Growing up in Gaffney, a small town in South Carolina, my ambition was always to act. At 20 I was signed to a modelling agency, but negative feedback was frequent and finding work was difficult. My self-belief plummeted and acting seemed like a very distant dream. Three years later, I was cast as Jane in Greystoke The Legend Of Tarzan, but my fears were validated. Another voice was dubbed over mine and my confidence hit rock bottom.
It’s easy for young women to feel disempowered and worry they aren’t good enough. I never wanted my girls, or my son, to ever feel like that, says actress Andie MacDowell Faced with rejection, you have two options believe you’re no good and give up or prove yourself. I chose the latter.
That was a turning point and when I had my first child, Justin, in 1986, I knew a strong sense of self-worth was the best thing I could instill in him. When my girls followed Rainey, four years later, and Sarah, four years after that I knew this was more important than ever.
It’s easy for young women to feel disempowered and worry they aren’t good enough. I never wanted my girls, or my son, to ever feel like that. Of course, it was important not to let success go to their heads. But it’s about finding the balance of what makes you valuable. My daughters have followed in my acting footsteps and you experience a lot of rejection in this industry but as long as you know your worth, you’ll always have happiness in life.
As the years pass, I prefer to use the word ‘mature’ as opposed to ‘old’. I feel better than ever confident and comfortable with who I am. This is one of the reasons why I don’t dread ageing. Through my work with L’Oreal Paris, I hope to show other women that they, too, can feel amazing at this stage in their life.
My children look up to me, and no matter how many negative comments I’m met with every day, their opinions are the only ones that matter. When I look back at my life, I know I’ve been fortunate to have been able to work in a job I love. But the achievement I’m proudest of by far is my kind, grounded, happy children. As long as they know how wonderful they are, then I’ve done my job.
Source: MailOnline
