An Ode to All The Powerful Women at Variety's Power of Women Event
by Jaskiran Kaur | Sat, 02 Oct 2021 14:29:38 GMT
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The world came to a complete standstill with the dawn of the pandemic. However, many people, especially women of the entertainment world, tried their best to keep things pretty steady in the entertainment business. Variety celebrates these women and their never ending passion for bringing the best into the showbiz world. This list acknowledges the hard work and dedication of Hollywood's finest ladies. Here is an ode to their brilliance:-

The event: 

Held by Variety, the 2021 Power of Women event was held at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles on September 30th. The esteemed guests of the ceremony included female trailblazers, artists, poets, actresses, and other ladies who believe in philanthropy. The guest list featured respected names such as Rita Moreno, Katy Perry, Lorde, Amanda Gorman, Angelina Jolie and her daughter Zahara, and Channing Dungey. 

The women all came together in the hope of a better tomorrow post-pandemic and raised an ode to the power of women. Also included were Ava DuVernay, Gaylee King, Gloria Calderon Kellet, Hunter Schafer, and many more. Further present were Justina Machado, Tia Mowry, Jenna Dewan, Kelly Hu, Chelsea Peretti, Alyssa Milano, and the women of the entertainment business in Hollywood. 

Angelina Jolie

The actress attended the event with her adopted daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt. She wore a brown floor-length dress with full billowing sleeves. Her daughter looked equally magnificent in a white co-ord set.

Jolie delivered a powerful speech in honor of poet Amanda Gorman. She said, "The young woman of grace, who stepped fearlessly to the podium on inauguration day. Not just the youngest but the strongest voice we could ask for in that moment. The Amanda we see today might seem as if she leapt into our times, fully formed, to summon our better angels. But there was an Amanda we didn't see."

Continuing, she remarked, "So as well as celebrating your extraordinary achievements, Amanda, we honor 7-year-old you and every other girl who feels she is an outsider, alone, when she is simply coming into her own. So many girls have their progress in life derailed — by poverty, by the disapproving word, the clenched fist, or the steel of the gun. How many Amanda's are living in Afghanistan, hiding their journals, waiting to see if they will be allowed to go to school? As if anyone has the right to decide what a woman can or cannot do with her own mind and body."

Katy Perry

Katy Perry cut a brilliant figure in her purple off-the-shoulder ball gown. The dress had oversized sleeves which hung low from her arms. She paired the look with statement earrings. She thanked her sister Angela during the ceremony, who helps her run the Firework foundation, an association that helps underprivileged children. 

"This honor also belongs to my sister, Angela, my co-founder at the Firework Foundation, the ultimate champion for access and equal opportunity for children. Thank you so much for keeping me focused on the greater good, holding my feet to the fire, keeping me accountable, putting all the logistics in place so that we can make an impact in our lives and other lives. I love you, and I look up to you," said Katy Perry. 

She also used her speech to thank Michelle Jubelirer (president and COO, Capitol Music Group), Ambrosia Healy (head of media strategy and relations), and Kristen Kanopka (senior director, publicity). The Roar singer said, "Thank you, ladies, so much for giving me the platform to allow me to do what I love every day. And we know it takes a village, and I'm privileged to have mine made up of so many intelligent, dynamic women." The singer also performed a rendition of 'What Makes a Woman.'

Amanda Gorman

The poetess looked ethereal in a bright pink dress. She showed all the qualities of a powerful orator urging women to take the reins of their life into their own hands and speak their truth. She also presented her poem "We Rise," which positively stunned the audience.

Talking about how she got inspired and empowered, she said, "What I want to do is what I typically do when I feel inspired, and that is reading a poem." 

Her poem begins with compelling notes:

Today, everyone's eyes

Are on us as we rise.

Today is the day women 

Are paving the way,

Speaking our truth to power.

In this hour, it is our duty

to find the brave beauty

In rooting for other women 

So they too know we are not victims,

We are victors, the greatest predictors 

of progress. We press for change, 

A new dawn drawn into the open 

By women whose silence is broken.

We push on and act on

Our responsibility to bring visibility 

To the most vulnerable:

To bring freedom to those who didn't have a choice,

To bring volume to those who are using their voice.

Lorde

Credits: Variety

The American singer received an honor at the event for her 350 Aotearoa project, "whose commitment to ending fossil fuel-driven projects back home is truly inspiring," she commented.

She attended the event in a flowing lilac purple dress with a billowing cape. The high collar dress possibly featured a reference to her Solar Power organization. She talked about the golden megaphone handed to her that helped amplify her voice and spread her message to people beyond what she could ever comprehend.

She said, "This megaphone amplified my voice tenfold, so that it wasn't just heard by the people I knew. All of a sudden, journalists at major publications could hear my voice, still coming from my bedroom at the bottom of the world. Artists I'd looked up to for years, they could hear me. Hundreds of thousands of kids around the world, my megaphone worked on them. Enough people decided: what you're saying is interesting, and we want to keep hearing you say it." 

She talked about women who aren't as privileged as she is and will be affected by climate change long before then she will be. "When we talk about power, about the amplification of a single voice, we must also acknowledge those who do not have such amplification. Tonight, I think of the women whose birthplace or skin color or socioeconomic status was always going to make it less likely that they be handed a megaphone. Or the women who climate change will affect long before it affects me," she said. 

Rita Moreno 

The actress serves as an icon for all the Latina aspiring to enter the glam world of Los Angeles. She talked about her struggle to reach where she is today and said, "Given my background, feeling powerful is a significant reality. Growing up as a young Latina immigrant in a racist and patriarchal society, I honestly couldn't even imagine what that might have felt like. It was so far out of reach. All I could muster was the inner strength to work toward my dream of becoming a successful actress. But the struggle was a daily reality, and sadly, sometimes still is."

But she ended on a positive note, "My hope is that as more women, like the ones honored here tonight, gain positions of power and influence, they continue to keep the fires burning for those who aspire. We live in a time that requires us to be vigilant. As women, many issues require our attention in these dark days — when our leaders politicize the wearing of masks and polarize our citizens over vaccines; when in the mind of many, climate change is science fiction and healthcare is still not codified as a basic human right in a divided America."

She concluded with the words, "None of us can take on the world by ourselves, but if there is one thing I am sure of in my 90 years, it is the power of a sisterhood of women working for change. Life grows within us, and we are its caretakers – we are heavily invested! I believe all women have the potential to bloom where they are planted."

Channing Dungey

Credits: Variety

Dungey wore a checkered blue and black dress complete with minimal accessories. She is the chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and attributed her success to the women of her life. She is the first woman to hold the post in the history of Warner Bros TV operations.

"I was lucky enough as a young woman in this business to be mentored by women who taught me that if we are in a position of power, it's our obligation and our responsibility to empower others," she spoke. "I think tonight is about more than celebrating the power of women. It's also about celebrating and recognizing the importance of empowering each other."

Her moving speech ended on the terms, “Sometimes the problems and challenges in this world can seem overwhelming, and that can make any of us feel powerless at times. But remember, the word power means ‘to be able.’ We are all able to act. We are all able to lead. We are all able to inspire. We are all-powerful. Use your power, and make a difference in this world.”

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