Justine Bateman, The "Family Ties" Star, Takes A Stand Against Society's Obsession With Her 'Old' Face

Justine Bateman has been getting some attention lately for her attitude toward aging. Apparently, she’s not too worried about what people think of her “old” face.

The sister of actor Jason Bateman shot to fame in the 1980s as Michael J. Fox’s older sister, Mallory, on the sitcom Family Ties. She has been in the public eye since her teenage years.

On 60 Minutes Australia, Justine revealed that she had just learned people were commenting on her age when she googled herself.

“So I put in my name, googled my name, Justine Bateman, and then the auto-complete came up, which was ‘looks old,” the writer and director said.

Justine was only in her early 40s when she discovered people were calling her old online.

“And I was only 42 at the time — 40, 42 — and I was like, ‘What?’” she said.

She was baffled when she saw the pictures that were being used as “evidence” that she looked old.

“And I looked at the pictures that they had as evidence and I couldn’t see what they were talking about.”

Justine was also recently asked if she thinks aging can be beautiful, and her response was tremendous.

“Well, when you say, ‘Is there beauty in aging?,’ aren’t you really saying, ‘Do you think it’s possible for other people to find aging beautiful?’ she went on. “And like, I just don’t give a s–t.”

Justine Bateman is a total inspiration when it comes to aging. She says, “I think I look rad. I think my face represents who I am. I like it. And so that’s basically the end of the road.”

She then shared her thoughts on women who use Botox and filler to prevent wrinkles. She said, “I feel sad for them. I feel sad that they’re not just enjoying life.”

She also had some strong words for those who feel the need to alter their appearance with Botox and filler constantly.

“I feel sad that they are distracted from the things they’re meant to do in life, with this consuming idea that they’ve got to fix their face before anything else can happen.”

Justine Bateman has some advice for women overly concerned with aging. She says, “Forget about your face! That is what I’m saying. Get rid of the fear that your face being wrinkled is going to ruin a bunch of opportunities for you.”

Justine has transitioned from acting to directing. She shared that her career is “just getting started.” She’s also been candid about her thoughts on plastic surgery, admitting to looking in the mirror and wondering what she’d look like.

Justine suggests that one should get a lower facelift to eliminate excess skin that reflects light and an eyelid operation to remove drooping skin hanging over the eyelid. But she questions whether they would be worth it in the end.

The Face: One Square Foot of Skin explained the societal pressure to maintain a youthful appearance. While acknowledging that she could make some changes, Justine ultimately feels that altering her appearance would undermine the “authority” she has earned.

She explained that she enjoys being a changed person from when she was in her 20s.

“I like feeling that I’m a different person now than I was when I was 20,” she described.

She further mentioned that seeing that physical evidence of change in the mirror brings her joy:

“I like looking in the mirror and seeing that evidence.”

Justine Bateman’s new book, Face: One Square Foot of Skin, delves into aging and its impact on physical appearance.

In her book, she shared stories from 47 women she interviewed, discussing their experiences with aging and the societal expectations to maintain a youthful appearance.

Bateman has starred in many other TV shows and movies besides Family Ties, including Satisfaction, Men Behaving Badly, Californication, The TV Set, and Desperate Housewives.

She made her directorial debut with the film Violet, which stars Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux, and premiered at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival.