Andie MacDowell Shared Why She Believes ‘Old’ Has Become Such a ‘Bad Word’ & She’s Pretty Spot-on

As far as we might feel the cultural conversation around aging has come, we still have a long way to go. Between misconceptions and perceptions about what it means to grow older, and the language we use to discuss aging, there’s a lot we still have to unpack. Andie MacDowell recently shared in a new interview why she believes “old” has become such a “bad word,” and her reason why is really quite spot-on.

Whether we as individuals subscribe to this way of thinking of not, the word “old” doesn’t exactly have the best connotation to it, especially in reference to people of a certain age group. But MacDowell has never seen it as such a negative. “I don’t think ‘old’ is a bad word for me,” she recently told Today. Then, the actress got into what has become so “bad” about the term.

Andie Macdowell is clearly having her moment. ???? https://t.co/ASXGmnt5dC

— SheKnows (@SheKnows) October 2, 2023

“What is bad, however, are all the negative connotations around aging, especially for women. Even younger people,” MacDowell shared with the outlet. “We’re so hard on ourselves.” But instead of buying into the culturally accepted connotation, MacDowell is actively trying to flip the term on its head — in other words, sort of reclaiming it.

“I say it to people all the time, ‘I’m old,’ and they’ll go, ‘No, you’re not,’ and I go, ‘Yes, I am,'” she said to Today. We really love this refreshing take and understanding of the language we use when discussing people who are older. As MacDowell noted, the connotation behind the word has rarely ever been positive, and when we use it to describe women especially, it can leave an unwanted impact. But instead of denying the word its power, MacDowell’s reclaiming it for herself and women her age and older — we are so here for it.

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity women who have spoken out about ageism.