She was one of the six honorees at Variety‘s Power Of Women lunch presented by Lifetime at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday.
But Mariah Carey managed to confuse fellow honoree Jennifer Aniston with Reese Witherspoon in her otherwise moving acceptance speech.
Her slip may have been due to the fact that the teleprompters weren’t working properly and the 49-year-old largely relied on her memory and the notes she had with her.
Sparkly star: Mariah Carey was one of the six honorees at Variety‘s Power Of Women lunch presented by Lifetime at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday
Mariah, who looked stunning in a skin-tight, black sparkly gown with a plunging neckline and a fish tale, received her award from Mixed-ish star Mykal-Michelle ‘Mimi’ Harris, seven.
‘I may not be a woman of power yet,’ she said, ‘but girl power can change the world. Miss Mariah Carey knocked open the doors to the entertainment industry for girls who look like me.’
Meanwhile Mariah talked about sexism, racism and motherhood on stage, saying: ‘I was 18 years old when I got my first record deal.
‘A lot of very powerful men controlled my career — what I wore, who I worked with, and every aspect of my overall image.
Tiny star: Mariah, 49, received her award from seven-year-old Mixed-ish actress Mykal-Michelle ‘Mimi’ Harris
Big hugs: ‘I may not be a woman of power yet’, ‘ Mimi said, adding, ‘Miss Mariah Carey knocked open the doors to the entertainment industry for girls who look like me’
‘Believe me, that can be very intimidating and confining to a young girl just getting started, trying to express herself artistically.
‘It took a lot of hard work, inner strength and believing in myself, but slowly I gained the courage to emerge from that stifling control by a group of men.’
Mariah shares eight-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with her ex-husband Nick Cannon.
And she revealed that she knew ‘Roe-Roe’s’ experiences in life would be different to her son’s purely because she’s a girl, adding that she was trying to prepare her for that.
The way it was: The star talked about sexism, racism and motherhood on stage, saying: ‘I was 18 years old when I got my first record deal. A lot of very powerful men controlled my career’
Mariah thanked ‘each women in this room and all the women who have come forward’ with their stories of harrowing experiences and, ‘above all, they’re triumphs over the misogynistic society of corporate a**** that we deal with every day,’ as the audience cheered.
The star was honored for founding and her continuing philanthropy with the Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Maria, which she said she started 25 years ago.
‘If you don’t see what an accomplishment that was for a two-year-old child…’ she joked as the audience laughed.
Celebrity kudos: The star was honored for founding – and her continuing philanthropy with – the Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Maria, which she said she started 25 years ago.