Winona Ryder says feelings are good, even when women have them
Winona Ryder, a person whose entire career is based on a nuanced understanding of human emotion, would like people to stop giving her -- and all womankind -- sh*t for having feelings.
“I’m so sick of people shaming women for being sensitive or vulnerable," she told The Cut. "It’s so bizarre to me.”
The actress, who is currently starring on Netflix's latest hit, Stranger Things, opened about being criticized for the very thing that makes her so brilliant at her job throughout her life in the public eye.
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“I wish I could unknow this, but there is a perception of me that I’m supersensitive and fragile. And I am supersensitive, and I don’t think that that’s a bad thing. To do what I do, I have to remain open.”
Ryder herself has been open about her history with depression, which is what made projects like Girl Interrupted so important for her. It has also made it crystal clear how such fairly common issues carry a stigma.
On Stranger Things, Ryder place Joyce, a woman whose history with anxiety is treated as a character flaw, "And I’m like, ‘Okay, wait a second, she’s struggling. Two kids, deadbeat dad, working her ass off. Who wouldn’t be anxious?"
Ryder says she has affection for Joyce, and all women who dare to have feelings -- especially moms who feel anything other than the joy of motherhood.
"It made me think of all the women that I know who have kids, who when they talk about [anything negative about their lives as mothers], they always say, ‘But I love my kids, I wouldn’t trade them for the world,’" explained Ryder. "Like they feel guilty for even hinting that they’d want something outside of kids! It’s a weird thing.”
May Ryder and women everywhere continue to have internal lives.
Tricia Gilbride was a Reporter for Mashable Watercooler. Tricia focused on the intersection of celebrity culture and the Internet. Previously, she worked as a fashion writer and a social media manager. She also edits Women-Artists.org, a blog and annual print publication, and looks exactly like her cat.
