Waithe is one of several women to win statues at the\u00a069th annual television awards ceremony. But better yet, she\u2019s one of several women to win for writing, directing and acting in stories that center on women\u2019s lives. \u201cThe Handmaid\u2019s Tale,\u201d \u201cBig Little Lies\u201d and \u201cBlack Mirror: San Junipero\u201d each won recognition across categories, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding TV Movie, respectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The first is an adaptation of Margaret Atwood\u2019s 1985 reproductive rights dystopia, directed by\u00a0Emmy-winning Reed Morano\u00a0and starring a women-dominated cast led by\u00a0first-time victor Elisabeth Moss.\u00a0The second is a tale of domestic violence based on a novel by Liane Moriarty and, again, led by a cast of women. Behind the scenes, co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman served as executive producers on the show, too. The third is a queer sci-fi love story acted out by Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw that quickly became a fan favorite, standing out amid a series of otherwise bleak, near-future catastrophes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Their wins \u2015 eight each to \u201cBig Little Lies\u201d and \u201cHandmaid\u2019s Tale\u201d \u2015 felt like a breath of fresh air in an awards ceremony that\u2019s long reflected its industry: largely white, or largely male. To compare, \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d \u201d\u201cThe People v. O.J. Simpson\u201d and\u00a0\u201cSherlock: The Abominable Bride\u201d swept the same categories last year.<\/p>\n JASON LAVERIS VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n As female cast and crew members took the stage one after another to accept their accolades, more than a few honorees took the televised opportunity to point out how revolutionary their wins felt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe things that make us different, those are our superpowers,\u201d Waithe proclaimed, speaking directly to her \u201cLGBTQIA family.\u201d \u201cEvery day when you walk out the door, put on your imaginary cape, and go out there and conquer the world. Because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren\u2019t in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Not long after Laura Dern, the \u201cBig Little Lies\u201d actress who\u2019s been working since she was 11 years old, admitted to working \u201cwith maybe 12 women\u201d throughout her decades-long career, her colleagues Witherspoon and Kidman declared 2017 \u201can incredible year for women on television.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis is a friendship that then created opportunities,\u201d Kidman said during one of her acceptance speeches of her relationship with Witherspoon. \u201cIt created opportunities out of our frustration because we weren\u2019t getting offered great roles. So now, more great roles for women, please. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan I just say, bring women to the front of their own stories,\u201d Witherspoon added, \u201cand make them the hero of their own stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n JASON LAVERIS VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> \u201cVeep\u201d star Julia Louis-Dreyfus also managed to make history with her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series win, becoming the first actor to earn an Emmy\u00a0six times in a row\u00a0for the same role. (\u201cVeep\u201d also snagged the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy.) But beyond the acting categories, women\u00a0still remain underrepresented in writing and directing. According to the Los Angeles Times, only 21 of the 114 writers nominated for drama series, comedy series, variety series and limited series, movie or dramatic special in 2017 were women. Meanwhile, only three of the 25 directors nominated across the same categories were women.<\/p>\n And while Waithe broke barriers with her contribution to \u201cMaster of None,\u201d many critics have called for the entertainment industry to avoid patting itself on the back for minimal strides in 2017. (\u201cAtlanta\u201d and \u201cBlack-ish\u201d led\u00a0the most diverse array of Emmy nominations this year, but the actual awards show painted a different picture for actors of color.)<\/p>\n \u201cHollywood is a white world and it\u2019s a man\u2019s world,\u201d\u00a0Ira Madison III wrote for The Daily Beast on Monday. \u201cIt usually benefits white men, white women, and then black men. There will plenty of more shows like \u2018Big Little Lies\u2019 on the air, but will there be more like \u2018Being Mary Jane?\u2019 \u2018Jane the Virgin?\u2019 \u2018Fresh Off the Boat?\u2019 \u2018Master of None?\u2019 Asian-American actors are barely on television at all, and when they are, they usually portray terrorists in shows like \u201924\u2032 and \u2018Homeland.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n An Emmys that fails to recognize\u00a0\u201cInsecure\u201d creator and star Issa Rae and \u201cThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks\u201d lead Oprah Winfrey, along with actors like Rami Malek and the cast and crew of \u201cDear White People,\u201d is certainly not perfect. But it\u2019s hard to argue with Witherspoon\u2019s decree: \u201cBring women to the front of their own stories.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Kidman said, please and thank you.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/59bfbb9c1900003a0056447f.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale\")
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