oubting your own accomplishments is the classic dou-
ble bind, and women are often exhorted to power-pose
their way to self-confidence. But when the world sees
you as “less than,” it can be hard not to fall prey to inse-
curity. As a woman and the first Latina editor-in-chief
of a major U.S. fashion magazine, I can attest that getting
ahead doesn’t always come from a strong conviction of “I’ve got this.” It
takes a quiet confidence in your own abilities, and sometimes a healthy
dose of “Fake it till you make it.” It’s particularly tough for women of color.
Mindy Kaling, responsible for so many of the punch lines on The Office,
tells Rebecca Nelson that back in those days, she had to assemble proof of
her own worth in order to be considered for an Emmy nomination. “I had
to get letters from all the other male, white producers saying that I had
contributed,” she says, “when my actual record stood for itself.” Kaling’s
story reminds us that Hollywood success doesn’t insulate anyone from
discrimination. Thankfully, Kaling prevailed, and has gone on to bring
stories of heroines who look like her to the screen.
As we embark on the twenty-sixth year of Women in Hollywood, it’s
gratifying to see that the way Hollywood looks, both in front of and behind
the camera, is changing. With their first feature, Queen & Slim, writer-
director duo Lena Waithe and Melina Matsoukas are a great example ofthe latter. In Anita Little’s interview (page 160), Waithe echoes Kaling’s an-
ecdote. “I didn’t truly experience what it means to feel like a second-class
citizen until I sold my first TV show,” she says. “Because out of five people,
I was the fifth most important person in the room.” The Queen & Slim
script, which Little calls “Bonnie and Clyde for the Black Lives Matter
era,” was her way of rebelling against that dynamic and showing her value.
Thankfully, with the push to make on- and offscreen representation
a priority, there are now more advocates in the proverbial room. One of
those is Jennifer Salke, who took over as the head of Amazon Studios last
year. In just that short time, she’s signed talent including Waithe, Jordan
Peele, and Barry Jenkins. She even nabbed Rihanna; the studio broadcast
her Savage x Fenty show from New York Fashion Week. “Years ago, people
would say that you need a white male star, that women should be sexy,”
she says. “You had talented people pitching original ideas who weren’t
successful because they didn’t check off all the boxes. We turned off gen-
erations of viewers; it didn’t feel relevant to them.” On page 130, Christina
Binkley finds out how Salke is helping make the tech giant a Hollywood
power player, without sacrificing quality storytelling.
I can’t wait to celebrate these industry game changers at our Women in
Hollywood event, taking place in L.A. on October 14. And as our studded-
with-future-stars Hollywood Rising portfolio (page 180) proves, there’s a
lot more talent where that came from.@NINAGARCIA NINAGARCIA @NINAGARCIAOFFICIALD
THE PUSH
CONTINUES
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