Actress Julianne Moore Explains Why 'Aging Gracefully' Is A Sexist Phrase

Actress Julianne Moore has no qualms about growing old. However, she does have a problem with people saying the phrase “aging gracefully” as, according to Moore, it is “totally sexist.”

Moore, 60, told As If magazine there is so much judgment in the expression because aging is simply a part of life.

"There's so much judgment inherent in the term 'aging gracefully,'" the five-time Academy-Award winning actress said.

“Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don't have an option of course. No one has an option about aging, so it's not a positive or a negative thing, it just is. It's part of the human condition, so why are we always talking about it as if it is something that we have control over?" she pointed out.

The Hunger Games actress also spoke about how we should cultivate “inner growth” as most people cling to a false notion that it stops after school.

“We are given a narrative as children that we keep growing through school, maybe go to college then, after school is finished, the idea of growth is done… But we have all this life left to live. How do we continue to challenge ourselves, to interest ourselves, learn new things, be more helpful to other people, be the person that your friends and family need or want? How do we continue to evolve? How do we navigate life to have even deeper experiences?” she said.

According to Moore, these questions are important in coming to terms with aging.

As for her motto, Moore quoted a colleague, Helen Mirren, who said, “Aging is a requirement of life: You either grow old or die young.”

In 2019, Moore had spoken up against sexism and the gender pay gap in Hollywood after revealing she made less money than her male colleagues. She told The Telegraph the reason for the disparity is due to outdated beliefs, although a more important character usually gets a bigger paycheck.

"So if there are people who have bigger parts and are bigger stars, they'll be paid more. But I think the question everyone is asking is, well, even if it is hierarchical, and you have actors of equal stature and equal parts, then they should be paid the same. But obviously it's very challenging,” she said in the interview.

In the work front, Moore is set to shoot a new film named "May December" alongside Natalie Portman in 2022.