Sharon Stone: Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Neuro Brands
Sharon Stone is synonymous with the cinematic image of a blonde bombshell. Since the 80s, she’s floored us with her stunning good looks. And we don’t have to remind anyone about that moment in 1992’s Basic Instinct. But the 62-year-old actress recently opened up to Vogue Germany about her insecurities and personal battles with her body.
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Sharon Stone, the sex symbol
Sharon has always seemed to have a complicated relationship with her status as a sex symbol. She notes that when she started out in Hollywood, sex appeal was everything. Surprisingly, she admits that “I was too masculine, athletic and muscular, so pretty unsexy. To be perceived differently, I had myself photographed half naked for Playboy.” And it worked.
Her career-defining role in Basic Instinct soon followed. She’s been widely regarded as a sex symbol since, but it hasn’t always sat well with her. In her 40s, she came up against the reality that Hollywood deemed her ‘too old’ for certain roles.
She notes that, “It was a pretty misogynistic era twenty years ago. Mel Gibson, who is three years older than me, thought I was too old to play with him.”
Life after her stroke
Some may not remember that Sharon Stone suffered a massive stroke in 2001 – and it took several years for her to recover. “It took two years for me to be able to speak and see to some extent after the stroke. Words came out stuttering and drawn out, and I had real vision problems. I also had no feeling up to my knees. Certain medications helped me a lot, and yet it took almost seven years for my memory to recover.”
In an interview with Variety, Sharon shared just how devastating the stroke had been. Besides the obvious physical impairments, it had far-reaching effects on the rest of her life too. “I lost everything I had. I lost my place in the business.”
But this physical trauma gave Sharon a sense of perspective, and since then, she has come to terms with the notion of ageing. “Sometimes you feel strong and optimistic, and in other phases it may take more strength to deal with the past and the future.”
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Ageing and acceptance
Opening up about her experiences with ageing, Sharon shares: “There was a point in my forties when I went into the bathroom with a bottle of wine, locked the door, and said: I won’t get out until I can fully accept my body. I started to cry at the sight of my slightly ageing body and face in the magnifying mirror.”
Now, she views ageing as a privilege, especially after facing death almost two decades ago. She exercises regularly and gave up alcohol years ago. She explains, “you are not completely powerless and can slow down the process [of ageing] enormously if you pull yourself together, eat disciplined and exercise a lot.”
“Today is a good time to be brave”
When asked if she has anything she’d like people to know, Sharon Stone shared:
“I think it is essential for each of us, whether famous or not, young or old, to think about what it means to be you in life. Think it through to the end and include the result in your meditation to make your deep wish come true … I would say today is a good time to be brave, to think ahead and not to invest energy in fear … But we can only advance through love and with dignity.”
“Those who follow their bliss will land in a happy place with other happiness seekers. Those who follow fear and negativity will find their peers there.” Iconic.
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