I was reading an article in INC the other day. It was all about female-based co-working spaces, and in it, Meryl Streep was quoted while on a panel of fellow actresses aimed to discuss issues like Hollywood’s lack of female storytellers, modern motherhood, and #MeToo. She said to her fellow actors — including women like Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon — the below quote that made me stop and think.
“I am of a generation that waited to be asked to dance. I am so admiring of you.”
At 70, she’s evolved with the times and has emerged an icon. Meryl is one of Hollywood’s most high-profile and successful actresses, and she certainly knows what it’s like to defy odds. As a woman, yes, but notably as a woman within a hyper competitive and male-dominated industry.
It got me thinking about permission. Of course there’s a generational component to how women and men view things like careers or personal ambition, but her comment helped to really bring that aspect to light for me. I often take for granted things like a willingness to take risks (generally speaking), or go after a goal, because why not?! But the truth is that those mentalities are very much something that is affected by when we were born and who we’ve been surrounded by. They’re routes that have been paved with those who have tried – and often failed – before us. And of course those are important elements to consider.
When I reflect on ambitious millennial women – ones who don’t ask for permission – countless people come to mind.
They work hard tirelessly. Keep their head held high, no matter what the naysayers do or say. Confidence is a defining trait, but more importantly, they have the ability to channel that confidence in a way that is strategic and productive. They march to the beat of their own drum.
The thing is, that I’m sure if you asked Meryl’s generation of women that same question, they’d describe the same qualities in ambitious women of their generation. It’s not that their generation had an absence of such women, it’s perhaps that such women are more visible and accepted in today’s world. Ambition also certainly looks much different today than it did back then. Today, I like to think that we define what it means in our own lives. Back then, it was primarily defined for you, whether directly or indirectly by society.
When it comes down to it, women have given ourselves permission to get out there and dance.
And to that, I think we owe the generations before us a big thanks. Because really, where would we be today without the traction they made? Likely right where they were at our age. Get what I’m saying?
All this makes me think about where my daughters – and perhaps future granddaughters – generation will be when I’m 70 and they’re in their prime of shaping their own lives. Will I be like Meryl and envy their ability to seek without permission? I hope so. That’ll mean that the term will continually have evolved, which I think it needs to. Because even though we’ve clearly come so far in present day, I think we still have a long way to go in terms of continuing to dare and dance in a society that often feels like we still need to work harder, smarter and faster for the same results as men.
I hope we’re not where we are then, as we are today. I hope that we, as women, continue to empower and make waves for one another.
When it comes down to it, this is long, perhaps overdrawn, reminder to get out there and dance. Whether you’re 70 or 30, we need those who dare. Don’t wait for permission; don’t wait for an invite. If you have something you want to do, do it. Make it happen.
The only one stopping you is yourself.
PS – How Our Family Approaches Parenting & Gender Roles + 7 Girl Boss Tips To Ensure Success
