Selena Gomez gave a thoughtful speech about what representation and inclusion mean to her while accepting the Equity in Entertainment Award at The Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment Gala on Wednesday morning (Dec. 4).
After an introduction from her Only Murders in the Building co-star Molly Shannon, the 32-year-old singer/actress took the event stage at the The Beverly Hills Hotel to formally receive the honors — which recognized her advocacy for underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry — and deliver remarks on the subject of equity. To begin her speech, Gomez defined equity and representation as “ensuring that women, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to share their stories and showcase their talents.”
“It’s about moving from tokenism to true inclusion, creating spaces where women of all races, sexual orientations and abilities are [welcome],” she continued. “Together, we can break down barriers, amplify women’s voices and create a future where everyone’s stories are told.”
The Rare Beauty founder also shared the moment she first realized the full scope of her position as a role model: when the mother of a young girl went up to her at a live taping of Wizards of Waverly Place and said she was grateful her daughter had a Latina actress to look up to on TV.
“I really wasn’t thinking about the importance of representation or the gravity of what those words meant,” Gomez recalled. “But I knew that I was very grateful, and I wanted to do my best to live up to that, whatever form it looked like.”
While at the event — which comes just a couple of weeks after Emilia Perez starring Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña arrived on Netflix — the “Lose You to Love Me” singer also stopped to talk with Billboard on the red carpet about how the film serves to advance equity in the entertainment industry. “I think it’s just crucial that we shed light, and we show people exactly every color we are,” she said.
“With Emilia Pérez, we were able to do that with the music and the subject matter of our movie,” she continued. “It’s us wanting to open doors, it’s for Latinas … we’re celebrating women.”
See parts of Gomez’s speech and her red-carpet conversation with Billboard below.
