Opinion / From Fan Bingbing to Milla Jovovich – 6 mindful female stars share the simple things they love about life
- Minari star Youn Yuh-Jung – who recently became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar – says she feels grateful to be alive every time she wakes up
- Hong Kong film producer Shi Nansun is ‘sister’ to legend Leslie Cheung and friend of iconic actress Brigitte Lin – and thanks her flushing toilet every morning
This piece is part of Alvin Goh’s Beautiful Inside/Out column
We have all been living with the pandemic for more than a year now – and the profound impact it has had on us physically, mentally and emotionally. While it’s human nature to take things for granted, it’s never been more apparent that nothing is permanent in life and that we should treasure what we do have.
A quarter of a decade ago, Oprah Winfrey popularised the idea of a “gratitude journal”, a log in which we note five things we’re grateful for every day, be it a compliment from someone or simply the weather. Winfrey claimed this practice changed her life, and it seems she’s not the only one who thinks so.
Through speaking with these incredible women, I’ve learned that acknowledging even the smallest things does allow you to be more receptive to all the bigger, more meaningful things that life has to offer
Youn Yuh-Jung
The veteran actress has had an illustrious career spanning more than five decades, starting from her 1967 TV drama debut in Mister Gom, all the way up to her 2020 role in American film Minari. The latter won her a slew of international awards, including this year’s Academy Award for best supporting actress, making Youn the first Korean actress to receive this award.
I had the honour of styling her for this event as well as the Baftas, and her grace, kindness and compassion astounded me. Most remarkably, even given her success, her humility remained intact; when I asked her what she was grateful for, the 73-year-old’s answer was simple: “Every morning I wake up, I’m very grateful to be alive!”
Fan Bingbing
