There’s no denying the fact that we live in an ageist society, particularly when it comes to attitudes toward women over the age of, say, 25. Most of this ageism is deeply ingrained in our culture and therefore quietly insidious. Occasionally, however, it’s overt, as when one film critic recently made Renee Zellweger’s appearance the focus on his critique of her newest film, Bridget Jones’s Baby. We have to commend fellow actress Rose McGowan for coming quickly to her defense, calling the offensive writer out in a letter which states, “How dare you bully a woman who has done nothing but try to entertain people like you. Her crime, according to you, is growing older in a way you don’t approve of. Who are you to approve of anything? What you are doing is vile, damaging, stupid and cruel.” Here, six other awesome times Hollywood’s leading ladies have gotten really real about ageism.
Sarah Silverman
"As soon as a woman gets to an age where she has opinions and she's vital and she's strong, she's systematically shamed into hiding under a rock."
—On Totally Biased, after finding herself the butt of ageist jokes at a James Franco roast
Naomi Watts
"I would be given back all my studio muscle provided I used it to beat another woman senseless and get so turned on by that thrashing that I would have to have urgent sex with my 60-year-old male costar whose buttocks were to be played by a gymnast. I'm still deciding whether or not I should take that job."
—Accepting an award at Elle's Women In Hollywood event in 2011
Tina Fey
"Men are f***able forever. They could be 100 with nothing but white spiders coming out [of their privates], but they're f***able."
—Inside Amy Schumer's "Last F***able Day" sketch
Carrie Fisher
"What I didn't realize, back when I was this 25-year-old pinup for geeks in that iconic metal bikini, was that I had signed an invisible contract to stay looking the exact same way for the next 30 to 40 years. Well, clearly I've broken that contract."
—In her 2011 memoir, Wishful Drinking
Charlize Theron
"Women in our society are compartmentalized so that we start to feel like we're cut flowers and after a while we will wilt."
—To W magazine
Olivia Wilde
'The funniest thing I heard recently was ... that I was too sophisticated for a part. And I was like, 'Oh, that sounds nice. I like that feedback. I didn't get the part, but I'm a very sophisticated person.’ And then I found out later that they actually said 'old.'"—On Howard Stern
