1. Olympic runner, three-time national champion, and proud mom Alysia Montaño challenged her sponsor - Nike - to put their (ad) money where their mouth is in the name of women’s rights. In a video op-ed released via the New York Times this week, Montaño challenged the company and others to provide sponsored female athletes maternity leave. She used the brand’s own slogan with a feminine twist: "Paid Maternity Leave: Just Do It." In the 2014 United States Championships, Nike famously marketed and capitalized off of Montaño as “the pregnant runner,” while she had to fight to keep her paycheck IRL. Nike’s since said that they’re reevaluating contracts.
2. As of this week, four states have passed “heartbeat bills," placing an immediate threat on women's rights to choose and have sovereignty over our own bodies. Senators in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio have all signed these bills - which outlaw abortions as soon as a heartbeat can be detected. That can be as early as six weeks’ gestation, which is before many women even know they are pregnant (read: a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade)! And now, in one of the most aggressive anti-choice bills ever presented in the US, Alabama could soon vote to criminalize abortion and medical professionals who perform them. Pro-choice advocates and celebrities alike are uniting to fight these bills, with Hollywood stepping in and boycotting production and film work in Georgia, while Alyssa Milano has (controversially) called for women to unite in a self-explanatory “sex strike.”
3. Plus-sized fashion brand ELOQUII launched their #MODELTHAT campaign this week, bringing attention to the stigma surrounding women who wear a size 14 and up in the workplace. The female-led campaign boasts a series of vibrant and empowering photographs taken by Dana Scruggs, and features women speaking to the multiple hats they wear both professionally and personally on the daily. The campaign responds to a recent survey of 500 employers, which found that only 15% said they’d hire a plus-sized female candidate. The brand aims to challenge this bias so that employers everywhere will think twice before underestimating a woman’s talents based on her body alone.
4. Afghan politicians, women's rights activists, and the journalism community at large are demanding justice (and CHANGE) after prominent journalist and political advisor Mina Mangal was tragically murdered Saturday morning in Kabul. The attack was carried out in broad daylight by unidentified gunmen. Mangal was a loudspeaker and supporter of women's rights to education and work. Because of her beliefs, she received death threats preceding the horrific crime which she shared in a recent Facebook post - concluding that a “strong woman isn’t scared of death.” Now, Afghanistan's Supreme Court and civil society groups are calling for a serious investigation in an attempt to end this patterned targeting of women in Kabul's streets.
5. CAUTION: the night is dark and full of spoilers… We’re now one week out from the series finale of Game of Thrones and we’ve got feelings. Let’s check in on our girls: Daenerys lives… but we may have lost our Khaleesi forever. *sob* Cersei seems to have met her (rather anticlimactic) end. Is she gone for good? After slaying the Night King, Arya’s character arc reached another dramatic high as she rode away from the remains of King’s Landing on a white horse. But to where? Meanwhile, Sansa’s absence was felt this episode, though we’re glad she’s safe in the North with Brienne (oh Brienne.)… With just over an hour of screen time left, we’re left wondering where these incredible women’s stories will conclude. And, of course, who will sit on the Iron Throne? (Please let it be Sansa.)
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