Charlize Theron may not be dating anyone, but that doesn't mean she's not in a relationship.
In an interview with Diane von Furstenberg for the fashion mogul's season finale episode of her InCharge podcast, the Oscar winner shared a significant teaching moment she had with her younger daughter.
Theron's explanation came after the designer pointed out, "It's also important to remind women that the most important relationship in life is the one we have with ourselves. Once you have that, any other relationship is a plus, but it's not a must."
"It's so funny that you just said that," the actress replied, "because two days ago I was in the car with my two girls and my little one said something like, 'You need a boyfriend!' And I said, 'Actually, I don't. Right now, I feel really good,' and she's like, 'But, you know what, Mom? I just like, you need a boyfriend, you need like a relationship.' And I was like, 'I am in a relationship. I'm in a relationship with myself right now.'"
Describing 5-year-old August's reaction, Theron said, "She had this look on her eye like she had never really contemplated that that was even a possibility and I said, 'That is a really important thing for you guys to know.'"
The actress raised the issue of how women who are not in a relationship can be portrayed in a negative light.
"There's so much stigma around all of that stuff, too," she told von Furstenberg. "This idea that somehow women fail when they're not in relationships or that somehow it's their fault, that they must be incredibly difficult—that's why no man wants to touch them."
The mom of two daughters shared her wish for young women growing up now. "I hope that we are raising a generation of young girls who realize that there is absolutely no shame in that game to be in relationship with yourself, to not fall into what society kind of predicts for us as what is socially acceptable, if you are not in a relationship somehow you're a failure," Theron said. "Those are all constructs that we need to change."
As for her own little one, Theron witnessed a lightbulb moment that day in the car.
"I remember two days ago just looking back in the rearview mirror and seeing my little 5-year-old's face—her mind was blown," the famous parent described. "But, I know that that was the day that she realized there's a different possibility."