PARIS – Actress Gillian Anderson addresses ageism in the newest installment of L’Oréal Paris’ “Lessons of Worth” series, which goes live just before International Women’s Day.
“There’s something really crazy, concerning, ridiculous going on. Well, there are hundreds of things, but let’s stick to the one thing that we maybe can do something about,” she says at the start of the three-minute clip breaking Friday on L’Oréal Paris’ social media platforms. “Apparently, women over 50 are disappearing, becoming invisible. I know, it’s like a Hollywood plot twist.
“You’re noticed, you’re needed, you’re whistled at, you’re even hit on,” Anderson continues. “And then — poof — a few years later, you don’t exist. You’re in the way. They wonder what the hell you’re still doing here.”
She says the phenomenon takes place everywhere. Yet aging is something to be embraced, admired, celebrated and respected.
“Because even if you think I’m easy to dismiss as an angry, menopausal feminist, the fact is I have never felt better,” Anderson says. “I have never felt more alive in my skin, clear-headed, purposeful, free of self-judgment, and while my body might be surprising me and frustrating me sometimes, in truth, I feel like I have gained — not lost — gained. Gained perspective, confidence, wisdom and definitely, if not more than ever, the desire to say [censor beep] off.”
The censor beep then stops, and Anderson speaks her mind even more freely. She’s not going to disappear. “I’m a voice and a mind and a body stronger and more present and more unfiltered than ever,” she said, ending with the L’Oréal Paris tagline, “because I’m worth it.”
The “Lessons of Worth” series started in 2020 with the role of the brand’s ambassadors in mind. They’ve always been considered “extraordinary women who have a voice, and a voice that can help other women to embrace not only their beauty, but their approach to life and to self-worth,” explained Olivier Monteil, senior vice president of global image at L’Oréal Paris.
Gillian Anderson at L’Oréal Paris’ fashion show, called Le Defilé, in September 2025.
Getty Images for L’Oréal Paris/Courtesy
Installments have featured the likes of Viola Davis, Elle Fanning, Eva Longoria and Kate Winslet, each offering different vantage points, including age and cultural perspectives. “‘Lessons of Worth’ came as this media to voice their experience and how valuable it can be to support other women,” Monteil said.
In the ’90s, Anderson played the iconic role of doctor Dana Scully in the TV series “The X-Files.” “This series has encouraged women to embrace scientific careers,” Monteil said. That phenomenon is called “The Scully Effect.”
“It’s very dear to L’Oréal Paris as this reflection of how we still have a lot to do in terms of female representation in society,” Monteil said, adding that women over 50 have always represented a strong group of leaders at the brand. They include Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren and Andie MacDowell.
L’Oréal Paris is always looking at consumers’ reality and perception, according to Monteil, who said that one survey showed that 70 percent of women feel they become invisible with age. Anderson was fascinated by the topic, so set out to help change the narrative and reality.
In working with McCann, she was given carte blanche on her script.
The “Lessons of Worth” spot featuring Anderson breaks two days before International Women’s Day, which is on Sunday.
