The Venice Film Festival 2024 was marked by the rise of actresses over 50 on the red carpet. Monica Bellucci, Nicole Kidman, Isabelle Huppert, and Julianne Moore dazzled. Proving that fashion and glamour are not the preserve of youth. These stars are redefining femininity and success through bold looks. Today, they assert their presence despite the long-standing pressures on women in the film industry.
In the past, actresses approaching forty faced difficult times. Hollywood and the international film industry imposed a cruel reality on them. Roles, once numerous, suddenly became scarcer. Studios preferred to bet on young faces, convinced that older women no longer attracted as many viewers. The fate of an actress seemed sealed as she approached forty. Greta Garbo, one of cinema’s legends, ended her career at 35, in a context where aging was seen as a weakness.
The careers of these women underwent real censorship. They were offered subdued characters, often secondary. Roles of aging mothers or wives, far from the complex characters they portrayed a few years earlier. Betty Friedan, a figure of American feminism, highlighted this phenomenon in The Feminine Mystique, denouncing the reductive stereotypes perpetuated by society. Actresses thus lost their star status, becoming invisible to the general public.
But today, a turning point is occurring. The Venice Film Festival is the shining proof. Monica Bellucci (59 years old) or Isabelle Huppert (71 years old) fully embrace their age, reinventing the standards of the red carpet. They no longer hide behind discreet dresses. They dare. Nicole Kidman (57 years old) demonstrated this with a stunning Schiaparelli dress, akin to a work of art. Actresses are freeing themselves from injunctions and celebrating their newfound power.
The evolution of perceptions around the aging of actresses also illustrates a change in societal mentality. Aging has become synonymous with freedom and strength, instead of representing an end. Film roles follow this transformation. Actresses like Julianne Moore or Sigourney Weaver continue to portray powerful characters, far from stereotypes.
This change is crucial. It allows new generations of actresses to imagine long, rich, and complex careers. Cate Blanchett (55 years old) or Tilda Swinton (63 years old) show that it is possible to stay at the top, without fear of aging. Their success highlights a new horizon for cinema.
The Venice Film Festival 2024 celebrates this change. For the first time, women over 50 dominate the red carpet. Their appearances are no longer limited to nostalgia. They remind us that glamour and elegance are reinvented at every stage of life.
If in the past actresses were forced to disappear after 40, today, they are more powerful than ever. Monica Bellucci, Isabelle Huppert, Julianne Moore, and others prove that aging is a privilege. They are redefining the rules of the game, proving that elegance and boldness have no age. Society is changing, and with it, the place of women in cinema.