Bette Midler Talks Feminism And Trump In Variety’s 2019 ‘Power Of Women’ Issue

By Corey Atad. Published: 2 Apr 2019 11:06 AM

Photo: James White for Variety

Bette Midler doesn’t see a woman being elected president any time soon.

“I wouldn’t put my money on it,” the iconic actress tells Variety in the magazine’s new 2019 “Power of Women” issue.

Speaking of the political dynamic in the U.S., Midler says, “I think that the country is in some ways stuck in an emotional rut. Many people don’t want to give up what they’ve earned to someone who is different from them. I would say they are not enlightened.”

The 73-year-old also talks about how her parents shaped her own approach to feminism.

“What [my parents] said was, you must learn to count on yourself. You must not be afraid to be alone. You must learn to support yourself,” she recalls. “And when I read The Feminine Mystique in 1965, it changed my life. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a housewife. I think all work is honourable. Being a mother is fantastic. But if you have a passion for something and a talent for something, you should be able to follow your bliss.”

Midler says she kept that feminist mindset as a woman within the entertainment industry.

“I had always felt from the time I started in the business that there was a kind of bias against women in positions of power,” she explains. “If you went to a pitch meeting, you’d often be the only female in the room.”