At 83 years old, Jane Fonda has always been on the forefront of social movements, never afraid to trail-blaze and make herself loud and proud about causes she believes in. Now, as she gets older, she’s looking more introspectively at the changes that have occurred with her own health and body, while still making sure she dips her toe into the ever-changing pool of social and political causes. As a spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris, Fonda wants to make sure beauty and wellness is accesible to all people, no matter their age or race.
“We – older women – are the fastest growing demographic in the world. That’s not just true in the US but everywhere.” Fonda told GRAZIA UK. “We tend, on average, to live about five or six years longer than men. There are all kinds of reasons why but there are just more of us and every day, and every year, it continues to be true, so it’s very smart to pay attention to us.”
And Fonda is right, in order for beauty brands to truly achieve their message of equality and beauty, older women are an essential demographic to be considered. Fonda, as a treat, decided to share some of her personal beauty advice with GRAZIA UK as part of her profile. As part of a tried and true routine, Fonda exfoliates every morning with a warm wash cloth, and then proceeds to apply the L’Oréal Paris Revitalift SPF face cream as part of skincare. For makeup, a usual day looks like some under-eye concealer, some blush and a healthy dose of lipstick.
“Skin is very important, It’s important as a movie star. You can get rid of a lot of wrinkles and things with good lighting, but still, it’s really important for any woman, whether she’s a movie actor or not, to take care of her skin.” Fonda said. “To keep it clean and moist. As you get older, skin tends to get drier – everything does. I have a real connection with the skin part of beauty.”
But Fonda’s activism doesn’t stop in the realm of beauty, she is very much involved with climate change action. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Fonda had moved to Washington DC in order to lead violent demonstrations outside of capitol hill, demanding government action against climate change. She tackles the environmental aspects of the struggle, as well as the racial inequalities that come with it, especially for Black women.
“Black women have felt more empowered. I just think that there’s been more of a freedom to do whatever works for you and not have to conform to something.” Fonda said. “I don’t think that these movements have changed beauty ideals, no. But it changed the way some beauty products are packaged.”
She has proven time and time again that she’s not one to slow down with age, and always remains at the forefront of the most compelling social and political issues of the contemporary era. She’s a proud and bona fide feminist who does not let our society’s ideas of maturity stop her, she’s a force to be reckoned with on all fronts.
“There was a space between Barbarella [1968] and Monster-In-Law [2005], where I didn’t really pay that much attention to how I looked on purpose, because I thought that to be taken seriously I had to look like I didn’t care how I looked.” Fonda recalled. “A point came when I really became a feminist, not just theoretically in my head, but an embodied feminist, and I was confident in my feminism that I didn’t have to forgo looking good. You can look beautiful and still be a feminist.”
Fonda’s rep did not reply to a request for comment.
