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Grace Chan
Actress, host and entrepreneur
For International Women's Day, Grace shares her perspective on the topic of Expectations of Being a Woman and she continues to champion them in her own way.
About Grace
Having just turned 30 last June, Grace feels like she is embarking on a new journey and new decade of her life. Though a working mom of two young boys, Grace has lessened her onscreen time as an actress, and instead focuses more as a tv program host, an entrepreneur of her own start-up, and most importantly, prioritizes taking care of her family first and foremost.
What does International Women's Day and its theme this year, #BreakTheBias, mean to you?
I've always held a very strong view of being an independent and courageous woman. Perhaps it's because my mom has always been a huge role model in my life; her actions always spoke louder than words, and she inspired me to know my strengths and weaknesses as a woman and grow from them. There's no "definite" way to be a woman. In fact, although my mom inspires me daily, I'm still incredibly unique in my own way. What is more important to me, is not how we fit the mould and try to become like "others", but how we draw certain qualities from women we respect and then push the boundaries to be a whole lot more.
If you could have dinner with one inspirational woman (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
If I could have dinner with an inspirational woman I would love to sit down with Reese Witherspoon. I remember watching her movies when I was just a young girl — Legally Blonde, in particular, challenged so many false standards that the world imposes on women, starting with the fact that you can have beauty and brains (and also be funny!) Reese continued to choose roles and projects, ones that inspire me on a daily basis. Like her, I am an avid reader too, and her book club is not only hugely successful, but encourages more women to communicate and interact in a fun, educational, and non-judgmental way! The last role I watched of Reese was in The Morning Show where she plays an incredibly fire-y, opinionated journalist with a passion for justice. It's so her, and it's so wonderful.
"There's no "definite" way to be a woman."
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What do you think is the biggest challenge modern women face in balancing their families, homes and careers?
When I got married and had kids all in the span of 2 years, a lot of people were actually complimenting me on how I was handling the balance of work, family, and my own passion projects. While it may seem that way on social media, let me tell you, it bothers me a lot that women are constantly faced with this need to keep up with this 'facade' of having everything put together. Why must we balance all the aspects in our lives so perfectly when in reality, it's a constant and continuous work in progress. I say this without meaning to take away from any woman who is capable of doing this seamlessly, but if we aren't, please don't criticize or compare us with your expectations...life is hard enough already.
What help, resources or support systems do you rely on? Why are they important to you?
First and foremost, my faith is my support system. Growing up in a Christian household, I've always found comfort and assurance from my faith - through prayer, reading scripture, studying the word with my friends, and most importantly, being connected with God. Though I respect everyone's views and religion, I do feel grateful to have a 'higher power' guiding me and helping me feel secure in my self-worth. The second support system is my family. I feel blessed to have grown up in a family with parents who have always encouraged us to be ourselves and to choose the path we want to go towards. To this day, even when something good or bad happens, my instinct is to pick up my phone and text or call my parents to let them know.
"We ought to allow everyone to grow at their own pace, through their own experiences, their downfalls and their accomplishments, and find out who they want to be and why."
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Lastly, for our #LBCommunity — amid the varied expectations women face in society today balancing career and family, how do you champion your own perspective or narrative?
Expectations are sort of a tricky thing. As a mother of two boys, I see myself subconsciously teaching or reflecting my expectations on them. When I catch myself doing that, I try to remind myself that we ought to allow everyone to grow at their own pace, through their own experiences, their downfalls and their accomplishments, and find out who they want to be and why. I would never want to tell someone how to live their lives, that's not for me nor for anyone to make the decision. What I can say is this: if you can wake up in the morning looking forward to what that day brings, be it taking care of your family, going into a job that you love, working on a passionate project, or even nurturing a love relationship, then you're doing something right — and you shouldn't stop.
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