Hollywood has long been an industry that not only celebrated but fixated on an idealised image of youth, beauty, and glamour — qualities that were overwhelmingly expected from its female leading ladies. Historically, the industry’s actresses face an unspoken expiration date on their careers, with their value often tied to their appearance rather than their talent. There are but a handful of Meryl Streeps in the world, fortunate enough to have roles written for every stage of their lives — a rarity for most actresses. There has been a gradual effort from women in the industry to fight against this stigma, but 2025’s red carpet season may just be the most optimistic turn of the tides yet. 

The recent Golden Globes award season was a triumph for women over 45, with actresses like Demi Moore, Zoe Saldaña, and Fernanda Torres, taking home prizes for their work. Other highlights included nominations for Pamela Anderson’s The Last Showgirl, and Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of opera singer Maria Callas in the biopic Maria. The 2025 Oscar nominations seem to be following suit — though to a lesser degree — with Moore, Saldaña, and Torres being nominated once again. The long-overdue recognition of these actresses marks a much-needed change in the entertainment industry and how it values women and their contributions over time.

A Renaissance of Underrepresented Women

From this year’s red carpet season, two trends are especially prevalent: recognition for women who do not/no longer fit the traditional standard of youth, beauty, and femininity; and a larger spotlight for women of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. In other words, the latest success for women at the Golden Globes and Oscars nominations represents a significant shift for marginalised or underrepresented women in Hollywood. 

First described by French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, the concept of the underrepresented woman suggests that women are always seen as the “second sex” in relation to men — the idea that women are not equal or a counterpart, but simply the “other.” In Hollywood, this manifests itself in the type of roles women are offered, the type of opportunities they have within the industry, and how they are portrayed on screen. Older women, in particular, are oftentimes relegated to a supporting role, portraying characters like wives or grandmothers.  

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2025 has flipped this frame of thinking on its head. Demi Moore’s win at the Golden Globes for Best Actress in The Substance was a high point for the industry. Ironically, the body horror film is a critique of Hollywood’s treatment of older women, in which Moore plays a fading celebrity who struggles to cling on to her youth, and therefore, relevance in the industry. In the acceptance speech for her win, Moore said, “I’ve been doing this a long time, over 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything.” It was a moment of vindication for the increasing acceptance of women over a certain age, challenging ageist norms in Hollywood. Moore reinforced the message at the end of her speech: “In those moments where we don’t think we’re smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough… I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know that you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.’”

Similarly, Zoe Saldaña’s first win at the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez, was another important milestone for women who were beyond their twenties and early thirties. It also highlighted Hollywood’s expanding view of Latinx and Afro-Latina identities, by offering more nuanced roles for women of colour. The movement is not new, though it has picked up in more recent years. A year prior, Lily Gladstone was the first Native American to win a Golden Globe for best actress for her work in Killers of the Flower Moon. In 2022, Michelle Yeoh made headlines by becoming the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All At Once. In Saldaña’s winner interview with the Golden Globes, the actress said she used her own experiences to help portray her character of Rita Mora Castro. “I’ve never felt stronger to be that vulnerable and to disclose so much of myself,” Saldaña said, “I reconnected with my identity by doing a film in my Spanish language… that really felt like coming home.” 

Meanwhile, Fernanda Torres made history by becoming the first Brazilian to win Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama. Her portrayal of activist Eunice Paiva in I’m Still Here was described by Deadline as a “performance that should catapult her into the awards race.” Her win represents a broader trend where non-English language films and international voices are receiving more attention. The recognition for foreign films has only been increasing during awards season since the South Korean film Parasite took home the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020. Most endearingly, Torres’ award comes full circle for women in international cinema, as she dedicated her Golden Globe win to her mother, Fernanda Montenegro — the only other Brazilian to be nominated for the category 25 years ago. “This is proof that art can endure through life,” Torres said during her acceptance speech.

Together, these milestones suggest a shift away from the “othering” of women who do not fit the traditional Hollywood mold, ushering in a more inclusive era where diverse, complex female stories are becoming more of a norm.

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Characters, Not Stereotypes

The current landscape of the awards season is not only significant because it acknowledges women’s talents beyond their so-called “prime”, but is also indicative of the kinds of stories being told. Moore, Saldaña, and Torres won for roles that speak to their lived experiences. In doing so, they show a full spectrum of what it means to be a woman in today’s world, whether vulnerable and flawed or powerful and capable. 

Acclaim within the awards circuit has also allowed actresses to experience personal career comebacks. One of the most triumphant stories is Pamela Anderson, who has been trying to reinvent her “sex symbol” image since appearing on Baywatch. In the 2020s, she saw success with her Broadway debut in Chicago, the documentary Pamela, A Love Story, and most recently, nominations for The Last Showgirl, where she plays an aging Las Vegas dancer. Of the role, Anderson told NPR that she resonated with her character, Shelly Gardner. “If I had any other life, I couldn’t have played Shelly as I did,” she said. “I had this amazing, wild, messy life and that gave me a lot to pull from when I was playing this character. … I feel like my pockets are full of experience.” 

Anderson’s return to prominence is mirrored by other actresses who have also reclaimed their narratives, including Angelina Jolie who — after a brief hiatus from Hollywood —  appears as the titular character in Maria. In the film, Maria Callas, renowned for her vocal talent, beauty, and influence on opera, grapples with the loss of her once-celebrated voice. Jolie — who is also no stranger to the pressures of Hollywood — has openly acknowledged the similarities between her own experiences and Callas’ journey. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she described how she identified with Callas’ story: “…the way I related to her was probably the part of her that’s extremely soft and doesn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she truly was — as emotionally open as she truly was… I share her vulnerability more than anything.”

Hollywood Ahead

Above all, this year’s red carpet season has showcased a new sense of agency for women in Hollywood, with control over both their careers and their on-screen personas. While these success stories should be celebrated, they are still anomalies within the industry’s history. A 2025 study by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that women behind the camera were still a minority in 2024. The report states that “progress has stalled for women directors” with only 13.4 percent of the top 100 films in 2024 being directed by women. Of course, this is still an increase from the 2000s and 2010s, when numbers went as low as 1.9 percent of female directors. 

The 2025 awards season demonstrates that audiences are ready for complex, multi-layered roles for women of all ages. If stories that centred on underrepresented women can continue to achieve critical and financial success, they have the potential to reshape the tropes that Hollywood considers commercially viable, challenging its long-standing obsession with youth and beauty. Hopefully, the growing momentum and success stories of underrepresented women will trickle down to those working behind the camera as well. A study by San Diego State University found that more women were entering roles as cinematographers, writers, and producers in 2024. Angelina Jolie — on top of starring in Maria — directed her seventh film, Without Blood in the same year, adding to a growing shift for actresses stepping into production roles. Moreover, standouts like Greta Gerwig’s Barbie only prove that women-led film projects can be critically and commercially successful. Hollywood may be awakening to the potential of underrepresented women, but the true test will come when it starts offering more opportunities for women to shape stories, not just star in them.

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