You Won't Recognize '80s Actor Justine Bateman Today

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Justine Bateman has absolutely no qualms about being a famous '80s actor who is practically unrecognizable now. Jason Bateman's older sister first made her mark on the small screen by starring as Mallory Keaton on "Family Ties." As Justine grew older, she realized her interests lay behind the camera and pivoted to working as a writer, producer, and director. To understand just how much she transformed over the years, we only need to take one look at a side-by-side photo of her from the '80s and 2018.

Dianna Whitley & Desiree Navarro/Getty

Thanks to those photos, it's obvious that Justine chose to embrace aging in a world where many of her fellow '80s child stars have become unrecognizable, largely due to cosmetic tweaks. When Justine appeared on "60 Minutes Australia" in March 2023, Amelia Adams asked her, "Is there beauty in aging?" She bluntly replied, "I just don't give a s**t. I think I look rad. I think my face represents who I am. I like it." Although she didn't shy away from admitting that she had thought of all the ways plastic surgery could improve her appearance, she had ultimately never considered it because she felt that it would be a disservice to the experiences that had transformed her as she grew older. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Justine thought back to the time she learned that one of the Google auto-complete options for her full name was about how much she had aged. The then-42-year-old was only more confused when she looked at photos in online articles because she felt that they didn't support the notion at all.

During an April 2021 Vanity Fair interview, Justine Bateman couldn't help but chuckle at the idea that people were calling her "brave" for choosing to age naturally. "I think that whole phrase is such bull****. To me it says, 'I'm so embarrassed for you. This is so brave,'" she explained. Then, she reiterated that she was trying to shine a light on the dangerous idea that plastic surgery had become a matter of when, not if, for women in today's day and age. 

Later, during an April 2023 appearance on "Today," Bateman shared that she thought people were primarily driven to go under the knife to quell a fear, which could revolve around romantic, professional, or other aspects of life. In Bateman's view, it was better to address the root cause of the fear instead of spiraling and making a series of questionable decisions. During an April 2021 chat with People, she explained, "I think getting all this plastic surgery is just people pleasing," adding, "The more you do that, the further away you get away from your true self."

Bateman also quite literally wrote the book about dismantling negative societal notions surrounding women's aging, releasing "Face: One Square Foot of Skin" in 2022. With all of this, it's safe to say that Bateman would be rather pleased to know that there are plenty of celebrities who proudly show off their gray hair instead of concealing it.