‘Family Ties’ Star Justine Bateman Reveals Why She Feels ‘Sad’ For Young Women Who Think They Need Plastic Surgery

Justine Bateman, who rose to fame in the 1980s when she starred on the sitcom “Family Ties,” has defied Hollywood by choosing to age naturally. At 57 years-old, she’s speaking out in a new interview to reveal why she feels “sad” for younger women who feel the need to get plastic surgery.

Bateman Discusses Pressure To Get Plastic Surgery

While appearing on the “Today” show on Monday morning, Bateman told hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb that she thinks fear is what is driving young people to get plastic surgery. 

“I think that everybody has a completion to this sentence: ‘I’m afraid if people think I look old than therefore …,’ and for different people, it’s different things,” she explained. “Some are afraid they’ll lose their job or never get a job or not get a mate or no one’s going to listen to them or whatever.”

“My position is: That fear existed before your face started changing,” Bateman continued. “So, it’s an opportunity to take care of that fear so it’s not leading you around by the nose and making you make other decisions that are not you, taking you off track.”

Bateman went on to say that younger women who get plastic surgery may not specifically be trying to avoid looking older. Instead, they might be trying to avoid feeling the way some older people feel about the way that they look. 

“They see all these older people going, ‘Oh, I’ve got to change this, I’ve got to change that, I’m so afraid, I’m so afraid,'” Bateman said. “And I think the young women are going, ‘I don’t want to feel like that. I don’t want to feel terrified that my face is getting older.'”

Related: ‘Family Ties’ Star Justine Bateman, 57, Fires Back At Haters Attacking Her For Having An ‘Old Face’

Bateman Thinks She Looks ‘Rad’

Last month, Bateman opened up to “60 Minutes Australia” about her decision to age naturally.

“I think I look rad,” she said. “I think my face represents who I am. I like it and so that’s basically the end of the road.” 

In her latest interview with “Today,” Bateman revealed that a woman contacted her on social media to say that her 16 year-old daughter felt empowered by her comments about aging.

“She said, ‘It was great, now I’m not afraid of getting old,'” Bateman recalled. “If it’s just one person …”

Bateman also talked to “Today” about receiving a comment on social media last year from someone who said that she looked “so old.”

“That person is telling you what they think of themselves,” Bateman said. “When they look in the mirror, that’s what they say to themselves. They’re telling you about themselves and not telling you about you.”

Related: Justine Bateman Gets Supported By Andie MacDowell In Push To Age Naturally – ‘I’m Tired Of Trying To Be Young’

Bateman’s Advice For Younger Women

In the end, Bateman wants to encourage other women to not be fooled into paying tons of money for plastic surgery or other things in the hopes of looking younger. 

“I would say to any young woman, you’re being lied to,” she concluded. “Who’s making money off of this? You’re being lied to, and you’re being tricked off your path. You’ve got some awesome things coming your way. Just stay on your path, and just ride it out.”

Society’s obsession with looking young has gone so far that younger generations are being pressured to get plastic surgery at earlier and earlier ages these days. We applaud Bateman for having the courage to speak out about the importance of aging naturally, and we hope that younger women heed her advice!