She stated that she felt a certain level of anxiety when people started treating her differently.
As she approached her 40s, Jennifer Aniston, the beloved Hollywood actress best known for her appearances in “Friends” and countless other movies, saw a noticeable change in how others viewed her. This change in perception left her feeling uncomfortable with the label that seemed to be pinned on her by society.
Aniston has always been honest about how she views getting older positively, even coming to terms with it. She credits her mother and grandmother, who were models of healthy and elegant aging, for having an impact on her viewpoint.
She even talked about it during one of her interviews with Vogue, saying, “My mother was always so healthy and beautifully fit when I was a kid. I’ve always had that as my foundation. I started to look at my mother, and my grandmother, and the elders in my life.”
“They didn’t have the knowledge we have now about ingredients and exercise. Yes, it’s great to be fit and look great… but it’s about your cells, your muscles, so we can grow old and thrive.”
The idea that getting older should be seen as a luxury and a pleasant experience was instilled in Aniston by her mother. She remarked, “It’s just sort of been a theme in my life: to enjoy the age I am and not look at aging as a negative, but as the privilege that it is. We all age!”
It’s interesting to note that Aniston preferred turning 40 over reaching 30. When she started her third decade of life, she felt a certain amount of worry, but by the time she reached her 40s, the actress no longer felt that way.
Reflecting on this, Aniston shared with PEOPLE magazine, “I had more of a panic going into 30. I think you realize that it just gets better. When they say youth is wasted on the young, it’s so true. Oh my God, what I wish I’d known when I was 30.”
Aniston could not help but notice a change in how people regarded her afterward despite her optimistic view on aging and her personal joy with turning 40. In her 40s, she felt like she was given a title that she had not had in her 30s.
Speaking on the Rachael Ray Show through Contact Music, she expressed her frustration, saying, “All of a sudden, you’re labeled, you’re a number. It wasn’t like 30-plus or 30-something. It’s just that all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Wow, for your age, not so bad.’ It’s like, ‘What?”
This label gave Aniston the impression that people were indicating that she was facing a swift end to her life. It seemed odd and unpleasant to her. She even stressed that she felt not just as wonderful as she did in her twenties but far better.
She said this is because she is aware of what she puts in her body and makes deliberate decisions for her general well-being. In a 2015 interview with Yahoo, Aniston explained, “That’s the most beautiful thing that reflects out is inner confidence and inner sort of love.”
“Our generation knows what we should put in our bodies and that we shouldn’t be trashcans putting all sorts of crap in there. We know all the benefits of eating organic fruits and clean foods. We learned that smoking and sugar are the enemy. Our generation knows these things.”
Aniston’s experience in her thirties and forties has been characterized by her unshakeable conviction that aging gracefully is a virtue and by her rejection of society’s tendency to categorize and restrict people based on their age.
She inspires people with her optimistic approach and dedication to self-care, serving as a reminder that age is just a number and that genuine beauty and contentment come from inside.