Gina Rodriguez urged women to stick together as she spoke at Marie Claire’s first annual Young Women’s Honors gala on Saturday night (19.11.16).
The ‘Jane The Virgin’ star called for female empowerment as she hosted the event, which celebrated 10 young women who are "doing amazing things" and breaking stereotypes.
She said: "This has been a dream of mine since I was very young. I wanted to see images of myself on screen, I wanted to know I belonged, I wanted to know I was enough, I wanted to know I was strong. I wanted to know I was capable. I wanted to know I was possible. And every single woman in this room who came to be part of this project, that is helping me bring this project to a reality, is all that and more.
"Our honorees are everything I dreamt of having when I was a young girl. Now we get to do that for the next generation. We get to do that ourselves, for any generation, at any point, anything is possible. Especially now during this time we’re living in … this room is so beautiful. This room is so hopeful, this room is so strong, and we are only strong together, so thank you."
Meanwhile, Gina previously admitted she feels pressure to look a certain way.
She shared: "In real life, I slay [but] of course, I’ve fallen into the pressure. 100 percent I’ve fallen into the culture [of looking a certain way].
"[You think] if you look like this swimsuit model then you’re hot and everybody’s going to want you and money’s going to flow through and everything’s going to be great and dandy, and that’s bulls**t.
"You go to television and film, and it does at 10 pounds. I don’t look like a skinny minnie, and the truth is, that’s OK, too, and that is beautiful also."
Gina Rodriguez celebrates amazing women
