Lifestyle Style Charlize Theron Loves That Her Face Is Changing as She Ages: ‘This Is Just What Happens’ The actress also slammed double standards and plastic surgery rumors in a candid interview: ‘I want to fight against it’ By Michael Lee Simpson Michael Lee Simpson Michael Lee Simpson is a Digital News Writer at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. His work has previously appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Variety, BuzzFeed, Reader's Digest, Backstage, Creative Screenwriting Magazine, The Drill Mag, Script Magazine, Ocala Magazine, and The Kansas City Star. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 18, 2023 04:00PM EDT Close Photo: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Charlize Theron is not afraid of getting older. The Oscar-winning actress, who turned 48 on Aug. 7, opened up to Allure about her views on aging and how she embraces the changes in her appearance. "My face is changing, and I love that my face is changing and aging,” she told the outlet. But people think I had a facelift. They’re like, ‘What did she do to her face?’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I’m just aging! It doesn’t mean I got bad plastic surgery. This is just what happens.’” Theron also said she’s “always had issues” with double standards when it comes to the aging conversation, noting “that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers.” “I despise that concept and I want to fight against it,” she said, adding, “but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them. I think we need to be a little bit more empathetic to how we all go through our journey. My journey of having to see my face on a billboard is quite funny now.” Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images The Monster star isn’t the only celebrity who's embracing the aging process but also calling out double standards. Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, spoke to British Vogue last month about the realities of women being judged more harshly than men for getting older. Charlize Theron's Dating History: From Stuart Townsend to Sean Penn "I think it’s culture’s problem. It’s not ours!" she said. "As women, we want to be healthy, we want to be aging. This idea that we’re supposed to be frozen in time is so weird." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories “I love it when I hear somebody like Andie MacDowell, with her beautiful gray curls, talking about embracing aging and the difference between how we handle a George Clooney [compared to how most women are perceived]," she continued. "It’s handsome to go gray [as a man], but for women it’s like, 'What do you plan to do about your wrinkles and your aging skin?'" Stefanie Keenan/Getty Rita Moreno Jokes About How She Got Cast in 'Fast X': 'Pays to Sleep with the Right People' The Iron Man star added: "But again, we want to be aging! I think we want to be setting examples of how you can age." Paltrow expressed that every woman should deal with their own way of aging "how they want to do it"— whether that means embracing it naturally or getting cosmetic treatments. "Some women want to address every single thing aesthetically, and some women want to be a fabulous French grandmother who doesn’t ever do anything,” the Shakespeare in Love star explained. Everybody should be empowered to do it how they want to.” She added, “the most important thing” is self-care, noting that her daughter, Apple Martin, grew up seeing her respecting her body and health. “I think she understands how your mental state, your nutritional state and your levels of exercise all really do impact your ‘beauty.’”