Ahead of her 30th birthday in April, actress Emma Watson has described the "influx of subliminal messaging" around what women are supposed to have achieved by their 30s.
"If you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby… There's just this incredible amount of anxiety," she said in an interview with .
The Harry Potter star, who features in the new Little Women adaptation, went on to reveal that she's happily single, but prefers the term "self-partnered".
"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."
Describing her late 20s as "tough", Watson continued: "I was like, 'Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30? This is not a big deal'.
"Cut to 29, and I'm like, 'Oh my God, I feel so stressed and anxious. And I realise it's because there is suddenly this 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."
Fans online were quick to celebrate the star's revealing interview, saying it highlights that no woman is too accomplished to avoid gendered social expectations and pressures.
"The takeaway from this piece isn't the term 'self-partnered' but the fact that you can be a BAFTA recipient, UN goodwill ambassador, and beloved icon of a generation of women and people will still ask if you feel like a failure because you're 30 and not married with kids," one Twitter user wrote.
Another tweeted: "Emma Watson's quote is actually absolutely amazing, because it puts the emphasis on having a relationship with yourself rather than having the absence of a relationship with somebody else."
She added: "That's super empowering & healthy."
