Andie MacDowell, 66, is goals to me on so many levels. She was on the cusp of being one of my generation’s “it” actresses, and she could have been a bigger deal if she hustled more, but she moved to Montana to raise her kids. I’ve enjoyed seeing how she’s since carved out a niche for herself without chasing fame or youth. Andie walked the runway for L’oreal’s Walk Your Worth in Paris a few weeks ago along with other luminaries like Viola Davis and Jane Fonda. She was working a silver strapless gown, but it wasn’t her first option. Andie told People Magazine that she had a fitting for another gown that didn’t fit properly and that she beat herself up for not fitting into it at first. The next morning she realized that she should just pick a more comfortable dress and that she had other priorities.
On Nov. 21, while attending L’Oréal Paris’ Women of Worth Celebration, [Andie MacDowell], 66, opened up to PEOPLE about coming to the realization that she shouldn’t give in to expectations and the pressure she feels in Hollywood.
“I did a fitting and the dress was really tight around my waist. It looks so good, but I woke up and I just knew it was not the right thing for me to do,” she recalls. “I wanted to wear something that was comfortable. And, of course, immediately I shamed myself for not being able to fit into this dress.”
“But that’s Hollywood,” she says. “It’s this expectation, like you see in The Substance, to be something that you can no longer be and that was easier at a certain time in your life, but I can’t. I’m too old to starve myself for 5 lbs. nonstop. I just can’t do it anymore.”
MacDowell says she doesn’t have to “stuff” herself into clothes that don’t fit her and then beat herself up for not being able to wear it properly. She adds that every time she gets a break from Hollywood she actually feels better about her appearance.
“I used to live in Montana. When I’m at home, I feel skinny,” she admits. “It’s only when I come out here that I feel like the bar is raised so high and the expectations are beyond anything that anybody can accomplish unless you’re completely devoted to being skinny.”
“If that were the only thing that I thought about, I could do it, but there are other things I want to do in my life,” she continues. “I want to learn about birds and I want to walk on the beach and I want to be smart and I want to read books. I want to work out, but I don’t want that to be the only thing. I’d rather have the 5 lbs. on me and wear something that fits.”
Andie went on to talk about her grandneice who struggled with anorexia at just 12 years old. She said she’s doing well now and that social media really affected her. Andie’s story about those five pounds was so relatable to me. I’m constantly trying to lose five pounds. At first it was five pounds from the pandemic and then it was five more pounds from the ensuing years. Menopause is a bitch and you really get hungry. When I give myself a break and just buy clothes that fit I feel so much more confident and better about myself. Also I loved her explanation that being thin is no longer the focus of her life because she has a ton of other things she’s interested in. Exercise is just one thing that brings her joy. Now I also want to learn about birds!
Sidenote: Cara Delevingne looks different, right?
Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Oliver Sanchez/Julie Edwards/Olivier Huitel/Avalon