For all those badasses trying to catch up on the headlines, here are a few highlights from the past week. As always, join in the conversation using #TheFemWord and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. #FemNews
1. Every gymnast dreams of the perfect 10. UCLA Gymnastics’ Katelyn Ohashi made it happen and THEN some. Jaws dropped around the world as the 21-year-old delivered a electric floor routine that some are declaring is the best they have ever seen. This triumph comes after Ohashi, a highly-decorated, lifelong athlete, put her Olympic dreams on hold due to “persistent injuries” (a fractured back and two torn shoulders) and the feeling that she was “broken." Now a part of the UCLA Bruins family, Ohashi says she “found my joy, my voice, myself, and my love for this sport.”
2. This week, razor company Gillette released a controversial short film addressing the brand’s notoriously archaic tagline “The Best a Man Can Get” and its role in perpetuating a culture of toxic masculinity. Reception has been mixed, with some long-time Gillette devotees swearing off the brand and many applauding how the company is joining in the global conversation about gender equality, consent, and respect. What do you think?
3. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand officially entered the 2020 presidential race by announcing she is forming an exploratory committee. As an attorney and a politician, Gillibrand has championed women’s issues, and is expected to run on a platform that highlights gender inequality. Gillibrand joins Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard in a contentious Democratic field that surely will expand in the next few months.
4. Many of us take accurate maps for granted. Khadija Abdulla Ali is changing the game in Tanzania’s Zanzibar region by using low-cost drone technology to map rural areas of Africa. The data she and the Zanzibar Mapping Initiative are compiling will be accessible, reliable, and a boon for development in some of the fastest-growing areas of the world. Incredible work, badass!
5. Looking to learn more about the badass women of history? We got you, boo! Check out #BadassFromThePast, a new monthly series from The Fem Word all about the ladies who changed the game and wrote their own narratives. This month, our Badass from the Past is the feared and revered Ching Shih, the Cantonese Pirate Queen!
6. Few things are certain, but this one is: ladies are getting PAID. According to Bloomberg, since 2016, the number of women ages 25 to 34 who currently are employed or are looking for jobs has sharply inclined by a whopping 86 percent. This growth could be the result of current trends, such as the fact that millennial women are more likely to have college degrees than millennial men, and more progressive company policies that support women workers with families. Mothers, in particular, are driving this surge in employment, as are women seeking careers in the education and health services industries, which include jobs that tend to be “dominated by women.”
7. With 47 million Instagram likes and counting, this egg has accomplished more than most people ever will, including breaking the internet, started a feud with Kylie Jenner, and capturing our hearts (we think?). Well done, egg. Well done.
Finally, the luminous Carol Channing of both Broadway and Hollywood passed away on January 15, 2019, at the age of 97. The actress and singer was best known for her roles as Dolly Levi in the musical Hello, Dolly! (which she played more than 4,500 times) and Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Channing won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), and she received a Life Achievement Tony Award in 1995 for her illustrious stage career. She also was an advocate for the LGBT+ community, an ovarian cancer survivor, and an all-around sassy, badass broad. Shine on. xo
Are you following The Fem Word on social media? If not, you’re missing out on the latest news and articles about badass women from around the world! So get to it and hit that “like” button, badass.
Commenti