Blake Lively returns to the red carpet to honor children's angel

Blake Lively returned to the red carpet on Wednesday night (16Nov16) for the first time since becoming a mom again.

The actress attended L'Oreal's Women of Worth Awards in New York City, where she raved about the work of Carly Yoost, an activist who has helped to keep kids safe from online predators.

"It's as important as ever to celebrate women, and that's what we get to do tonight," she told reporters on the carpet. "We get to celebrate 10 incredible women who are spending their days changing the world."

Lively, who was stylish in black, welcomed her second child, a baby girl, with her husband Ryan Reynolds in September. The couple also has a 23-month-old daughter, called James. They have yet to announce the name of their newborn.

Joining Lively at Wednesday's Women of Worth Awards were actresses Diane Keaton, Eva Longoria, and Andie MacDowell, and model Karlie Kloss.

"You have to set an example, it's so important," Lively told People.com. "In times like this you can curl up and be really depressed about the state of communities that are under-served, or you can set that example for your children.

"You just have to figure out how - that's the hardest thing. It's about making that extra bit of effort, and that's what tonight is: celebrating the women who are doing that."

And the Gossip Girl star hopes to pass that message on to her daughters when they are older: "They don't understand anything yet... but you know (I'll be telling them to) use your voice, don't let anyone silence you," she added.

"It's about spreading love, because that's the easy thing to do right now... You get angry or you get upset or you get hurt and you want to lash out, but what we're combating is hate, so it's about spreading love and using your voice (to do that)."