Selena Gomez recalled a heartfelt moment with young mother when she was 15.
On Wednesday, Gomez received the Equity in Entertainment Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala.
The singer and actress dedicated the award to the “people who don’t have voices and have been overlooked, pushed aside, and most importantly have been disrespected.”
According to the outlet, the Only Murders in The Building actress recalled a time from her teenage, when she was filming a “kid show.”
Gomez revealed that she was approached by a young mother from the audience, saying, “she was with her daughter and she said, ‘I’m so excited and happy. Thank you for being someone that looks like my daughter on TV because she can finally look up to someone like her.’”
However, Gomez did not understand the “gravity of those words” then, at very young age, but she “wanted to do my best to live up to that in whatever form that looked like.”
She added, “I believe that young girls need to see themselves reflected in diverse roles, heroes, leaders, and complex characters. When girls see women in empowered roles like I have, it inspires them to dream big and pursue their aspirations.”
The Wizards of Waverly Place alum went o to say representation is “not just about seeing more faces on the screen, it’s about creating opportunities for people to see themselves” adding, “when we give people the platform to tell their stories, we not only deepen our understanding for one another, we open doors to what’s possible.”
