Andie MacDowell ‘Shamed’ Herself for Not Fitting Into a Dress — Then Realized ‘I’m Too Old to Starve Myself for 5 Lbs.’ (Exclusive)

Andie MacDowell says she’s getting too old to worry about unrealistic body and beauty standards.

On Nov. 21, while attending L’Oréal Paris’ Women of Worth Celebration, the actress, 66, opened up to PEOPLE about coming to the realization that she shouldn’t give in to expectations and the pressure she feels in Hollywood.

“I did a fitting and the dress was really tight around my waist. It looks so good, but I woke up and I just knew it was not the right thing for me to do,” she recalls. “I wanted to wear something that was comfortable. And, of course, immediately I shamed myself for not being able to fit into this dress.” 

“But that’s Hollywood,” she says. “It’s this expectation, like you see in The Substance, to be something that you can no longer be and that was easier at a certain time in your life, but I can’t. I’m too old to starve myself for 5 lbs. nonstop. I just can’t do it anymore.”

MacDowell says she doesn’t have to “stuff” herself into clothes that don’t fit her and then beat herself up for not being able to wear it properly. She adds that every time she gets a break from Hollywood she actually feels better about her appearance.

“I used to live in Montana. When I’m at home, I feel skinny,” she admits. “It’s only when I come out here that I feel like the bar is raised so high and the expectations are beyond anything that anybody can accomplish unless you’re completely devoted to being skinny.” 

“If that were the only thing that I thought about, I could do it, but there are other things I want to do in my life,” she continues. “I want to learn about birds and I want to walk on the beach and I want to be smart and I want to read books. I want to work out, but I don’t want that to be the only thing. I’d rather have the 5 lbs. on me and wear something that fits.”

The Way Home star tells PEOPLE that she’s seen how much societal pressure can impact women, not only in herself but in those close to her.

“It’s really, really, really important what we say to women, to all women, because my grandniece was anorexic at 12 and it’s all from expectations that she sees on social media and in the world and it was a really hard battle for her,” MacDowell shares. “She’s doing fantastic. She’s doing really, really well. But we can’t keep pushing these expectations on people.”