Tracee Ellis Ross Wants To Encourage Young Women

After winning the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Comedy at the 74th annual Golden Globes Awards in Los Angeles for her work in Blackish, Tracy Ellis Ross came back stage to answer questions from press. And when asked what she'd like viewers to take away from seeing her win, Ross said quite simply: "I hope young woman are encouraged to be themselves."

It's an extremely simple sentiment, but one that should not be overlooked. On her show Blackish, Ross plays a mom and wife, or as Ross says, "a strong woman with a full life whose story is not told through her husband." And while it may seem obvious that a woman's story would be told through her own personal vantage point, Ross stresses that this is not the case. And because of this, she specifically wants to encourage young woman with this award.

It's also a sentiment that we can all get behind. Women are underrepresented in Hollywood — which, in 2017, is no secret — and there should be no shortage of encouragement directed at young women. It's why Ross' comments are so incredibly important.

And of course, one thing that cannot be overlooked is that Ross is the first black woman in 35 years to win this award. Clearly, diversity in award shows is not as present as it could be. But Ross stresses that diversity does not just mean diversity of color. "It's making sure the stories that we tell actually represents the humanity we live in," she says.

A huge congratulations to Tracee — may her award inspire generations of young women to come.