Emma Watson will turn 30 in April, and the Little Women star is feeling the pressure. In a new interview with British Vogue, Watson spoke about how she learned to be happy being single — or as she calls it, “self-partnered” — in the face of messaging about where women should be by 30.
Initially, Watson didn’t think she’d feel so stressed about turning 30. Then she turned 29. “I was like, ‘Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30? This is not a big deal…’” she said. “Cut to 29, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I feel so stressed and anxious. And I realize it’s because there is suddenly this bloody influx of subliminal messaging around. If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and you’re not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or you’re still figuring things out… There’s just this incredible amount of anxiety.”
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It took time and self-reflection, but eventually, Watson got to a place where she was happy. “I never believed the whole, ‘I’m happy single’ spiel. I was like, ‘This is totally spiel,’” she said. “It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.”
In the interview, Watson also shared that she is actively dating. "I am dating, yeah. As in, not one specific person, but I'm going on dates," she explained. "I am dating in the sense that I'm dating." But don't expect to see her on Tinder. "Dating apps are not in the cards for me," she said. "I'm very lucky in the sense that because I went to university and I've done these other things outside of film, my friends are really good at setting me up."
So thank you, Emma Watson, because now I have my answer to all my relatives’ questions this holiday season: “I’m not single, I’m self-partnered, Mom!”