HEALTHY HOLLYWOOD:
Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen should be the voice of my generation. At 52, she’s one of the rare actresses not afraid to admit her age and is proud of it.
She’s an inspiration to many women, especially those of us who think there’s no second chapter after 40.
Hello! Just spend 15 minutes chatting with this super confident actress and she’ll actually make you embrace (and look forward) to getting older. “I misfired so many times in my twenties, just trying to learn how to be me. And now, I’m really comfortable in my own skin. I am really comfortable with my own sexuality and I’m having much better sex than I ever did. So, I don’t want that to go away,” Virginia revealed to Healthy Hollywood.
I have to admit I get super self-conscious about being over 40 and feel like I’m somehow not as worthy or beautiful as someone younger. I hate to admit this, but it’s true. And, Virginia says she’s speaks to lots of young women who are scared to age. But, hopefully our generation is teaching women to embrace the aging process and to realize there’s always time to accomplish our dreams! Age is not a good excuse!
“What I’m saying is that they’re (20-somethings) more afraid of the aging process than those of us who are actually going through it. But that’s something that we’ve already changed those rules. You know, we’ve done it as women. We’ve changed what 40 means. We’ve changed what 50 means. You know in business, in entertainment and in our personal lives. I think we, ourselves, have empowered ourselves to choose the way we chose to live,” adds Virginia.
To empower women, Virginia hopes to strengthen a woman’s voice in regards to menopause. For some, it’s still a taboo topic. Sure, we know, menopause includes hot flashes, sleepless nights and lousy moods, but it also can affect our sex life in a major way. And, Virginia wants to get women talking about their bedroom romps and the fact sex can be painful after a certain age – but it doesn’t have to be! It is for this reason Virginia became a paid spokesperson for the new campaign, “Finding the Words” (www.findingthewords.com), which aims to provide information, treatment options and is also a forum to connect with other women.
“A lot of these women are suffering in silence. They’re not sharing what’s going on with them, not knowing that I can be reversed and everything can be wonderful and fluffy again. So, I was thinking I don’t want this to happen to me, so I found out a lot about it. This is about female empowerment. You know it’s not necessarily about an ailment, or our shame or anything like that. Knowledge is power and the more we know about what our bodies are going through, the better off we are,” adds Virginia.
Healthy Hollywood can’t give enough praise and high fives to Virginia. Thanks for making me feel better about getting older. Hey, next time, I look in the mirror, I promise to see those ‘little lines’ as a gift (and reminder) that I’m getting smarter and more viable!
— Terri MacLeod
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