A simple selfie from actress Rebecca Gibney has sparked a wave of women proudly sharing what they really look like as they age.
Rebecca recently posted a bare-faced photo of herself on Instagram along with a thoughtful caption about the pressures of social media and the freedom that comes with getting older.
She wrote that after scrolling through social media and seeing “bad news, AI rubbish or perfect photoshopped lives”, she felt relieved when she came across posts from fellow actress Rachel Ward, whose page often shows a more natural and authentic lifestyle.
Inspired by Rachel, Rebecca decided to share her own unfiltered photo.
“I thought I might add my unfiltered sun damaged face and my funny old cowlick fringe and fine over processed hair to the mix,” she wrote.
The actor reflected on how people in the entertainment industry often feel pressure to keep changing their appearance to stay relevant. But she said one of the best parts about ageing is eventually realising that the only opinion that really matters is your own.
She also spoke about learning to be kinder to herself and not constantly looking in the mirror for flaws.
“I’m going to stop looking in the mirror and searching for what’s wrong with myself,” she joked, adding that her eyesight isn’t great anymore so she looks “ok from where I’m standing”.
Her message resonated with many women, including fellow Australian actress Debra Lawrance, who soon posted her own makeup-free selfie.
“Following the post from the fabulous Rebecca Gibney, my 69 year old face au naturel,” Debra wrote. “Changing the algorithm one pic at a time. Let’s do this ladies.”
Together, the posts have started a small but powerful movement encouraging women to share photos of themselves ageing naturally in a world where Botox, fillers and filters are often the norm.
If her post helps even one person feel comfortable being themselves, she said, then she’s done her part.
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