Julia Child, all 6 feet 2 inches of her, was a badass. Today, on what would be her 108th birthday, I want to share a small piece of her story.

 Julia moved to France when she was thirty-six. In her day, that might as well have been one hundred. Expectations for a woman of that age were different then.  

Or were they? 

 There is still a lot of pushback, in 2020, about having age-appropriate guidelines for how you live your life. In Julia’s day, I imagine, those guidelines were even more narrow than they are now. On the cusp of the mid-30’s myself, I realize that life starts at 30. But you can read more about that in another essay I wrote.

 This essay is about Julia. 

 Julia began learning French – a language she mastered – after her move to Paris, and she didn’t enroll in culinary school until approximately one year later – at the ripe age of 37. Her friends thought she was crazy. Her classmates were all men who were native French speakers and experienced cooks. They probably thought their towering American classmate, who could barely make an omelet, had a strange voice, and barely spoke their language was absolutely mad. But Julia didn’t let that stop her. Nobodies naysaying was getting in the way of her dream.

 If she listened to her friends, who thought her passion for French food was a little nutty, you would not be here reading this today. Had she given up and played the part of a reserved woman expected of her, the legend that Julia Child is would have never been. Her perseverance in the kitchen, as well as in the world of publishing (getting the infamous Mastering the Art of French Cooking wasn’t easy), propelled her forward. Julia put in the hard work and wasn’t afraid to feel uncomfortable. She was a humble student, willing to learn, and determined to succeed. I don’t know about you, but I want to be more like Julia!

 If you want to learn more about Julia Child, there is always the adorable 2009 film Julie and Julia. However, if you’re trying to be truly inspired, I beg of you, read My Life in France, Child’s memoir about moving to Paris, learning a new language, and finding her life’s passion: cooking (and butter).