I have a birthday this week. My youngest son told me this morning that I look more like 27 than 38. As far as I know, he wasn’t even prompted. He didn’t appear to be reading off an index card handed to him by me or anyone in the vicinity.
I’m not a huge birthday person. But I had to come up with some way to work in that little anecdote. Because, 27.
I might not be a birthday person, but I am a huge awards show person. As I started watching the pre-pre-red carpet show on E! Sunday afternoon, I felt irrationally giddy as if I was somehow connected to the spectacle I would spend the next eight hours watching (I know, I know, it’s a sickness). In case you live under a rock, I’m talking about the Oscars people.
You might wonder why someone would spend so much of their life watching such an event? Part of it is a lifelong love of movies and pop culture. But I’ve also found that in these shows there are tiny gems, and if you watch long enough without taking any pee breaks at critical moments or getting distracted by your Twitter feed, you might just be witness to their brilliance.
I’m not going to get into politics or racial and gender diversity in Hollywood. There are much more knowledgable people tackling those subjects. I’m not going to get into fashion because I love, love, love the #AskHerMore movement to stop treating female actresses like Barbie Dolls. (Except one quick fashion thing: holy Jennifer Aniston. Amaze-balls.)
But I do want to share two moments that I thought were brilliant. The first has been well covered, but the second I would have missed completely if I hadn’t been such a diligent spectator.
1. Stay Weird.
When Graham Moore took to the stage to accept his Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game, he gave speech that I will always remember reminding us all to, “Stay weird. Stay different.” In such a simple way he delivered a message of authenticity that I hope will make a difference for people feeling like who they are is not who the world wants them to be. He wasn’t stumping for a cause, he just spoke from his heart about his own pain with bravery and conviction. It was a raw and beautiful moment that’s left me wanting to graffiti Stay Weird on every surface.
2. Be Real.
In a red carpet interview, Reese Witherspoon was asked about playing Cheryl Strayed in Wild. Reese said that one of the reasons the role was so challenging was because in her book Wild, Cheryl had, “Shared her whole truth. Not just the parts she was comfortable sharing.” And of course I loved this too. Because as a writer, I aspire to this as well. I know that sharing your whole truth is messy and scary, but I also believe that when you do, that is when you can really connect with others. And the success of Wild as a book and as a movie shows that we are aching for that sort of connection in our lives.
The Oscars in itself is a performance and a celebration of performances. But in these moments, I wasn’t entertained as much as touched. I was so happy to see little gems of authenticity creeping into our culture. It might not be widespread, but it’s a start. And it gives me hope that we can be authentic in a world that is often begging us to tune out.
PS I have some guest posts up this week, and would love for you to check them out.
I’m on Scary Mommy with I’m Not A Perfect Overachiever, I Just Like to Make Shit
And on BLUNTmoms with What Really Happens When I Try to Take a Day Off from MomLand
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