Yara Shahidi shares hopes for women to ‘crack the surface of inclusivity’ in the industry as she is named the New Gen Gamechanger at Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards
Yara Shahidi has been named the New Gen Gamechanger at GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year Awards on Thursday.
The Black-ish star, 21, reflected on her win with GLAMOUR in a special digital issue, and shared her hopes for women to continue to grow and get more opportunities in the entertainment industry over the next 20 years.
Gracing the cover of the magazine, Yara told the publication: ‘While we have begun to crack the surface of inclusivity, there is still so much work to be done.
Thoughts: Yara Shahidi shared her hopes for women in the future as she was named the New Gen Gamechanger at Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards on Thursday
‘I hope that in the next 20 years we accept the task of totally re-imagining the system to be more equitable.
‘We should imagine, “how do we enfranchise creators of many intersections to feel like they have ownership over their projects and figure out ways to ensure that sense of ownership?”
‘I’m particularly excited for more global conversations on womanhood, and that gets rid of the narrative of connecting in spite of our differences, but because of our differences.’
Yara also spoke about how she has learned to advocate for herself in her career, saying how it’s one of her goals to continue to stand up for what she believes in.
Hopes: Gracing the cover of the magazine, Yara told the publication: ‘While we have begun to crack the surface of inclusivity, there is still so much work to be done’
She explained: ‘For me, success has been defined by my family, not let’s say, a job well done or in those traditional senses.
‘But really has this been an experience of growth? Am I satisfied with what I put into that experience?
‘I have found success in many different areas, but often not in the areas that are expected.’
Looking forward: Yara (pictured in December 2020) went on, ‘I hope that in the next 20 years we accept the task of totally re-imagining the system to be more equitable’
The Grown-ish star went on: ‘One of the things that I’ve tried to push through is the discomfort of standing up for myself.
‘One of my goals is to be able to advocate for myself as well as the other people around me.
‘Moments that I would address as failures are those moments in which I decided that it would be easier to have lower standards, or to be OK with something that does not fit my needs.’
Yara was also asked about whether she sees herself as a gamchanger, given the award she has received, and she reflected: ‘One thing I’ve learned about changing the game is that you kind of have to be unabashed in it.
‘When I look at the gamechangers around me, there is a pride in which they carry their work with them and de-stigmatise the idea of being a disruptor.
‘I think for so many women and women of colour, being disruptive is approached very punitively by our society, but what creates gamechangers are those people that unabashedly take on the idea of being a disruptor.’
GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards 2021: The Gamechangers is available to view via glamourmagazine.co.uk on Thursday 11th March at 7pm GMT.
Candid: Yara also discussed how she’s learned to advocate for herself, as she said: ‘One of the things that I’ve tried to push through is the discomfort of standing up for myself’