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. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Serena Williams wants you to touch yourself. Really.
Williams teamed up with the I Touch Myself Project as the face (and voice) of a campaign to encourage women to perform routine self-breast examinations. The project launched in 2014 in honor of Chrissy Amphlett, frontwoman of the rock band Divinyls, who passed away due to breast cancer and other health complications.
About one in eight U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer. And let’s not forget about the men because, though the likelihood is much lower, men can develop breast cancer, too. Early detection is key! Just take it from breast cancer survivor Shannen Doherty…
2. Badass Maya Gabeira has shattered the world record for largest wave ever surfed by a woman!
To make it official, however, Gabeira had to make herself heard and even started a successful online petition to convince the World Surf League to certify her ride. It took months, but her persistence paid off. You go, Maya!
“It’s important to widen our possibilities,” she said. “Where the space for women doesn’t yet exist, it must be created.” - Maya Gabeira, The Washington Post
3. On Tuesday, badass Donna Strickland became the first woman in 55 years (yes, you read that right) to win the Nobel Prize in physics. Strickland is only the third woman in history to receive the prize in physics, and she joins a cohort of 48 women who have won Nobel prizes -- compared to 844 men. Strickland was honored with Arthur Ashkin and Gérard Mourou for their work in turning lasers into powerful tools. Congratulations!
4. Last week, Bollywood actress and former Miss India Tanushree Dutta bravely came forward with her experience of sexual harassment ten years ago on a film set. Many, including Priyanka Chopra, have supported Dutta, commending her courage and calling for an end to the abuse so many women (and men) in Bollywood endure.
Indian actress Freida Pinto stood up for Dutta on her Instagram, saying: “India - Stand Up, Speak Up. Don't look to just your superstars to speak up. Be your own role models and follow the voice of your conscience.”
Dutta’s story, however, has also been met with intense criticism and silence from top actors and other industry names.
Tanushree, we believe you.
5. Champion of workers’ rights, mentor, and badass professor Lois S. Gray passed away on September 20 at the age of 94. As a pivotal member of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Professor Gray reached out to union leaders to offer education on the fronts of collective bargaining and other programs to better workplace conditions. Among her many accomplishments, Professor Gray was an advocate for social justice and worked passionately to support women and people of color of all backgrounds.
Professor, you will be missed.
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