Selena Gomez Says 'Young Girls Need to See Themselves' After a Young Mother Thanked Her for Inspiring Her Daughter

Mar. 15, 2025

Selena Gomez attends The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala on December 04, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.Photo:Olivia Wong/FilmMagic

Olivia Wong/FilmMagic

Selena Gomezknows the importance of representation.

The multihyphenate, 32, was honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award atThe Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala, held at The Beverly Hills Hotel, on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

The outlet created this award in 2016 to recognize individuals who amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry, according to itswebsite. Another nominee of the event wasNicole Kidman, whoreceived the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award.

Selena Gomez attends The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala on December 04, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

While accepting her award, theWizards of Waverly Placealum dedicated it to the “people who don’t have voices and have been overlooked, pushed aside, and most importantly have been disrespected.”

Selena Gomez on ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’.Adam Rose/Disney Channel via Getty

Adam Rose/Disney Channel via Getty

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Although Gomez said that at that age, she was not thinking “about the representation or what the gravity of those words meant,” she was “very grateful” and “wanted to do my best to live up to that in whatever form that looked like.”

“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,” said Gomez.

The actress further said that representation to her is “not just about seeing more faces on the screen, it’s about creating opportunities for people to see themselves.”

“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,” she said.

While speaking to PEOPLE about the honor, she shared that she believes in equity and representation of “all types of women.”

“I believe so whole heartedly that we deserve to be who we are. We are in control of our bodies, our minds, our soul. We know what works for us,” she says.

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“So I think that, I hope that we’re here to celebrate that and there’s more change coming. We need more stories likeEmilia Pérez,” Gomez adds. “We need more moments in history that we can break the mold.”

source: people.com