Keri Russell Rejects Plastic Surgery Trends and Beauty Standards (Exclusive)

Keri Russell sympathizes with her character in The diplomatthe American ambassador Kate Wyler, whose looks are sometimes scrutinized by other characters.

During a PEOPLE in 10 interview about season 3 of the Netflix political drama, Russell shared her feelings on beauty standards while discussing her character.

“I’m totally empathetic,” says the 49-year-old actress, who has made countless headlines for her looks – and her hair – since her breakout role in Felicity in 1998. “It’s so weird being a woman. Everyone has an opinion on the way you look, the way you dress, the way your hair is done.”

“It’s just the nature of our society. But I also find it very enjoyable, I mean, it’s like a fun thing to play,” Russell continues describing Kate in The diplomat. “I love how grumpy she is about it, and how she’s always trying to fight with people about it and being rude about it. I love it. I think it’s delicious.”

For Russell, beauty topics also carry over into real life.

“It’s something my girlfriends and I talk about all the time. Plastic surgery is having such a moment right now – men, women, 20-year-olds. I mean, it’s around,” she explains. “We’re inundated with these movie stars. Even though they’re 50 or 60 years old, they look great.”

Russell adds, “I watch this show and I’m like, I don’t look like that, you know. I love the way I look on the show, and it’s amazing that I feel like it’s strange, like it’s a unique thing to look like that, but it is.”

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Russell also recently told PEOPLE that she “loved” the “subtle” nod in a Season 3 episode to decades-old talk about her hair.

In the fourth episode of the season, Russell’s character goes after his Secret Service agent, who is supposed to be his double and resemble him, due to his very disheveled hair. “It’s not like I don’t wash it. I do. And I comb it,” his character explains. “It’s a style. This style is: not looking like you spend hours [doing your hair]because some people have more important things to do. This is not the case: I could not open the roof of the convertible.

Season 3 of The diplomat is now streaming on Netflix.