Jennifer Coolidge and Michelle Yeoh have just voiced a truth older women know all too well.

When actor Michelle Yeoh stood up on the Golden Globes stage to accept her speech, the look in her eyes said it all.

For forty years, the Crazy Rich Asians and Everything Everywhere All at Once actor has fought to be recognised in Hollywood, calling it both an "amazing journey and incredible fight". 

And at the age of 60, Yeoh's talent was finally acknowledged when she won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy.

"I remember when I first came to Hollywood; it was a dream come true until I got here... because look at this face. I came here and was told, 'you're a minority'. As time went by... I turned 60 last year, and I think all of you women understand this, as the days, the years, and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well," she said in her speech.

Watch Michelle Yeoh's Golden Globes speech right here. Post continues after video. 

An hour later, Jennifer Coolidge also received a Golden Globe. And her speech had the exact same undertone: the story of a 61-year-old woman who for years had to claw her way into Hollywood to be taken seriously. 

For the past few decades, Coolidge said there were only a few people who gave her a chance, who kept her career chugging along. It's a reality few white male middle-aged male actors could wholeheartedly relate to.

"I didn't know anybody, and it just was sort of this thing that wasn't going anywhere. I had such big dreams and expectations as a younger person, but what happened is they get sort of fizzled by life. And then you get older and, oh, s**t's going to happen," Coolidge said in her acceptance speech.

Jennifer Coolidge's golden globes speech. pic.twitter.com/LpmWzT5anp

— out of context the white lotus (@oocwhitelotus) January 11, 2023

She then went on to thank The White Lotus creator Mike White for choosing her to star in the show, because it "changed my life in a million different ways". 

"Mike White, you have given me hope. You've given me a new beginning. You make people want to live longer, and for a while I didn't."

These two speeches have since gone viral online – and for good reason. Because they each speak to a truth women over 50 know too well. 

When I showed my 54-year-old mum a clip of these speeches, she welled up. Not because she's a massive celebrity fan, or is even remotely invested in the Golden Globes. 

But because she could relate. She felt seen. Because she too knows what it's like – as do many women – to not feel celebrated for life experience, but dismissed for it. 

Ageism isn't something that is only specific to the entertainment and acting industry, goodness no, it's something that permeates throughout society. Whether it's in the jobs older women apply for, the lack of clothes and fashion options marketed towards them and even the innate feeling of invisibility that many women over 50 can attest to. 

Halfway through her award speech, Yeoh was interrupted by the standard background piano music used at award shows if a winner speaks for more than a minute and 30 seconds. 

But Yeoh wasn't having any of it. 

She wasn't going to be dismissed, nor was she going to have her words be overpowered. So she said: "Shut up, please."

And as the camera panned across the audience, her fellow female actors, directors and nominees cheered in solidarity.

"I thought, 'Hey come on girl you have a good run. You worked with some of the best people, so it's all good.' Then came along the best gift," Yeoh said, referring to the film she won the Golden Globe for.

"I'm just going to stand here and take this all in. Forty years... I'm not letting go of this."

Not only did Yeoh take in that moment, but arguably, most of us watching at home did as well. Because it was the most beautiful and articulate point to be made on the stage that night.

Relevancy shouldn't be exclusive to how old someone is. Nor should women over the age of 50 have to fight ten times harder to be heard, seen and understood. 

Give them the roles. Give them their earned time on the stage. Give them the awards. 

Feature Image: Stan.

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