America Ferrera is no stranger to a viral speech. Last year, her impassioned monologue as Gloria in Barbie captured our hearts when she expertly summed up the impossibility of being a woman. “You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard!” she recited in one of the film’s most memorable scenes.

“It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out, in fact, that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.”

And now, her inspiring acceptance speech at last night’s Critics Choice Awards is being shared far and wide for its equally empowering message. 

Ferrera received the SeeHer award, which honours leading ladies who advocate for gender equality and portray authentic, boundary-pushing characters. Margot Robbie introduced her Barbie co-star, saying: “She is an artist and an activist. She tells us the truth and asks us to reach for something more in the world and in our in ourselves. She deserves to be celebrated.”

Ferrera began her acceptance speech by reflecting on her experience growing up as a first-generation Honduran American girl “who desperately wanted to be a part of a storytelling legacy that I could not see myself reflected in”.

“Of course, I could feel myself in characters who were strong and complex. But these characters rarely, if ever, looked like me. I yearned to see people like myself on screen as full humans,” she shared. “When I started working over 20 years ago, it seemed impossible that anyone could make a career portraying fully dimensional Latina characters but because of writers, directors, producers and executives who are daring enough to rewrite outdated stories and to challenge deeply entrenched biases, I, and some of my beloved Latina colleagues, have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women,” continued the Ugly Betty star.

“Because of that, we have had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters and characters that I could not have seen growing up. But now I can see her, and I see her expanding in the next generation of talent like my beloved Ariana Greenblatt, who plays my daughter in Barbie, and in Jenna Ortega and in Selena Gomez and in so many more out there.” 

Ferrera finished by declaring that “the best and highest use of storytelling” is to affirm one another’s full humanity, to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen. “Black, brown, Indigenous, Asian, trans, disabled, any body type, any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflected,” she concluded.

We couldn’t agree more. 

Images: Getty