Shannen Doherty Says She Wants More Recognition And Appreciation For Women Without Botox And Fillers

Jun 08, 2021

Shannen Doherty, 50, is known for her acting skills, but also for her openness and vulnerability when it comes to her life. Unfortunately, for the last few years, Doherty has been battling breast cancer.

In a moving interview she gave in February 2020, Doherty, best known for her roles in hit TV shows such as Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, spoke openly about her cancer returning at the time and the sad fact that it is diagnosed as now stage 4. In the interview, she said that she intended on living life to the fullest and hopes she still has a lot more time left to enjoy with her friends and family. But she has also said that she is thinking about when the time comes to say goodbye.

Doherty has continued to live authentically since then and has shown her strength during a difficult time in her life. Most recently, Doherty posted an Instagram photo on June 06, 2021, where she explained how women who are more relatable require more appreciation in mainstream society. 

In the post, she shared a makeup-free selfie to practice what she wanted to see more of, and by doing so, she earned the praise of other women who believed in the same message.

After all, the age of social media has created an environment where perfection in looks is achieved through camera filters that can dramatically change the way a person looks, and where young women don't hesitate to turn to plastic surgery and other alterations such as botox and fillers to change their faces. 

In the makeup-free selfie that Doherty posted on June 6, 2021, she wrote, "Watching movies tonight and noticed there were few female characters I could relate to. You know, women without fillers, without Botox, without a facelift. Women who embraced their face and all the experience it showed." She continued:

"I have lived. I love that I’ve lived and that my face reflects my life. I survived a lot yes cancer but more than that. I embrace me now. Finally. Done with the perception magazines and Hollywood try to make us in to. I want to see women like me. Women like us."

Her post got a lot of support, with one person having commented, "Aging is a privilege afforded to few. You wear your journey beautifully ❤️❤️," while another person said, "Thank you. We need more of you."

Doherty has been very open about her life in the past, especially about her cancer diagnosis and the struggles that came with it. The actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, her cancer went into remission, Elle reported. But with cancer, it is impossible to know when it will rear its ugly head again. Sadly in late 2019 after suffering from some back pain, a PET scan showed Doherty's cancer was back and had spread to her spine.

After an appearance on ABC News in February 2020, Doherty revealed her breast cancer had returned.

"It's going to come out in a matter of days or a week that I have stage 4. So my cancer came back, and that's why I'm here," Doherty said.

She added, "I don't think I've processed it. It's a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways." During the interview, she also spoke about the emotional challenges that came with the diagnosis. "I definitely have days where I say why me. And then I go, well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this? None of us do," the actress said. 

She reflected on her life with stage 4 cancer means in an interview with Elle as well in September 2020, where she said: 

“At the end of that, what I came out with was, I have good karma. It may not seem like it, but I’ve been a really good human being. I try to treasure all the small moments that most people don’t really see or take for granted.”

In the past metastatic breast cancer was seen as having a grim prognosis, but today patients can live for years. 

When asked about what the future feels like, she finds it difficult to think too far down the line. She has a lot that she wants to say to her loved ones, especially her mom and husband, photographer Kurt Iswarienko.

Despite the pain of looking ahead, she has done so and revealed she has considered making video messages for her family members to watch after her passing, but imagining making those videos isn't easy.

“But whenever it comes time for me to do it, it feels so final. It feels like you’re signing off, and I’m not signing off,” she added.

Our thoughts are with Shannen Doherty at this difficult time. What do you think about her message on her most recent social media post? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to others as well.