Quote Of The Day By Barbra Streisand: 'Of Course, I'm Not Supposed To Be Angry...'

Barbra Streisand is a cultural icon that needs little introduction, as she's broken records and made history since her rise to fame in the '60s and '70s. The star was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 24, 1942. She made her Broadway debut in "I Can Get it For You Wholesale" in 1962, and released her first album, "The Barbra Streisand Album," the following year. Since then, she's become known for films such as "Funny Girl" alongside hits like "Woman in Love" and "The Way We Were."

Streisand is also one of only a handful of celebrities with an EGOT to their name (albeit a non competitive version), an acronym referring to the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. She became the youngest artist at the time to win Album of the Year at the Grammys for her debut album, earning several other accolades from the Recording Academy in subsequent years. The Brooklyn native was then honored with the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment award at the 1965 Primetime Emmys.

Streisand has earned two Oscars during her career, winning Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 1969 Academy Awards for her performance in "Funny Girl" and Best Original Song for "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)." Following that, she cinched her EGOT when she was presented with the "Star of the Decade" accolade at the 1970 Tony Awards, with her entire body of work being honored with the achievement. She was the youngest person to have earned the noncompetitive iteration of the acronymed title at 27 years old.

Streisand has curated a reputation for being an outspoken activist, as well. Not only has she used her talent to raise millions of dollars for various causes, the Hollywood figure has been a dedicated advocate of women's health initiatives. She played a hand in raising $22 million for the Women's Heart Center at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2008, going on to co-found the Women's Heart Alliance in 2014. With all of her accomplishments and activism in mind, it's only natural that Streisand has had wise words to share.

In 1992, Barbra Streisand gave a speech at the Women in Film Crystal Awards, with the nonprofit being founded in 1973 to advocate for gender equity in the entertainment industry. Streisand expanded her career into filmmaking with "Yentl" in 1983, directing and starring in the hit movie when there were few women behind the camera. The following year, she became the first ever woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Director, joined only by Chloé Zhao in 2021. The "Woman in Love" singer went on to direct "The Prince of Tides" and "The Mirror Has Two Faces," as well.

In addressing the progress that women have made in the industry, Streisand also spoke to the double standards that continued to plague the genders. "All this to say that, clearly, men and women are measured by a different yardstick and that makes me angry," she said. "Of course, I'm not supposed to be angry. A woman should be soft-spoken, agreeable, ladylike, understated. In other words, stifled ... Come to think of it, a lot of things make me angry."

In the quote from her 1992 speech, Barbra Streisand speaks directly to how the social expectations of women serve to limit them, making a specific connection between "ladylike" behavior and being stifled. Her admittance of anger is a defiance of these gendered standards, with the star undoubtedly defying many expectations with the breadth of her fame.

Throughout her immense, barrier-breaking success, Streisand has been forced to contend with disparaging rumors that she is a diva. While the celeb admits that she's always advocated for creative control over her work, she's pointed out the gendered connotation of the term before. Her experience serves as a real-life example of the double standards women face, especially in male-dominated fields such as filmmaking.

While the specifics of her situation are distinct, the gendered disparity that Streisand spoke about is something faced by women across all walks of life. In this way, her success and push towards gender equality is something that can be equally uplifting, with the star continuing her speech with hopes for the future.

"I look forward to a society that is color and gender blind, that judges us by the value of our work, not the length of our legs," she said. "That accepts the face that a woman can be many, many things: strong and vulnerable, intelligent and sexy, opinionated and flexible, angry and forgiving. Deep thinking as well as deep feeling. They can get PhDs and manicures, they can contain the masculine and the feminine."

• "I thought, why are men sometimes frightened by a woman's power? And I just came up with this image of the cave man before language, you know? They hump each other, whatever, she gets pregnant. There's no word for pregnant. He has to be totally blown away by that, that she can reproduce life. But also, if she could give life, she could take it away, perhaps. And it's a fear, a fear of women and the awe of women."

• "I think women are still treated as second-class citizens. We still don't get equal pay. Thank God I am in the music industry, so it's a bit different, but I'm fortunate in that way. The average woman doesn't get the same pay; she gets 77 cents on the dollar that a man gets."

• "It's thrilling to see so many people who care so deeply, and are making their voices heard. We are saying that we will not sit by as our rights are stripped away. We will not hide as the freedoms of others are destroyed."

• "I insisted on one thing early on when I did my records and TV shows: artistic control. That's what mattered to me. I trusted directors like William Wyler and Sydney Pollack. I both learned from them and was heard by them. But when I wanted more artistic control, I started directing. It allows me to complete my own vision."

• "I used to sing in the hallway. I was known as the girl on the street with the good voice. No father, good voice. That was my identity."