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Writer's pictureMadlyn McAuliffe

#FemNews Weekly Roundup Vol. 32

Updated: Mar 13, 2019


For all those badasses trying to catch up on the headlines, here are a few highlights from the past week. Sign up for our newsletter to receive #FemNews and other videos, articles, and updates from The Fem Word every Tuesday.


1. A new film from Girl Rising, released in honor of International Women’s Day, follows 17-year-old Nasro, a Somali girl who has lived in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp since she was seven. Tessa Thompson narrates the film, reading the words of Warsan Shire, the poet behind Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” to illustrate the ongoing refugee crisis. “The women's movement is about all of us,” says Thompson. “We have a responsibility to stand up for the rights of women everywhere — and that includes the 17 million girls around the world who have been forcibly displaced from their homes."



2. Can we say enough about Julie Andrews? The badass actress and singer of “Mary Poppins,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Victor/Victoria” fame is set to receive the Golden Lion for Career Achievement at the 76th Venice Film Festival in honor her extraordinary career. Of course, Andrews also is a veteran of the stage, having originated the roles of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” and Queen Guenevere in “Camelot,” and has been notable for pushing the boundaries by accepting roles that are “diverse, dramatic, provocative[,] and imbued with scathing irony” (via “Variety)”.


3. Well, we’re not not exactly surprised… a new study reveals that women leading scientific studies tend to receive significantly less U.S. federal grant money than their male peers. How significant? $41,000, according to data from the National Institutes of Health. At some institutions, including the nation’s top university, the gap is even wider. According to Teresa K. Woodruff, a co-author of the study, this gender inequity “means women are working harder with less money to get to the same level as men… If we had the same footing, the engine of science would move a little faster toward the promise of basic science and medical cures.”




4. Are you so freaked out about climate change that you are re-thinking having children? The women of Birthstrike are. What started as a Facebook group now is growing into a movement that reflects young people’s concerns about the state of our global environment. Even Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently asked, “Is it OK to still have children?” and more than a third of millennials worry about raising children amid the threat of climate change. Amid criticism, members of the Birthstrike movement say they “stand in compassionate solidarity with all parents” and reject the idea of population control as a solution for climate change.



5. A triumph for gender equality 30,000 feet in the air! In a recent update to their flight attendant dress code — which required women to wear blush, mascara, and red lipstick and only allowed pants by special request — Virgin Atlantic Airlines is no longer requiring female employees to wear makeup and skirts. The change represents a shift in an industry that often dictates female employees’ appearances with strict rules about high heels and even weight limits (yes, you read that right). That's one small step in the right direction!



6. We STAN a QUEEN Duchess! At an International Women’s Day event, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle addressed feminism, gender equality, and normalizing conversations about menstruation. The event was hosted by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, which aims to connect young leaders across the world to encourage social change and empowerment. On a panel with female leaders and humanitarians, the Duchess, who is pregnant with her first child, likened her future baby’s kicks to “the embryonic kicking of feminism.”



7. Where do you fall in the Great Barbie Debate? The iconic doll just celebrated her diamond anniversary, and everyone seems to be asking the eternal question: is Barbie feminist?


Here’s what we do know: she’s the most popular fashion doll ever created, 90 percent of American women grew up playing with Barbie, and since her launch 60 years ago, the plastic icon has undergone some serious rebranding from her original prototype.


What do you think? Let us know in The Fem Word Fireside, where badasses connect!

 

Want to join in the conversation about badass women and girls around the world? Follow The Fem Word on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and use #TheFemWord.



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