Why Gen X Celebrities Are Desperate to Stay Sexy—And Why That’s Not Empowerment

There’s a difference between aging gracefully and refusing to age at all. Unfortunately, a growing number of Gen X female celebrities, now in their 50s and 60s, are choosing the latter. These women, once the icons of red carpets and Maxim covers, are now clinging to youth with sequins, thongs, and thirst-trap Instagram posts.

This week alone, Jennifer Lopez hit the 2025 Pride World Festival in what can only be described as a glittery thong with wings. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Hurley celebrated her 60th birthday with an all-nude photo and a headline-making declaration: she’s in love with Billy Ray Cyrus. Yes, that Billy Ray.

 

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You’d think maturity might bring wisdom. But for some of these Hollywood women, it just brought better lighting and less shame.

The Gen X Obsession With Staying Sexy

It’s not complicated. This isn’t about bashing women who want to feel beautiful. It’s about the desperation for sexual relevance that’s masquerading as empowerment. These female celebrities came of age in a time when being hot meant having power. So now, with the glow of youth behind them, they’re doing everything they can to keep the spotlight, even if it means losing their dignity in the process.

It’s not empowerment if it reads like a midlife audition for Love Island: AARP Edition.

This is especially true for Gen X women, raised in the era of Baywatch, Victoria’s Secret Angels, and magazine spreads that told them their worth began and ended with desirability. Now in their 50s and 60s, instead of embracing aging with grace, they’re treating wrinkles like a threat to their brand.

Why Megyn Kelly Is Right to Call This Out

Megyn Kelly recently weighed in on this trend, criticizing Jennifer Lopez’s outfit at the Pride World Festival. She nailed the heart of the issue. How can we teach young girls to value themselves beyond their bodies when grown women keep proving that body parts still hold the most currency?

Kudos to Megyn Kelly for using her platform to inject some sanity into the conversation.

JLo performed at the 2025 World Pride Festival in Washington, D.C., over the weekend in an extremely skimpy bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination. This is a 55-year-old woman who – I guess in an attempt to be empowered and show us how you can still be fierce over 50 – thinks it is really important that she show us her vagina. This is basically the same thing we saw from Halle Berry at the Met Gala when she wore that dress with alternating sheer and black-sequined stripes that showed off her side-pube. – Megyn Kelly

Megyn went on to say what the rest of us are too polite to blurt out—this isn’t female empowerment, it’s grown women cosplaying relevance in fishnets. And when fifty-somethings keep flashing skin to stay in the spotlight, it doesn’t inspire young girls. It confuses them. We’re supposed to be the example, not the cautionary tale.

Aging Gracefully vs. Aging Desperately

There’s a world of difference between aging gracefully and refusing to let go of the spotlight. Dressing boldly is one thing. But when it crosses into public desperation for male approval or worse, social media validation, that’s not strength. That’s panic.

Women like Emma Thompson, Diane Keaton, Sandra Bullock, Laura Linney, and Marisa Tomei are living proof that you don’t need to flash flesh to stay relevant. They’re growing older, not growing desperate. They show up, deliver the work, and leave the spectacle to the ones still confusing shock value with substance.

And in music, look at someone like Stevie Nicks—still touring, still mesmerizing, and never once had to strip down for attention. Or Norah Jones, who lets her voice and artistry speak louder than any wardrobe ever could. These women aren’t shrinking. They’re standing tall—and fully dressed.

Meanwhile, Liz Hurley’s birthday suit and Billy Ray romance feel less like “living her best life” and more like a high-gloss cry for attention.

Dear Hollywood Women: You Can Still Be Beautiful With Your Clothes On

This post isn’t about being prudish. It’s about common sense, self-worth, and cultural sanity. Out here in the real world, the rest of us are trying to grow into our older years with a little dignity, a little grit, and hopefully fewer selfies in a thong.

I don’t need to flash my pelvic bone to know I’m still interesting. I’ve earned my confidence the hard way through life, not lighting.

So no, I’m not trying to disappear into beige. But I’m also not chasing relevance by stripping down on social media. My goal is to age gracefully, with some sass, and all my clothes on.

And Liz? Honey, bless your heart. If you’ve found joy with Billy Ray, more power to you. Just don’t let the rhinestones blind you to the bigger picture. Love is a beautiful thing—but it doesn’t have to come with a press tour and a filter.

Women Deserve Better Than This

Middle-aged women in Hollywood are more visible than ever, but visibility without depth is just noise. If we want the next generation to grow up with better role models, it starts with the current ones choosing substance over spectacle.

You don’t have to be invisible. Just don’t be ridiculous.