When Jennifer Grey waltzed away with the mirrorball trophy in the Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) finale, it was more than a win. It was an affirmation of the power of female friendship and the important role that our girlfriends play as cheerleaders.
Grey entered the competition despite serious neck and back problems. At the age of 50, she is more than twice the age of her two runners-up, Kyle Massey and Bristol Palin. While fifty isn't what gerontologists typically consider "the oldest old," amidst the younger dancers and contestants on DWTS, it was like watching an old mare win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
Grey told TVGuide.com, "I had been asked for nine years and I said no out of fear. I would've been robbed of this amazing experience had I not said yes and had the courage."
How did she do it, everyone asked? What gave her the courage and perseverance? Week after week, Grey endured physical pain but didn't bow out of the competition and her performances with partner, Derek Hough, shined.
It struck me that Grey got through it the same way that many of us get through the worst of circumstances. I couldn't help but smile each time I spotted actress Jamie Lee Curtis on screen, who seemed like Grey's most ardent fan (except perhaps for Grey's 9-year-old daughter Stella), sitting there in the front row cheering her on. The two women are age contemporaries, daughters of Hollywood legends (Joel Grey and Tony Curtis), and celebrity friends.
One week, after Grey was critiqued harshly during her Paso Doble, Curtis told Access Hollywood, "I joined the chorus of booing [in the audience], but I also understand that that's a little bit the nature of the beast.
But Curtis was there with a purpose. "The idea of a couple of my friends sitting there with me every week would make me feel a lot better," she said. "[Jennifer] is representing women over 50 and killing it and I'm just so proud of her. Thrilled for her!"
Having a good friend who roots for our successes is empowering for any woman. It may be the friend who helps us get through an accident or serious illness, encourages us when we are experiencing fertility problems, helps us become the best mother or daughter we can be, or inspires our confidence to get through school or shoot for a job promotion that first appears out of reach.
Now if there were only a gaudy trophy to acknowledge these special people in our lives.