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| Filipina/American actress Vanessa Hudgens was given the #SeeHer Award (yes, it's a surfboard) at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards. |
The Filipina/American actress 28, was given the #SeeHer Award for "pushing boundaries, unchanging stereotypes and embodying the fight for realistic female portrayals in media."
"I'm not gonna lie, when I was 25, I felt like I had it all figured out," she confessed. "And then I woke up at 27 and I realized that I had no idea who I was, what I stood for, and what I wanted."
"I look back on that moment really grateful because it pushed me to dig deeper and figure out what type of woman I wanted to become."
She was given the award for her work for a number of charities including the Make A Wish Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.
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| Vanessa Hudgens, right, stepped out at the Women's March earlier this year. |
In the past 18 months, she had to overcome the death of her father on the eve of her live performance of Grease. In one of those "the show-must-go-on moments," she powered on and her performance boosted her Hollywood profile and garnered her an Emmy.
Her hosting of the 2017 Billboard Awards elevated Hudgens' visibility and showed off her ability to spar impromptu with the stars in the audience and stage.
For me, the small throwaway line in her cancelled TV show Powerless was perhaps the most important for some little Asian/American child who might have heard it on network TV. She said, "I'm half Filipino ..." The moment was no big deal, no inspirational music in the background, no dramatic pause, but it identified her as an Asian/American when so many actors never get a chance to proclaim their heritage. individuality, what makes them different.
That single seemingly insignificant line was empowering.
Unlike some actors and actresses who choose to remain ambiguous about their ethnicity, Hudgens has never been shy about her mixed-race heritage. Her mother is Filipino. When she had the opportunity, she said it publicly, during a performance: "I'm half Filipino."
The actress ended her Teen Choice speech with a powerful message for her younger fans. "I think it is so important for us to lean into our individuality and to embrace our weirdness," she continued. "To not be afraid of being different, because God made you you for a reason. So know that in your heart, you are enough. And the more you lean into that, the brighter you will shine." Amen, to that!
Other AAPI performers honored in the show were:
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, "Fantasy Movie Actor" for his voice work for Maui in the animated Moana.
- Auli Carvalho, "Break Out Actress" for her voice work as the title role in Moana.
Listen to Hudgen's speech below:
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EDITOR'S NOTE:or additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.
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