Note to women: Express Yourselves

Whether it’s choosing what roles to play, deciding to have a cosmetic procedure or making her voice heard through voting, Virginia Madsen always tries to express herself freely, to be her own person. But that mindset didn’t come as easily as it may seem to the successful actress who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Maya in the critically-acclaimed film, “Sideways.” That’s why she’s leaning on her experiences to encourage women throughout the country to express themselves and make smart choices in life, politics and beauty.
Looking back on her life, Madsen recalls, “There was a time after my son was born when I fell apart in body, mind and spirit, and those three things needed to be addressed. I needed to clean house and get well.
“I was hardly working at all. I was always going broke because I didn’t know how to manage my finances,” she confides.
Madsen realized she had to take charge so instead of sitting on the couch, smoking cigarettes or eating pizza, she would go for a hike. “A simple choice, but not so easy to execute,” she says now, nearly a decade after turning her life around.
Madsen’s motivation was her son, the light of her life, she says. “He was inspiring because he would want me to play. People forget how to play,” she laments. Madsen wanted to be the best mother she could be. It wasn’t about being younger, like the other moms in their 20’s. It was their energy she envied.
“Spiritually, I began investigating why my spirits were so low, why I didn’t have more of a relationship with God,” she says. “I gave myself a year and a half,” remembers the determined actress. “I will feel remarkably better,” she told herself. Her goals included baby steps like healing her neck in three months, wearing a smaller size jeans in six.
“As women we have to stop punishing ourselves,” she says. “We set ourselves up for failure because commercials claim we can lose twenty-five pounds in three months. It’s the hardest thing to get yourself in shape.”
Explaining how women need to be intellectually engaged before getting involved, even when it comes to their health and diet, Madsen says she sought out teachers and guides, people who could assist her in all areas of her life.
“I found advice from a lot of people,” she says. “An amazing trainer started to help me heal my body. I started taking Pilates. When I couldn’t go to Pilates, I went hiking and just started getting out there. If I was on the beach, I started having fun and started to become engaged,” she continued. “My body was changing. I dropped a few sizes and Hollywood came knocking.”
As a result of her newfound confidence, Madsen began reading more, returned to acting school, and engaged her mind in whatever way she could, she says.
“Through this whole process I became successful and through the experience of success I became confident because I was ready,” says Madsen. “Success reveals who you really are—the good and the bad.”
Although there were naysayers, Madsen says she always had more support than negativity. “When you open yourself up to assistance, you’re going to receive it,” she reasons. “When you allow yourself to receive love, you will receive love. Support works on all levels, helping you in all kinds of things.”
Madsen’s major turnaround put her on a path that is as interesting as it is unexpected, according to the actress, but she assures it is all about life’s choices, such as the choice she made to be open about her use of Botox Cosmetic. When confronted with an invitation to criticize another actress for what an interviewer called a “frozen face,” Madsen took the bold step of proudly admitting her own use of the therapeutic injection that’s been hailed for temporarily restoring youthful foreheads around the world.
While she understands and respects that some women wish to keep this sort of information private, Madsen felt she had a responsibility to be open and honest, if only to emphasize that Botox is a medical procedure, by prescription, and to encourage women to use it under the care of a doctor.
“It’s about looking on the outside the way I feel on the inside,” says the actress in defense of the treatments that help her maintain her natural look. “I don’t want to be twenty-five. It’s suddenly kind of cool to be in your forties, and we don’t need permission anymore to want to look and feel beautiful.”
Madsen’s admission caught the attention of Allergan, the therapy’s manufacturer, who asked her to be a spokesperson. In addition, she recently partnered with them as well as The League of Women Voters to launch an important public service campaign, Freedom of Expression through Film.
The actress will be joined by her 75-year-old mother, award-winning documentary filmmaker Elaine Madsen, as part of the campaign, participating in events around the country urging women to exercise their personal choices.
“The campaign encourages women to express themselves openly and honestly and underscores the importance of making educated, informed choices about life and beauty,” says Madsen. “It also incorporates two of my personal passions—movies and participation in the political process—as two important forms of expression.”
Madsen says she’s inspired by what’s going on in the US. “In my house growing up it was a big deal to go out and vote,” she says, “but I’ve never seen people involved the way they are in this election. It makes me so proud to be in this country.”
The campaign aims to introduce prospective voters to VOTE411.org, the one-stop shop for election information sponsored by the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization dedicated to voter education and civic engagement.
Madsen hopes that through her involvement in the Freedom of Expression through Film campaign women will be encouraged to start thinking into the future about what kind of older women they want to become.
“What kind of 60-year-old do you want to be, what kind of 80-year-old do you want to be?” she asks, asserting, “I want to be powerful.
“I don’t think I’ll ever do a triathalon,” she says with a laugh, “but I want to feel as though I could.
“I want there to be choices for me. I don’t want them to be made for me.”