Featured Image Credit: Michelle Obama/YouTube
Topics: Podcast, Sex and Relationships, US News, Celebrity
Liv Bridge
Topics: Podcast, Sex and Relationships, US News, Celebrity
Tracee Ellis Ross has a savage reason for why she prefers to date younger men.
Dating is a minefield for most of us, and it's no different if you're a Hollywood celeb.
That is at least according to Black-ish star, Ross, who has unapologetically spoke out about the trials and tribulations of her own love life and dating, and why men her own age just don't simply appeal to her - and for good reason.
The 52-year-old Californian actress revealed all while speaking on Michelle Obama’s 'The Light Podcast,' and said she much prefers the company of younger men - and it's not because of their youthful looks.
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Speaking candidly to Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, Ross explained that the problem comes down to men her own age who she claims are in the toxic trenches.
Ross said: "[A] lot of men my age are steeped in a toxic masculinity and have been raised in a culture where there is a particular way that a relationship looks.
"Anything that starts to smell of that, for me… I did enough of it where I was controlled and felt like I was a possession - or a prize. And I have no interest in it. I will not do it again."
She stood firm, saying: "I’m sorry. No.”
The savage rebuttal from the Emmy-nominated actress, who recently appeared in the latest season of Black Mirror, comes as she admits she had a power-struggle in her past relationships to keep her independence and autonomy.
"I’m not going to participate in relationships where I’m expected to bend, break, or babysit,” she said, as per Yahoo.
She said some of her past romantic relationships made her feel like she was a trophy, where she wasn't treated as a separate person but as a way to fuel someone else's ego.
Meanwhile, she said younger men don't come to the table with the same views, emotional baggage or entitlement, and suggested that they have a more modern understanding on gender dynamics.
Ross explained how they're less likely to come as a 'man-of-the-house', adding: "There’s a flexibility and curiosity I often find with younger men. They don’t immediately expect you to shrink, to nurture, or to teach.”
The actress also touched upon what it means to be single and child-free in a world where unmarried women without a baby is frowned upon.
Ross admitted: "I’ve grieved not having children. I’ve grieved not having a partner."
However, she added: "But I’m also really proud of the life I’ve created. I’m not lacking. I’m not broken.”
Obama applauded Ross for her brave and honest response throughout the podcast, making it clear that it's not just about dating younger men, but about setting boundaries.