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. Lady in red? Thanks but we prefer our congresswomen in suffragette white. At this year’s State of the Union address, dozens of women in the U.S. Congress donned white in solidarity and to visually protest policies that affect women, including equal pay, reproductive rights, and climate change. The color also served as a reminder of American suffragists who fought for (and won) a woman’s right to vote a century ago.
2. Sofia Campoamor is blazing trails as the first woman member of Yale University’s famed Whiffenpoofs, the oldest a cappella group in the country. The outfit of 14 seniors travels around the world on a yearlong musical tour, on which Campoamor, a music major and aspiring composer-songwriter, is pushing for more representation for women in what has been a male-dominated space for 109 years. 🎶
3. #MeToo may be making strides for women around the world, but not all women are seeing the benefits of the anti-sexual harassment and abuse movement. Informal workers such as domestic laborers, garment workers, and vendors make up 94% of India’s female workforce, yet their experiences of sexual assault and harassment often go unreported or unnoticed. Their stories are just as important, and it’s important to remember we must fight for a more inclusive, intersectional feminism.
4. On February 11, the world celebrated the third annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Despite significant progress, the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math professions persists. We know that when women thrive, the world thrives, which is why we must continue to support and recognize women and girls making incredible strides and discoveries in these fields!
5. We could go on forever about the incredible women shattering ceilings and making their voices heard at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Decorated singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted this year’s ceremony and invited Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and (SURPRISE!) Michelle Obama onstage to speak about the significance of music in their lives.
“Whether we like country or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves, our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys. It allows us to hear one another, to invite each other in. Music shows us that all of it matters — every story within every voice, every note within every song.” - Michelle Obama
Kacey Musgraves took home four awards, including Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance, and the coveted Album of the Year award for “Golden Hour.”
After winning the award for Best New Artist, singer Dua Lipa gave a speech about the power of being yourself, embracing our unique backgrounds, and never giving up… and also called out Grammy President Neil Portnow, who said women needed “to step up” in regards to the gender imbalance of winners. Said Dua: “I guess this year we really stepped up.” **MIC DROP**
Can we get an “OKURRR”?! Cardi B made Grammy history as the first woman to win Best Rap Album for Invasion of Privacy. In her acceptance speech, the artist thanked her daughter and opened up about the challenges she faced when she found out she was pregnant while she was recording her album.
"So if you see somebody that’s hurting, don’t look away. And if you’re hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep and go tell somebody and take them up in your head with you.” - Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga floored us with her emotional speech about mental health issues. Gaga, who accepted the awards for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance for “Shallow” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?),” has been open about her struggles with mental illness, even co-authoring a powerful 2018 essay for “The Guardian” about the devastating stigma surrounding mental health conditions.
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