy,” Jamie Lee shared. “I remember the cameraman saying: ‘I can’t shoot her now.’ I remember being mortified.”
Fortunately, shortly after, Jamie Lee went to rehab, where she not only decided that she was going to give up her bad habit of drinking and taking pills, but she also decided never to get cosmetic surgery again. The actress added that medical procedures that are supposed to enhance your looks are not without risk mentally and physically.
“And there is this illusion that once you do it, then you’ll be fine. And that’s just horse****. I looked worse,” she said.
ccording to Variety, Jamie Lee has been sober since around 1999. While at rehab, Jamie Lee told herself that she would no longer care about what other people thought of the way she looked. These days, Jamie Lee continues to rock her natural silver hair and does it while wearing comfortable footwear.
Jamie Lee spoke on the same topic on the “Lorraine” show and explained:
“I have been an advocate for natural beauty for a long time, mostly because I’ve had the trial and error of the other part,” she said. “I did plastic surgery — it didn’t work. I hated it. It made me feel worse.”
The star continued: “I’ve also been an advocate for not (messing) with your face. And the term ‘anti-aging.’ What? What are you talking about? We’re all going to age. We’re all gonna die. Why do you want to look 17 when you’re 70? I want to look 70 when I’m 70!”
In March 2022, Jamie Lee shared a photo taken while filming “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” to show what a person’s body should look like without concealing anything.
“In the world, there is an industry — a billion-dollar, trillion-dollar industry — about hiding things. Concealers. Body shapers. Fillers. Procedures. Clothing. Hair accessories. Hair products. Everything to conceal the reality of who we are. And my instruction to everybody was: I want there to be no concealing of anything,” she wrote.
“I’ve been sucking my stomach in since I was 11, when you start being conscious of boys and bodies, and the jeans are super tight. I very specifically decided to relinquish and release every muscle I had that I used to clench to hide the reality. That was my goal. I have never felt more free creatively and physically,” she added.
Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis (1991), (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Perhaps another reason for Jamie Lee’s aversion to living up to conventional beauty standards is her parents. During a podcast interview with People in June 2021, Jamie Lee talked about how she learned to be mindful about aging while staying relevant in Hollywood thanks to her famous parents, the actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
“I’m the child of movie stars,” she said. “I watched my parents get facelifts and neck lifts.”
Although her parents did what they could to still look youthful, the harsh reality of Hollywood is that not all stars are able to shine for their entire careers.
“I watched their work diminish, I watched their fame not diminish,” Jamie Lee explained. “And the contradiction of a lot of fame, but not a lot of work, is really hard to navigate for people.”
Jamie Lee talked about how it is “very hard to be famous but not be doing the thing that made you famous. And that for the rest of your life, you’re famous for something you did a long time ago, and you chase that attention.”
Having the opportunity to watch her parents’ careers play out and see how their wave of success went up and down despite being such legends in the acting industry really helped Jamie Lee prepare for when it came to be her own time to experience the reality of being an older actress.
“I wanted to be mindful, as the daughter of stars,” Jamie Lee told the outlet. “And so, I was hedging my bets, ’cause I don’t want to be the person pining away for work and not getting it. It’s humiliating, and it’s a hard business. It’s all about what you look like.”
Jamie Lee Curits (1995), (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
As the world continues to introduce new technologies and the latest beauty treatments to preserve one’s youthful glow, Jamie Lee remains consistent in her “pro-aging” crusade of sending out a message to the world about embracing one’s age.
The topic of getting rid of the term anti-aging is something that Jamie Lee has continued to be passionate about. The Sounds True Instagram page posted a video of Jamie Lee expressing her frustration with the term and instead offered a better outlook on life.
“I am an advocate now for natural beauty because I do feel there has been a genocide of natural beauty,” the actress said. “This word ‘anti-aging’ has to be struck.”
As an advocate of natural beauty, Jamie Lee has kept a strict 10-step fitness formula that has since worked for her for so long–the secret to her great shape. According to an interview with OK Magazine, Jamie Lee bulks up on “raw veggies, fruits, and protein.” As much as possible, she avoids fatty, fried foods and “too many carbs.”
Water is also a key component of her great diet. As for her workout regimen, she switches between Yoga and Pilates, but she has recommended hiking or strolling with friends too!
In an interview, Jamie Lee spoke more about Hollywood beauty standards in a Fast Company interview in 2021:
“I tried plastic surgery and it didn’t work. It got me addicted to Vicodin. I’m 22 years sober now. The current trend of fillers and procedures, and this obsession with filtering, and the things that we do to adjust our appearance on Zoom are wiping out generations of beauty. Once you mess with your face, you can’t get it back.”