The Michelle Yeoh Factor

Even as we wildly celebrate Michelle Yeoh's Oscar for best actress, I've been asking myself: Why does this count so much? Why is this such a landmark occasion for women of color across the board and Asian American women specifically?

It's useful for us to think about the converse: What is the psychological impact of not being represented, heard, or visibly celebrated within a culture? Taken another step, what is the impact of being denigrated, abused, and actively suppressed within a culture?

We know that our psychological interiors are profoundly shaped by our environmental exteriors. One obvious factor is our families of origin, but at last, the fields of psychology and psychiatry are paying attention to how culture, political systems, and education shape our internal lives.

It seems apparent that world and societal leaders have shaped culture, political systems, and education to favor the status and psychology of the in-dwelling dominant powers. And so the remainder of us are now in the position of digging our way out of this, step by step.

Which brings us back to Michelle Yeoh. Her Oscar win visibly represents another opening for a group of people who are historically among the non-dominant group in American society. To quote Yeoh in a recent interview, "When I read this script, I thought: This is something. Something I've been waiting for for a long time. That's going to give me the opportunity to show my fans, family, audience what I'm capable of. To be funny, to be real, to be sad. Finally, somebody understood that I can do all these things."

By being seen and heard, each of us gets a seat at the table to put forth our ideas, agendas, and philosophies. We are in the position to have our voices count, control the trajectory of our futures, and gain the opportunity to have our influence in the world writ large.

In turn, these seats and opportunities build within our psychological interiors a critical mantra, one that says, "I count. I matter. My voice is important." For non-dominant groups—women of color most definitely included—this internal narrative allows us to move into the world with healthy boundaries, the ability to use our voices to advocate for ourselves, and the confidence to stand firm for relationships that are fair and equitable in the spheres of our work and lives.

I realize that going from Michelle Yeoh's Oscar to a world of equality and justice is a journey of a thousand miles. But it's another step forward until that day finally arrives, lifting up everyone, everywhere, and all at once.