Mila Kunis just made history for gender equality at Harvard University

‘Putting women in a higher position in the workplace will change the world —it has been statistically proven’

From the editors of InStyle US Words by Olivia Bahou

Mila Kunis just received an amazing honour and incited some major change along the way. The Bad Moms star was given the 2018 Woman of the Year Award by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and showed up at Harvard University on Thursday to receive the award.

Ahead of the ceremony, Kunis received some backlash for accepting the honour, as Hasty Pudding Theatricals had not previously allowed female performers in its annual shows. While women were integral in putting on productions, only male actors were featured on stage—until now.

Along with Kunis’s acceptance speech, she promoted some gender equality, announcing that women can not only audition for but are guaranteed spots in the performances, a major change for the ages-old organisation. ‘I wouldn’t be here otherwise. It was something that to me was very important,’ she stressed in a press conference.

‘This is something that this program has always wanted to do,’ Kunis said. ‘They’ve been fighting for this and they have wanted this and they’re the reason that this happened.’

Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals has been giving out Woman of the Year awards to talented actresses since 1951, with previous honorees including Meryl Streep, Debbie Reynolds, and Julia Roberts. ‘If you look at the list of women who have been honoured, it’s an incredible list to be a part of,’ Kunis said.

‘Putting women in a higher position in the workplace will change the world —it has been statistically proven,’ she added.

The press conference was the culmination of a busy day, which began with a parade through Cambridge, Mass., and included a public celebratory roast before Kunis was handed the honour.