It’s a rare thing nowadays to see or hear motherhood or family life championed and celebrated in mainstream media or pop culture. We’ve become a society that tells women they’d be happier pursuing a successful career than loving and caring for their husband and children at home.
But Irish actress Jessie Buckley wasn’t afraid to showcase to the entire world the joy of marriage, motherhood, and family life in her Oscar acceptance speech. On Sunday, March 16, Jessie received the “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her portrayal of Shakespeare’s wife in the movie Hamnet.
Stepping onto the stage in a combination of laughter and tears, Jessie Buckley began her acceptance speech with a multitude of gratitude. After thanking her own parents for encouraging her to follow her dreams, she thanked her husband in a heartfelt expression of love. She calls him her “best friend,” and in a moment of humor (and seriousness too), she says, “I want to have 20,000 more babies with you.”
In a world intent on destroying the beauty of motherhood, Jessie Buckley proclaims it and unapologetically shares her desire to experience it.
Indeed, she lets the audience know the gift that her own motherhood is to her when she speaks to her eight-month-old daughter, Isla. After admitting her daughter has yet to understand what’s going on, she says, “I love you, and I love being your mom, and I can’t wait to discover life beside you.”
Her joy is found in having the opportunity to pour her love into her daughter’s life and discover the person her daughter is and will be.
She ends her speech honoring and recognizing all mothers everywhere. Pointing out that March 16 is Mother’s Day in the UK, she says “I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.”
Her words poetically reveal that a mother’s heart and love for her child(ren) cannot be contained, measured, or even completely defined. The depth of a mother’s love is a mystery, and yet it is a profound beauty.
Jessie boldly proclaims and celebrates that.
While culture continues to devalue the gift of motherhood and strip it of its beauty, let’s have the courage and confidence to, along with Jessie Buckley, remind people of the power of a mother’s love and the joy of motherhood.