Where our girl mamas at?!

Kerry Washington Says Being A ‘Girl Mom’ Makes Her Want To Do Better

The Little Fires Everywhere actress says motherhood has changed the way she approaches life.

by Lauren Gordon
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Kerry Washington yellow dress SAG awards
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

If your gender identity is “woman,” life just gets more complicated. To prove this point, actress Kerry Washington opened up about being a mom to both a girl and a boy, and how having her daughter was truly an inspiration for her to constantly “do better.”

Washington was recently celebrated at the TIME Women of the Year gala and at the event she spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the honor and what it means for her specifically as a "girl mom."

"It's very surreal," Washington said. "I'm thrilled to be able to be here, being honored with women who are heroes of mine, and who are doing extraordinary work, and to amplify their work and just sort of cheer each other on. There's so much work to do to make this world a better place, so it's really thrilling to be able to celebrate some women who are working towards that."

"I do think being a 'girl mom,' makes you think about these issues in a different way," she added. "They just make me want to do more and better and be there for them."

TIME’s Women of the Year photos.

One creative way Washington is making sure that her daughter and other women are inspired is by celebrating “Black Herstory” with an Instagram photo series. In it, Washington imitates some of history’s Black women thought leaders, activists, artists and more.

"We just wanted to find a really fun way to celebrate important women in history,” Washington explained. “Black History Month is such an important time of year, but we wanted to put the focus on Black women by making it 'herstory,' but also, we continued in March 'cause it's still Women's History Month and also, Black history for me, is 365 days a year."

Empowered women empower women, and we hope Washington spends her career basking in the empowerment and spreading it to everyone who needs it.

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