Instagram/@haleyluhoo
Haley Lu Richardson is now approaching the landmark age of 30 and is already letting go of her childhood dream and discussing the societal expectations that women face when entering their thirties. The 29-year-old actress candidly talked about marrying and bearing children dreams without any restrictions in an interview for Bustle’s series, which is both relatable and artistically interesting. The way Richardson boldly claimed personal growth over setting milestones and the whole spectrum has, somehow, the audience surprised.
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Haley Lu Richardson did share a rather humorous and sharp account of her parents’ texts that she received just a week after celebrating her 30th birthday. “A week after my parents texted me as I was entering my 30s and they were like, ‘We just got done watching a 60-minutes episode about freezing your eggs. You should look into it.’ And I was like, ‘Guys, it’s been only a week. Please give me some time to process.’” This story reflects the immediate social pressure that many women feel once they reach that particular age.
Richardson, while acknowledging that she has always been keen on family and marriage, admitted her viewpoint has changed. “I would definitely be open to that,” she said. “But it’s not the ultimate thing for me.” Among her disclosures was a very common realization that women come across in their 30s—that the childhood dreams need not rule the adult’s life. “You don’t have to fulfill the dreams you had for yourself at the age of eight,” she said. “What a concept. You really start to think, what do I like? Who do I like? What do I want? What are my real goals? Do I really need to be a wife or do I just need to find inner peace?”
The audience was quick to share their own experiences in the section of comments. For instance, a soon-to-be-thirty person told, “I am literally going through all of this at the moment, just about to turn 30 lol,” informing that most people are in the same boat during that a transitional period. Another one wrote such things like, “Inner peace >> wife lol,” which is a nutshell version of the change in priorities that was just described by Richardson.
The comments included those who found it particularly easy to relate to Richardson’s words about the dilemma between marriage and peace of mind. “DO I NEED TO BE A WIFE OR DO I JUST NEED TO FIND INNER PEACE 👏 I knew I loved @haleyluhoo 😍,” was one enthusiastic comment. Another user just wrote “took the words right out of my brain,” indicating that Williamson’s utterance really was spot-on in denoting an internal debate that is going on.
The timing of the conversation was not only very pertinent to many people. “I am 29 years old and my father sent me a link to the same episode 💀,” one viewer said, marking how deep the parental concern for biological clocks has become. “Another person said, “I am 28 years old but the universe gave me reasons to reflect on this matter so I will probably have the same thoughts these days 🥲,” to illustrate that such ideas are not only for those who have officially reached 40.
There were some wise sayings from those who had already experienced these decisions. “As someone who is married, I can say that marriage does not bring inner peace,” one married commenter stated and added “Nonetheless, it at least gives one a person to whom one can express all one’s rage.” The comment drew laughing reactions, showing that many users recognized the funny truth in her remark.
The discussion was not limited to getting married and having children but it rather opened up a whole new realm of questions about life’s fulfillment in a more general sense. “When kids are eight their dreams consist of marriage and having kids due to the complete conditioning and societal expectations,” one very insightful commentator said. “But you know that.” This view pointed to how early in life kids are imprinted with these traditional aspirational goals.
The presence of Richardson, however, made some people question her love life, as one user commented, “omg I thought she broke off her engagement with Jimmy Tatro 😭😭😭 they look so much alike SORRY HALEY,” although she is not publicly known to be engaged to the actor. Emilia Clarke is another actress who has shared moments with Richardson.
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The subject also changed to the practical side; for example, one health and wellness influencer said, “Children born to parents in their 30s are also more likely to live longer!” while the discussions were still largely around personal choice rather than biological imperatives.