Jane Fonda Admits She's 'Not Proud' of Plastic Surgery

"But I grew up so defined by my looks," she said.

It's a surprising comment for such an acclaimed actress, who still is the center of attention when she attends a premiere.

"When I was starting out as an actress in New York, I worked as a model because I needed to pay for acting classes. But I didn’t have what it took to be a model. I hated all the emphasis on how I looked, and I never paid much attention to clothes,” she told W magazine for its June/July cover.

"I realized I didn’t have a lot of time left," she added. “I had a vision: I wanted to give a cultural face to older women."

"I did have plastic surgery. I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve had it. But I grew up so defined by my looks. I was taught to think that if I wanted to be loved, I had to be thin and pretty. That leads to a lot of trouble," she said.

She continued, “I’m older now, and I have to be more self-conscious. When you’re young, you can get away with more. I always thought that being self-conscious was a negative. But now I feel differently."