Jane Fonda is opening up about her decision to get a face-lift and why she stopped spending money on cosmetic procedures.
In a new interview with Vogue that came out Tuesday, the 84-year-old actor and activist shared her secrets to getting old and feeling young by maintaining healthy habits. But there is one thing she regrets doing in an effort to stay youthful:
"I had a facelift, and I stopped because I don't want to look distorted," Fonda explained.
"I'm not proud of the fact that I had [one]. ... I don't know if I had it to do over if I would do it. But I did it. I admit it, and then I just say, 'OK, you can get addicted. Don't keep doing it.' A lot of women ... they're addicted to it. I don't do a lot of facials. I don't spend a lot of money on face creams or anything like that, but I stay moisturized, I sleep, I move, I stay out of the sun, and I have good friends who make me laugh. Laughter is a good thing too."
The "Grace and Frankie" star recommended adopting an active lifestyle early — when it's easy to take a healthy body "for granted" — in order to boost one's mobility and overall wellness in the long run.
"I want young people to stop being afraid about getting older," she told the fashion magazine.
"What matters isn't age, isn't that chronological number. What matters is your health. ... I'm almost 85, but I don't seem that old. ... [Just] because you're a certain age doesn't mean you have to give up on life, give up on having fun, give up on having boyfriends or girlfriends, making new friends, or whatever you want to do. It's still in the realm of life possibilities for you."
However, Fonda is aware that her wealth has afforded her health and cosmetic luxuries that others may not have access to.
"What I'm thinking with the second part of my brain is, 'Yeah, Fonda. You have money. You can afford a trainer. You can afford plastic surgery. You can afford facials. You can afford the things that help make you continue to look young,'" she added.
"That is true. Money does help. Good genes and a lot of money, as somebody once said. But then as I'm saying that, I'm thinking we all know a lot of women who are wealthy who've had all kinds of facelifts and things like that and they look terrible."
One way the Oscar winner has endeavored to make wellness more accessible is through her iconic home workout videos, which were popular in the 1980s. According to Fonda, the first tutorial she and her team shot is still the bestselling home video of all time.
"I know that the world is full of women who can't afford to go to a gym or feel self-conscious about being in a gym or can't go to a gym because they have a young child," Fonda said.
"So doing it in the privacy of their home was an answer for that. I'd like to claim that I'm a brilliant, strategic businesswoman. If people wanted it, I didn't know it, [but] I provided it and at a time, it was just perfect."
Though Fonda couldn't have predicted the phenomenon her taped workout sessions would become, she told Vogue she now realizes and takes pride in the positive impact they had on women who have reached out to her over the years.
"I was just fascinated with how [people embraced it]," she continued.
"I mean, maybe people started doing it because they wanted to get thin, but women would say to me, 'I don't take insulin anymore for my diabetes,' or, 'I stood up to my boss for the first time because I could see the muscles in my arms.' It empowered women in very profound ways. I was really happy about that."
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