What is a BAWSE?
- Being of service to others.
- Being okay with being labeled as a ‘diva’ or ‘difficult’ if it means I am standing up for what’s right.
While the women on this panel gave their insightful definitions of what a BAWSE is, I knew I could not articulately define the term so I borrowed this definition from UrbanDictionary:
A BAWSE is “a human being who exudes confidence, turns heads, reaches goals, finds inner strenght, gets hurt efficiently and smiles genuinely – because they’ve fought through it all and made it out the other side.”
Some of the hottest BAWSE actresses across DC television and film sat down with celebrity DJ D-Nice and Grammy-winning singer/actress Estelle to discuss how they use their confidence and vulnerability to navigate their careers in Hollywood.
Panelists included Meagan Good (SHAZAM!), Javicia Leslie (Batwoman), Candice Patton (The Flash), Tala Ashe (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Nafessa Williams and Chantal Thuy (Black Lightning), and Anna Diop and Damaris Lewis (Titans).
The panel began by celebrating Javicia Leslie who plays the first ever black Batwoman. Javicia says she was inspired by Eartha Kitt: her acting, but more for her activism.
Candice Patton shared a touching story in which a young mother tweeted Candice how much her performance meant to her young daughter in seeing a pretty actress who “looks just like her.”
Chantal Thuy sang the praises of actresses Maggie Cheung and Sandra Oh as key women who inspire her and continue to achieve significant success. She emphasized the importance of actresses using their craft to “dig deep in a way that can change lives.”
Meagan Good addressed the challenges and realizations involved in breaking out of former highly sexualized roles. She confidently stated that there is nothing wrong in “owning it” and being sexy, but the focus should be on humanizing the character – who is this person and how is she relatable to a black woman? – and “lean[ing] into all of who we are.”
This was an excellent panel; one that offered critical insight into not only the struggles of women of color, but their successes, hard work, persistence and potential in the DC universe and beyond.
Catch the panel’s encore tonight at 8:40pm (PST).
