Tracee Ellis Ross reminds us to embrace the journey of aging

The actress says she’s “so much more comfortable” now that she’s older 

It’s safe to say Tracee Ellis Ross is aging like fine wine. 

On a recent episode of NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute” podcast, the actress candidly shared her thoughts on aging in an industry that significantly emphasizes youthfulness. “I personally have always loved getting older, like genuinely, I think it’s an honor to get older,” Ross said. “Not everybody gets to get older, and I’m not sure why we don’t look at it that way.” 

Now, Ross understands the allure of being youthful — the tighter skin, faster metabolism, etc. However, she said how she wouldn’t return to her youth even if someone paid her. The coming-of-age journey for the Pattern Beauty founder ushered in a new level of self-confidence. 

“I am so much more comfortable in my skin,” Ross said. “I intuitively know how to handle things that used to baffle me. I know when it’s time to leave a party. I know that ‘no’ is a complete sentence. And this is wonderful.” 

But the 50-year-old’s unapologetic approach to aging comes with some unexpected cons, like anything in life. For instance, she explains how “there’s a whole bunch of stuff that ain’t happening that I really thought was gonna be happening,” which has consequently turned her into the spokesperson for the contentedly single despite her active desire for a relationship.  

“Listen! He’s gonna come, he’s not gonna come,” Ross said in an interview on Today, People reported in January. “In the meantime, I’m gonna live my life and have a ball!”

And the “Girlfriends” star is doing just that, sometimes taking a lighthearted and comedic approach to the ups and downs of aging. In a video posted on Instagram, she documents her first swim of the year while feeling “hot as ever.” But she also jokes about the muscle aches that have come with reaching the half-century mark. 

“I just want you to know I just bent my knee, just bent it, and it hurt; it was like ‘ouch,’ which is exactly what happens when I wake up in the morning now,” Ross joked. 

“I wake up at 50, hot as ever, and it[‘]s as if someone beat me up while I was sleeping. I’m like ‘oh, oh,’ that’s how I wake up, ‘ouch, ow, ugh,’ and then I have to stretch, who knew that was gonna be real?” 

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