Being a mother is many things - rewarding, tough, scary, exhilarating, exhausting, you name it.
And it ignites something inside of you and that's what actor, director, and writer Amber Tamblyn put into words so eloquently.
She was speaking at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Austin, Texas and her words inspired many women in the audience.
The 35-year-old is mum to two-year-old daughter Marlow with husband David Cross.
She said, ''Having a child and becoming a mother weaponized me, it changed me on a fundamental level.''
“Having a daughter weaponized me.” @ambertamblyn talking about how becoming a mom transformed her in a radical way. @mom2summit #Mom2Summit pic.twitter.com/s9QS4OwDQF
— KRISTEN HEWITT (@kristenhewitt) April 25, 2019
She continued, ''It changed all the gut-level instincts...and propelled them into action, no matter the consequences."
She added, ''It took a long time for me to feel like I was going to be able to be the mother I knew I was capable of becoming.''
Amber is one of the founders of the Time's Up movement, and her memoir, published in March, told of her personal experiences recovering an identity after Hollywood and issued a call for action.
She spoke about being a woman, mother, and advocate, and called out mum-shaming, healthcare bias and challenges to women's reproductive rights.
She said also addressed the fact that she wasn't able to produce enough milk for her daughter Marlow, in a nod to mum-shaming.
She said, ''We're doing this [mom-shaming] because it's been projected onto us, so we are re-projecting it onto other women. That is what happens when you are in a container that was built inside patriarchy. Mothers are allowed to be very few things, so when women speak to one another with that language, we're speaking the language of an oppressor.''
She added, ''How wonderful would it be if we didn't tell someone what they're doing wrong but amplify what they're doing right."
She got a huge response on social media from women cheering her on.
One said, ''Feminism must be for everyone and what that means is you believe in the equality of sexes.” @ambertamblyn is speaking truth at the #Mom2Summit right now.''
While another wrote, ''Women are allowed to be very few things. MOTHERS are allowed to be very few things" TRUE STORY.''
We applaud everything she said and hope that we're going towards a future that better supports women and mothers.
