Skincare brand SK-II just dropped their #ChangeDestiny campaign with Katie Couric to talk about marriage and motherhood expectations placed on women...AND OMG WE'VE NEVER FELT MORE SEEN!
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In the new series called Timelines, Couric travels to Japan, China, Korea, and the United States to talk to four different women about how their personal dreams are clashing with the expectations their mothers and society have placed on them.
After heart-to-heart conversations, each young woman and her mother navigate two timelines, one revealing the daughter's life goals and the other revealing the mom's life goals for her daughter. Let's just say things get real and emotional, so go grab some tissues.
The first stop is New York City, where Maluca, a rising musician, and her mom get candid and honest about their conflicting wants for her life. "You know, we have this way of thinking, We have to meet the one," she tells Couric. "And if we don't meet the one, then what are we here for?"
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The up-and-coming artist says her music dream since she was a young girl never had a husband attached to it. Born to an immigrant family, she shares that her mother wanted "the American dream" plan for her: go to school, get married, have kids. But she doesn't have a set plan, and at moments it has created tension in her and her mother's relationship. Navigating their timelines at the end leads to a better understanding, bridging the gap between them. "It's a fluid plan. It's a bold plan," her mom says. "I think it's great." See, told ya you were gonna need tissues.
In Tokyo, Couric talks with an aspiring entrepreneur, Maina, and her grandmother and mother. "In Japan, those who can't get married by the age of 25 or 30 may be labeled as 'unsold goods,'" the young and stylish buyer says.
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Her mom and grandmom express fear that her "strong personality" may not be seen as "marriage material" by a potential husband. Maina says she's not opposed to marriage and children one day, "but they are not the main priorities on my timeline," and she'd only take those steps if she were doing what she enjoys in her own life. After the visual demonstration of Maina's timeline for her own life, her smiling and proud grandmother assures her, "It's okay if you don't end up married. Being independent is wonderful, right?"
Expectations are quite similar in Seoul, where Nara Kim, a 26-year-old social influencer and artist, says her country is a very patriarchial society. She's also bisexual and says that "in Korea, it's not possible for two women to be married."
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Nara's mother, Lee Soon Boon, tells Couric that her generaton was expected to get married, "serve your parents-in-law, be obedient to your husband, and raise your kids well. All to be treated better socially yourself." Visibly emotional, she says she accepts her daughter but reveals that she can't talk about her to anyone. After Nara and her mother walk their timelines, Lee Soon Boon says that although she and her husband were initially shocked when their daughter came out, they would both go to her wedding should she decide to marry her girlfriend. *Cue the happy tears*
And the series ends in Shanghai with award-winning actress Chun Xia and her best friend Dan Hua, and their outlooks on life couldn't be further apart. Chun Xia is career-driven and thrives in the big city, while Dan Hua prefers a more pragmatic lifestyle in a small town.
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Dan Hua says her best friend doesn't have a stable relationship and focuses too much on work. "I want her to be satisfied with her life," she says. "I hope she will get married." Chun Xia says that while she understands her best friend's expectations, she has to live her own life. "I have a right to choose my life, and I hope that as my closest friend you will always support me," she tells Dan Hua. The two come to an understanding, hugging it out and wiping away tears...annnnd we're crying again.
Although they’re in different parts of the world, each woman had a shared experience of rejecting society's timeline for her and writing her own. TBH, we've never cried so many happy tears at once. If anyone needs us we'll be watching this again.
