Kate Winslet On Women In Their 40s: 'We Become More Powerful, More Sexy'

Kate Winslet has been headlining movies and TV shows for over two decades, and admits that aging in the public eye is not easy. But, in her humble opinion, getting older is a gift and only makes you “more powerful” as a woman.

In a new interview with BBC Woman’s Hour, Winslet, 47, insists “life’s too flipping short” to worry about our bodies changing. We must embrace the wrinkles, sagging skin and arthritis and lean into our power, according to Rose Dewitt Bukater, ehem, Winslet.

“There are bits that don’t do what you want them to do anymore and there’s something kind of fab about going, ‘Oh well, that’s just the way it is, isn’t it?’” the Oscar and Emmy winner admitted.

“I think women come into their 40s — certainly mid-40s —thinking, ‘Oh well, this is the beginning of the decline,’” she continued. “Things start to change and fade and slide in directions that I don’t want them to go in anymore. And, you know, I’ve just decided, no. We become more woman, more powerful, more sexy. We grow into ourselves more. We have opportunity to speak and speak our mind and not be afraid of what people think of us. Not care what we look like so much. I think it’s amazing. Let’s go girls. Let’s just be in our power.”

Winslet, who has three children — Mia Threapleton, 22, Joe Mendes, 18, and Bear Blaze, 9 — has had a positive outlook on aging for many years, recently sharing that the Hollywood look is “a myth.”

“Women on the red carpet have been sat in hair and makeup for four hours to look like that and probably had facials every day during the week in the run up to the event. I know because I’ve been there and had that many facials. It’s a moment in time,” she told British Vogue in 2021.

“For me, the secret to aging at any age, in Hollywood or not, is actually accepting who you are and accepting that we can’t fight change,” she continued. “Sure, we can do things to support our health and our skin, to feel a little bit better and make ourselves last a bit longer. But for me, it’s about beauty coming from within and not being so self critical — it’s a big deal.”

Winslet said she believes in the “everything in moderation” theory, and tries to eat well and keep up with a healthy lifestyle. But, to her, it’s important to show the truth of womanhood on screen. For her new U.K. series I Am Ruth, she decided to forgo makeup altogether and look as she does “every day of my life.”

“There are a lot of myths, I think, around perfection and actresses looking perfect all the time and, and how real that is or that isn't. And I do care about being real and telling stories that are truthful and come from a place of integrity,” she told Woman’s Hour. “That's certainly something that I feel is a shift in this time in my life. I care passionately about highlighting issues that need to be talked about that perhaps people find hard to talk about. And not shying away from truly looking like a hot mess a lot of the time. I mean, who puts on make-up while they’re doing the school run? I don’t.”

All praise to Kate Winslet, our champion.