Like many other stars aging in the spotlight, Valerie Bertinelli and Jennifer Love Hewitt have found themselves subjected to criticism and unflattering commentary. In response, Bertinelli, 63, and 44-year-old Hewitt have taken to social media to clap back at detractors and embrace the aging process.
The criticism goes two ways. Bertinelli has been an active player in the body positivity movement, especially after having her weight commented on by online trolls. Both she and Hewitt have been bombarded by negative comments for using filters on their photos as well. Both have made PSAs embracing aging and the use of whatever product makes a person feel better about themselves.
Valerie Bertinelli addresses the use of Botox, wigs, makeup, and filters after facing persistent criticisms
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Last year, Bertinelli took to social media to address a comment she received that reads, “The Botox looks great.” In her video, she said, “I know you didn’t mean that as a compliment, but let’s talk about it, shall we?”
RELATED: Valerie Bertinelli Shares How Botox Changed Her Face In Response To Snarky Comment
She admitted to using Botox in the past but not caring for it before continuing, “You’re trying to shame me, and you’re a woman. Like, what made you go out of your way to try to shame me? I’m not the first person to try to be shamed on TikTok or Instagram or any place. So, we’re women. We have to stick together, okay? Don’t shame somebody if they want to do something, anything, to make themselves feel better as they go out into this insane, flipping crazy world, OK.”
When Bertinelli, like Hewitt, used a filter, she was also criticized for the choice. In another video labeled a “PSA about filters and grey roots,” Bertinelli said, “I’m filming with no filter today because some of y’all get really bent out of shape when I choose to use a filter, which I’ve told you about. Sometimes I use filter, and sometimes I don’t. Most of the time, I do use filter because this is me with no makeup, and this is no filter.” She was also accused to wearing a wig, to which Bertinelli countered, “Can you get me a wig without flipping gray roots then?”
Jennifer Love Hewitt has received criticism similar to what Valerie Bertinelli faced
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Bertinelli acknowledged and was grateful that “99.9 percent of you are really kind, sweet people and don’t give a flying flip whether I have roots or I put a filter on.” But commentary like this persists on posts Bertinelli makes as well as those from Hewitt.
Hewitt has called aging in Hollywood “really hard” because “you can’t do anything right.” Going back to Bertinelli, she has had her weight commented on by online trolls – she’s also been slammed for using filters. So, which way is acceptable?
Hewitt used filters and “The picture ended up somewhere,” she shared on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast. “And a bunch of people were like, ‘Jennifer Love Hewitt is unrecognizable. She’s unrecognizable and so she’s gone to filters because she doesn’t want us to know how bad she actually looks now in her 40s.’ And I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ Right?”
“So then, I did a bunch of like over-the-top, like crazy filters on my Instagram,” Hewitt continued, “and I was like, ‘Au Natural. No filter’ Like trying to make fun of it. And then they came after me for that… They were like, ‘Now she’s just defending herself.”
While the trolling hasn’t stopped, Hewitt is determined to at least flip the script on aging. She explained that “aging is a privilege” because “it means you’re here. It means you’re still living it.” Time passes, but it’s time spent living life to its fullest and that’s exactly what Hewitt, Bertinelli, and many others under constant scrutiny intend to do.
