As Variety Power of Women: New York honorees, it’s no surprise that Taraji P. Henson, Bette Midler, and Gigi Hadid have plenty to say about feminism and the way women are treated in show business. Each woman shared her views in individual profiles for Variety as part of the publication’s Power of Women coverage, and the conversations included candid takes on equal pay, racism, representation, and more.
Henson spoke frankly about the pay gap and revealed that — even now, after becoming a household name with her role on “Empire,” toplining studio films, and having lined up a directing gig — she has to fight for a fair rate. “Now that I can open films, give me my money. I’ve proven it,” she said. “I’ve even proven it when the studio didn’t promote the film, and I opened it with just me and this [she holds up her phone] because the studio wasn’t backing me. So give me my money.”
And while the Oscar-nominated actress believes women of color are getting better roles, Henson thinks they’ll remain undervalued until those in power finally offer their support. “Everyone knows [women of color’s] issues. But until the people on the other side who are privileged and have the advantage start speaking up — we can bitch and moan all we want — but until the other privileged side reaches across to help the underprivileged, that’s how that world works,” she opined. “Until we start seeing that in Hollywood, it’s never going to change. We need help from the other side.”
The other side should help, if only for financial reasons. When asked about the major success of female-fronted films like “Wonder Woman” and “Captain Marvel,” Henson replied, “Women, we drive the box office. Yeah, I said it, because it’s the truth.” She added, “So, why not appeal to women? Don’t you want to make money? It’s a no brainer.”
That was Midler’s line of thinking when she launched her production company, All Girl Productions, 34 years ago. The company’s motto, “We hold a grudge,” was inspired by the power differential between women and men, Midler told Variety. “All the men were holding grudges,” she explained. “We were women, and we were going to hold a grudge, too, because it was just this constant push and pull of tension between men and women where there was no respect. More than anything, we wanted our respect,” she stressed.
At that point, Midler was the highest-paid woman in Hollywood. However, she doesn’t attribute the increase in women’s on-screen representation in the ’80s and ’90s to her success. “I raised awareness, but I don’t think I raised rage,” she mused. That came later. “I think actually it’s Donald Trump that did it, because the way he spoke about women confirmed what women believed men said about them behind their backs all along. And so that enraged them. Then the Women’s March came in and people started telling their stories,” she said.
Midler always considered herself a feminist, and thanks her parents for that. She and her siblings “were all raised independently,” she remembered. “What [my parents] said was you must learn to count on yourself. You must not be afraid to be alone. You must learn to support yourself.” When Midler read “The Feminine Mystique,” her mind was blown. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a housewife. I think all work is honorable. Being a mother is fantastic,” she explained. “But if you have a passion for something and a talent for something, you should be able to follow your bliss.”
Hadid always identified as a feminist, too. “I saw my mom take so much control over her life. And even through my parents got divorced, they never showed me the negative sides,” the model and designer revealed. “My parents were always supportive of each other, always spoke positively about each other, and that showed me so much strength in my mom.”
As someone who wants to help “women celebrate one another,” Hadid appears to be thriving in her chosen line of work. She described the fashion industry as “a sisterhood.” While she acknowledges the women problems that are part and parcel of fashion and modeling, Hadid believes “women are empowered” in those professions. “So much of the time is about friendship and community and creative partners. Backstage at shows, it’s really such a beautiful feeling,” she remarked. “When one friend is opening a show, we’re all back there, excited for that person. I feel so supported and a beautiful energy.”
Head over to Variety to read all the Power of Women stories in full.
