Candice Patton Quotes

It is so cool to think that there are two female, Indian actresses on prime-time American network television who are considered attractive and funny and smart.

It was cool to play an African princess who's the smartest in the whole world. That never happens. So I hope all the young girls can feel smart, too.

I always love where I can plug a black woman in anywhere, and when that comes up, I don't say, 'Oh that has to be a black woman.' I say, 'Why not a black woman?'

You can have Asians being leading men that are sex symbols. You can have leading women powering through.

At age 10, or even 15, it would have meant the world to me to see a Pakistani girl portrayed positively, let alone as a comic book superhero.

The most amazing thing for me is when I open up a magazine and I see someone I could be friends with and looks, maybe, slightly like me. And I think that's the same with young girls. Because there needs to be diversity.

I feel I'll take on the responsibility of showing the world a whole different kind of Latin woman.

I think I'm a different kind of role model for young girls.

I do think it's well over-time to have a female Doctor Who. I think a gay, black female Doctor Who would be the best of all.

I get comments all the time on Twitter, and fan mail about how amazing it is to see me play Iris West: a strong woman. It's not really about her being black; she just happens to be black.

The reality is that diversity as an overall subject has to continue to be addressed onscreen. That goes beyond having a gay superhero. There should be a black superhero, a Latino superhero and, while we're at it, we still aren't seeing nearly enough women behind the scenes and as the anchors of movies.

It's so important for young girls of color - young girls of any color - to see diverse women as the heroes of their own story.

People are getting tired of the same material; they want to see black girls as leads in movies. And I happen to be lucky enough to understand that - and be able to grab that opportunity and run with it.

I take it seriously that it's a privilege and honor to be a role model to young girls, both black and white. It's not something I take lightly.

I never would have dreamt in a million years that I would have young girls coming up to me at Glastonbury or on the streets of L.A., New York, London, and telling me how much GurlsTalk or seeing my picture in a magazine means to them, as a woman of colour.

When I was growing up, I wanted to see girls like me on television and in movies - strong girls who aren't crying over their relationships or whatever.

The more people feel comfortable to showcase that and the more we highlight that as a visibility for young girls to see and look up to - I think that's better.

Especially for young girls growing up, it would be lovely to see strong women who don't necessarily need to be sexy or find that interesting. Or have to be the girlfriend or the mother. They can play complex characters that you want to follow and make you believe that you can be strong as well.

It's always in our mind-set to encourage young girls to get playing. The only way we can do that is being positive off the pitch, trying to engage as much as possible.

I think it's really important for all young girls to see themselves represented in fashion so they don't feel alone in the world.

It's so important to have representation for all races on TV. All people, from all walks of life. So when other people look at the television screen they can see and identify with that person doing great things.

Once I realized, when I became a plus-size model, that there were more women like me, my confidence immediately shot through the roof.

My grandmother probably never thought she would see a day where, you know, a young black woman would be seen as a leader, which is incredible.

I am proud to be able to exhibit my work and inspire young people. Especially young black women so they know that they are beautiful, that they don't have to hold onto any negative stereotypes.

Girls in Asia are very obedient, shy, timid, quiet, but I can tell that it's changing, and I want them to be stronger and tell them that it's OK to be different.