Tracee Ellis Ross talks overcoming society's expectations to get married, have kids
"There are so many ways to curate happiness, find love and create a family."
Tracee Ellis Ross wants the world to know that finding true happiness doesn’t come from being in a relationship or having kids, it comes from within.
The "Black-ish" actress has spoken out before -- most famously at the "Glamour" Women of the Year Summit in 2017 -- about being a woman in her 40s without children and learning to live for one’s self as opposed to what others want for you.
"I wish I had known there were other choices, not just about how I could be living, but how I could feel about the way my life was," Ross, now 47, told "Porter."
Ross, who stars in the upcoming film "The High Note," pointed out how we are conditioned from an early age to aspire to get married and procreate, but that there are other things worth hungering for.
"I was raised by society to dream of my wedding, but I wish I had been dreaming of my life," Ross said. "There are so many ways to curate happiness, find love and create a family, and we don’t talk about them. It creates so much shame and judgement."
Just because Ross is enjoying what life has to offer by herself -- being a successful actress, director, producer, businesswoman and fashionista -- doesn’t mean there isn’t a yearning for a partner to experience life with.
"People misinterpret being happily single as not wanting to be in a relationship," she explained.
"Of course I want to be in a relationship, but what am I going to do?" Ross reasoned. "Spend all the time that I’m not [in one] moping around? No. I’m going to live my life to the fullest and I’m going to be happy right here, where I am."
Related Stories
ABC News Live