\ufeff”Women, particularly assertive and strong women, are muzzled or put to the side,” she told Sunday Life<\/a> of her observation, “There’s no room. You’re 40 years old, you’re not relevant any more. According to who? In whose fantastical world does that concept exist? Not mine.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Candice Warner has one regret from her youth, and she won’t repeat it with her kids\ufeff<\/a><\/p>\n The Chains singer has no qualms about speaking her mind, even getting in trouble for it on many occasions.<\/p>\n One of the most \ufeffnotable examples was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her criticism of the Victorian government’s restrictions and their impact on the arts community led to mixed response.<\/p>\n She says at the time, she drew from the wisdom her mother taught her.<\/p>\n READ MORE: ‘I got hounded’: In a split second, Bec Judd’s life changed forever\ufeff<\/a><\/p>\n \ufeff”She told me that there’s no point in retaliating or buying into it, to just always walk away and always be elegant,” she said.<\/p>\n “When COVID happened, I started to see things for what they truly were, and understood that I am what I am. Before I’m able to love anybody else fully, I need to learn to love me and respect me.<\/p>\n “You realise that a difference of opinion from the masses doesn’t make you a lesser person. It doesn’t make you less worthy. Differentiation is a beautiful thing because it’s where we learn so much.”<\/p>\n She again landed in hot water as recently as earlier this year, when she chastised fans for taking toilet breaks, getting into fights, and even confiscating one’s phone at shows.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n What Aussie celebs on their first-ever Logies red carpet<\/p>\n “It’s not being outspoken, it’s just speaking up, and it’s defending my space,” she said.<\/p>\n Even as she celebrates her milestone, Arena says there is still scope for change.\ufeff<\/p>\n “I’m trying to reprogram myself so I can celebrate myself and go, ‘I’m happy here.’ My faults, my good points, my shit points, the things I’ve got to work on. I might never get to be perfect, but I’m proud of who I am.”\ufeff<\/p>\n![\"Tina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/https:\/\/prod.static9.net.au\/fs\/9c231a27-28d1-4434-9ab6-41277eaec51b.jpeg\")
Tina Arena is celebrating 50 years in showbusiness. (Supplied)<\/p>\n![\"Tina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/https:\/\/prod.static9.net.au\/fs\/b410ea36-fb43-4793-8e2f-844e7d8ee542.jpeg\")
Arena made her official debut in 1994 with ‘Don’t Ask’. (Pierre Baroni )<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/https:\/\/prod.static9.net.au\/fs\/fb161e3c-b9e2-4e09-9d63-ce1076445af3.png\")
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