Life is quite tough already but then humans went ahead and made a rule book that dictates what should be achieved by a certain age. Of course, the list is not the same for both genders and women usually feel the pressure when they are about to turn 30; especially if they are still single.
The oblivious-early 20’s are a breeze but the reality strikes when 25 is near and the sudden urge to work hard towards achieving those goals before turning 30 sets in.
Society and the beauty advertisements have made it impossible for women to feel secure with where they are in life at the age of 30. Since its a perceived notion that after 30 a woman’s youth certificate expires and if she isn’t married by this time, doesn’t have at least one child in her hand along with a stable career- she is a failure worth sympathizing with.
29-Year-Old Emma Watson shared feeling similar anxiety about turning 30!
The actress told British Vogue of feeling “stressed and anxious” about turning 30. She shared that now that her birthday nears, in April to be precise, she started to see subliminal messages all over the places, regarding what milestones should be achieved by this age. She said, “If you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby… There’s just this incredible amount of anxiety,”
If you’re single and happy then Emma has a term for you that needs to become the norm; ‘Self-Partnered’
Being single and content is a concept that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea nor it is widely comprehensible. However, Emma said that she is perfectly happy being single and gave birth to a new term ‘Self-Partnered’. Another idea that is being sold widely through movies, dramas and what not is the fact that one is ‘incomplete’ without a partner.
This isn’t the most healthy of notions and has caused several to become the victim of loneliness and low self-esteem. Driving happiness through partnership only needs to be eradicated and women especially need to be empowered enough to hold their own selves independently.
Emma just like many women believed happiness to be a synonym of ‘romantic partnership’!
She shared, “I was like, ‘This is totally spiel’. It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]” She added, “I was like, “Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30? This is not a big deal. Cut to 29, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I feel so stressed and anxious”
Speaking on the messages that she would come across, Emma said, “If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and you’re not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or you’re still figuring things out…There’s just this incredible amount of anxiety”
The entire fallacy of this needs to be addressed and Emma being a proactive activist who herself has run many campaigns for women’s rights, brought up her own insecurities regarding turning 30 and how she finally un-learned the entire narrative; finding happiness and contentment with where she is and what she has achieved in all these years.
So for all those struggling ladies out there, dealing with the inner-demons that knock on the door of your consciousness reminding you of the society-fed goals that you haven’t achieved- brush them off and continue on working hard.
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