Sexy in Your 50s? Here's How Sharon Stone Does It

Sharon Stone became a sex symbol in 1992's Basic Instinct. And now, 22 years later at age 55, she's on the cover of Shape Magazine looking amazing in a bikini and a mesh cover-up. (Seriously, go check out the photo.)

In her interview in the March issue, Stone says she's not interested in being young forever.

"This idea that being youthful is the only thing that’s beautiful or attractive simply isn't true," she says. "I don't want to be an 'ageless beauty.' I want to be a woman who is the best I can be at my age."

We love her attitude—but the actress hasn't always felt this way. In fact, she told Shape that the concept of aging was really difficult for her.

"There was a point in my 40s where I went into the bathroom with a bottle of wine, locked the door, and said, 'I'm not coming out until I can totally accept the way I look right now,'" she says. "And I examined my face in the magnifying mirror, and I looked at my body, and I cried and cried and cried. Then I said to myself, 'You're going to get old now. How do you want to do that?'"

Stone eventually settled on a protein-heavy diet sans alcohol, plus strength training, stretching, yoga, and dance. The actress, who turns 56 on March 10, has upcoming roles in the romantic comedy Fading Gigolo and the new TNT series Agent X.