Jane Fonda said wanting men to find her attractive is “just part of my DNA”.
The actress and activist, 83, said despite being a feminist she pays more attention to how she looks if she is seeing a man rather than a woman.
Fonda told Grazia magazine: “I’m going to tell you the absolute truth. I thought of this the other day, if I’m going to be on a Zoom meeting and I know that there’s going to be a man – even if I go to a doctor and it’s a guy – I mean, I feel ashamed even admitting that, but I pay a little extra attention to how I look than I do if it’s a woman.
“I became an adult in the 1950s and it’s just part of my DNA, wanting men to find me attractive. I probably will feel that way on my death bed.”
Fonda, a two-time Oscar winner, added: “I do it because I need to feel that they think I’m attractive. I don’t mean sexy, I mean just look good for my age.
“Guys tell me, whether they’re a doctor or a hairdresser or whatever, that other people say, ‘Oh my God, you know Jane Fonda! What does she look like?!’ I want for them to say, ‘she looks good for her age’.”
Fonda’s best-known films include Klute, Coming Home and On Golden Pond.
She was a prominent figure in the 1960s counterculture movement and staunchly opposed the Vietnam War.
Fonda has recently dedicated her time to raising awareness of climate change.
This week’s The Classics Issue of Grazia is on sale now.