ACTRESS Jane Fonda, of all people, has reportedly criticised Hollywood for promoting a cult of perfection.

This is the lady who, as well as being a double Oscar winner, was also pretty perfect herself in roles such as Barbarella back in 1968.

She still looks pretty good to me, but the 73-year-old put her foot down when a magazine wanted to airbrush her photograph for its cover.

“I feel so sorry for young actresses coming up,” she said. “There are always photographers everywhere.

“If they have a dimple in their buttock there’s a close-up of it in some gossip magazine.

“There’s this cult of perfection. Consequently, all the young people who emulate celebrities think they have to look perfect and that’s so destructive.”

Ms Fonda prefers to be seen as she really is, wrinkles and all. Except that the way she looks now is not exactly how she might have looked if she hadn’t had plastic surgery.

Last year she admitted to having extensive work done on her chin, eyes and neck and had a bust enlargement in 2002.

The reason was understandable: “I didn’t think that I would want to have anything done but it actually got to the point where I would startle myself when I saw my reflection in the mirror,’’ she said.

I know exactly what she means. I get a shock every morning when I look at myself and think, what happened?

This happens to anyone over a certain age and the worst time to see yourself in a mirror is if you are in town and the sighting in some store is unexpected.

Who’s that old duffer, you think, before realising it’s you.

I’m glad Ms Fonda has seen the light about the pursuit of perfection, particularly in the young. They have youth on their side – isn’t that enough? It was when I was young. Natural arrogance allowed me to believe I was perfect. But this was, of course, before the cult of celebrity.

However, when you get older the temptation to give nature a little bit of aid in helping your features remain firm is, perhaps, understandable, as long as you can afford it.

Shame I can’t. The scaffolding alone to repair my face would cost a fortune.