Felicity Huffman is my favorite actress

Yes, I saw Transamerica over break and though FH was astonishing, and I always find her so charming and smart and down-to-earth in interviews and acceptance speeches. She deserves all the recognition she's received from Desperate Housewives and Transamerica, and it's cool that she's married to William H. Macy. But she became my absolute favorite because of her answer to Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes when asked if motherhood was the best experience of her life.

"No, no and I resent that question, because it puts women in an untenable position."

Thank you, thank you, SOMEBODY finally punctured the whole Hollywood-embraces-the-feminine-mystique myth that all these celebrity moms, cooing over their perfect children who mean so much more than their careers (you know, the ones they spent years building and many hours per week maintaining). I mean, no male Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor gets asked if their children trump their personal accomplishments, ya know? And it's not that I believe children aren't all-consuming and wonderful and satisfying and probably are, for most people, the most important things in their lives. I just hate that actresses are constantly forced to downgrade their professional accomplishments below their children. Granted, Felicity didn't address that per se, since the rest of her answer was about how she would be considered a "bad mother" if she didn't give the accepted answer that yes, her children are the best experience of her life. Good or bad mother, the crux of the matter is that your identity as a mother trumps your identity as a person. Says I. But Felicity's answer also highlights an interesting angle, the idea that all these gorgeous, fashionable, fit actresses with nannies and personal trainers and clout to demand babies on set who gush over the nirvana of motherhood are the "good" mothers, an ideal which most normal women could never live up to, and shouldn't. I love that someone who could easily fit in that category has the balls (much like her Trans Am character, heh) to say "I don't know if I'm a good mother." I'm willing to bet you are, Felicity, since you're the kind of mom who would teach her kids to think for themselves and not believe their own hype, and you are a role model for awesomeness. And I offer you a standing lunch invitation, anytime, anywhere.