We didn’t get to see Kerry at the Emmys this year, so fortunately the Women Making History awards got her into some couture instead. This is the second of the new Carolina Herrera gowns we’ve seen this week; sadly, so far we’ve been deprived of the ones I really WANT, but given what a good showing she had at the Emmys, more is probably on the way.
Kerry gave a nice speech, from the bits I’ve read, which included this:
“We have been told a false narrative as women, often, that there is only room for one of us in the room. And it’s part of how they keep us small. Part of the culture of Shondaland is to shatter that illusion[…] I want this next generation to be inspired to carry the torch forward of inclusivity but to not do it out of fear. If they can let go of that fear and still have that passion, then I would feel like we’ve all done our job for them.”
I think the “only one of us in the room” idea is something that’s very real. For example, will Hollywood decide that it only needs Reese Witherspoon as the A-lister/multi-hyphenate mogul of the moment, or will it see her as just one of many and open its eyes to the other female voices fighting to be heard? This industry often gets very complacent and self-congratulatory after the most incremental progress, so hopefully last night’s Emmys is not going to be another excuse for execs to sit back and think, “Ahh, at last, we’ve done enough.” Like how if I don’t eat chips for a few days, I’m like, “WELL, I’ve earned these,” and then suddenly that bag of All Dressed Ruffles is gone.
[Photos: Backgrid, Getty]
