Simone Ashley has revealed that a frustrating encounter with a ‘man in a van’ inspired her moving speech as she received the Game-Changing Actor award at the Glamor Women Of The Year Awards.
The Bridgerton star, 29, received the coveted honor from her co-star Nicola Coughlan, explaining in a lengthy speech how she is ‘frustrated’ by the problem of her and other women being told they are ‘incapable’ of success .
Simone then noted an awkward encounter with a man a few days earlier who tried to help her parallel park, describing his behavior as “frustrating and pushy.”
She explained, “The reality is that sometimes the things we desire most don’t fit into our lives. But I still believe that this does not reasonably mean that we should not have a dream, because we may be surprised by what happens to us during the chase.
‘Society sometimes tells us that women are not capable of many things, which I find so frustrating because I know we are capable, we know we are capable, we all know we are capable.
Simone Ashley has revealed a frustrating encounter with a ‘man in a van’ that inspired her moving speech as she received the Actor Gong at the Glamor Women Of The Year Awards
“And that leads me to want to share something that literally happened to me about a week ago.
‘So I was driving my car in London and I was parking in a traffic jam and my male best friend was in the car with me, and I was struggling to park my car on a very narrow street in London.
‘Then a man drove by in a van, got out of his van and decided to help me. He started giving me instructions, ‘lock it this way, move it, turn the car this way’, all these things and I started to get overwhelmed.
“But I thought, ‘It’s okay, just be patient, he’s just trying to help you.’ Then his behavior started to become more and more aggressive and a bit pushy.
“He said, ‘Roll down your window, I want to tell you something,’ and I didn’t roll down my window. I said very kindly and gently, “No, thank you, I’m fine.”
“I started to get a little nervous and with that he looked at my male friend and then he raised one arm, and then he raised the other arm, and then he puffed up his chest and said, ‘You should drive’” as if to say ‘men can do it’ and I’m sure they can, and yes, the moment I laughed, I felt a little embarrassed and really frustrated inside.
“This is a very small example of me being told I wasn’t good at something because I’m a woman. But we all know that there are many deeper and more serious examples that women face every day, all the time, where we are told that something is impossible because they are a woman.”
Simone then urged all the young fans watching to ‘put their energy into believing what they already know’, before specifically highlighting ‘little girls with skin like her’, urging them to remember that ‘they can do it.’
The Bridgerton star received the coveted honor from Nicola Coughlan and explained how she is ‘frustrated’ by the problem of women being told they are ‘incapable’ of success
Simone, best known for her role as Kate Sharma in Bridgerton (pictured), then found herself having an awkward encounter with a man who tried to help her parallel park
She added: “This is a very small example of me being told I’m not good at something because I’m a woman.
“But we all know that there are many deeper and more serious examples that women face every day, all the time, where we are told that something is impossible because they are a woman.
“Even though they know, we know we’re worth it and we know we’re capable. So the message I want to convey: don’t listen to anything or anyone who takes away our hope.
“Instead, put your energy into believing what you already know, honor your dreams, fight for them, and don’t surrender to someone who tells you it’s not possible.
“Finally, I want to highlight something that I get asked in almost every press interview, and the question is, ‘Why is representation important?’ And I think the answer for me is that it makes us understand and trust that we belong.
“So for every little girl watching this, especially little girls and people of color like me, I hope you can trust that you belong, that you belong on this stage with me, with a microphone like this so that you voice can be heard loud and clear.
‘I love the color of my skin, I think it’s strong and beautiful and I think it’s so angry and so capable.
“And to those same little girls, if anyone ever tells you that something isn’t possible because you’re a woman, I hope you can look in the mirror and raise one arm and the other, and puff up your chest and say, ‘I can do it! ”
After her moving speech, Simone posed backstage with her award in hand, having already hit the red carpet in a beautiful yellow suede dress.
Addressing all the ‘little girls with skin like her’, Simone urged them to remember that ‘they can do it’
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Jodie Turner-Smith was presented with the Trailblazer trophy by friend and fellow actor Naomie Harris, 48.
Keely Hodgkinson received the Sporting Hero award, while former Love Island star Cally Jane Beech was named Activist of the Year.
The coveted Glamor Impact Award went to former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, while presenter Katherine Ryan also took home the award for Feminist Hero.
Chloe Bailey received the Musician Gong, while Jameela Jamil took home the award for Game-Changing Voice.
GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year Awards returned for another year to celebrate some of the biggest names in music, television, film and sports.
The event, sponsored by Samsung and the new Galaxy Ring, honors the activists and record breakers leading the way for women’s equality.
Past winners include Kim Cattrall, Naomi Campbell and Victoria Beckham.
