Making Moves: Promotions, App Upgrades, and Calling Out Inequality
Women are speaking up this week.
Every Friday, we here at C&C like to celebrate all of the moves women are making in their industries. And as always, this was a good week for women. Read on to see women getting promotions, speaking up against inequality and discrimination, and more!
Sylvia Rhone has been promoted from president to chairman and CEO of Epic Records. In this position, she will have control over the label’s creative direction and management of the label. Rhone was the the first African American woman to be the chairman of a major record company when she was made chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group's Elektra Entertainment Group in 1994. That’s music to our ears!
Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Walt Disney, called out the Disney Company for contributing to economic inequality in the US. She called Disney CEO Bob Igar’s $65.7m salary in 2018 as “insane” and noted that the lowest-paid company employees only make $15 an hour. Way to speak up, girl!
No filter necessary. Bumble is beginning to develop an AI-enhanced “private detector,” which will screen unsolicited nude photos sent through the app. Bumble CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd and Bumble’s parent company founder Andrey Andreev are working together to make the internet a safer and friendlier space for women.
Way to call out workplace discrimination! Former CBS executive Whitney Davis recently published a letter in Variety detailing the discriminatory and toxic culture present within CBS. She details the racism she personally experienced, as well as racist comments spoken about other people of color. Davis attributes the network’s toxic environment to its “white problem,” and it bringing awareness to the systemic racism present in the entertainment industry.
Sign on the dotted line. Michelle Obama, the Reach Higher Initiative, and Better Make Room are hosting a College Signing Day on Wednesday, May 1st. The Reach Higher Initiative was started by Obama to encourage more high school students to pursue a college education. The event itself will have a multitude of celebrity guests and performances.
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Making Moves: Award Noms, Podcast Premieres, & Best-Selling Books
Celebrate and learn about the women making moves this week.
Every Friday, we here at C&C like to highlight the best news stories of the week that celebrate women and all of the incredible things they’re doing. Read on for improvements in cancer screenings, well-deserved award nominations, and a brand new podcast!
Shout out to Sandra Oh! Her show Killing Eve received the most BAFTA nominations, coming in at 14 total. Sandra and her co-star Jodie Comer are both up for best actress. Congrats ladies!
Your life is about to get a lot simpler. Lauren Conrad just announced that she will be launching her own weekly podcast. The podcast will be called “Asking for a Friend” and will center around Lauren talking with a specialist from industries like beauty, design, and much more.
Former First Lady turned best-selling author—talk about a hustle! Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming is currently on track to be the best-selling memoir of all time. Becoming was the most sold book in all of 2018, with over 10 million copies sold.
Time to make some changes. The FDA recently proposed that all mammogram providers will be required to notify women with dense breast tissue that they may possibly need additional testing. This would be the first update to mammogram testing in over 20 years.
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Links We Love: The 30 Under 30 You Don't Know About & Saying Goodbye to an Icon
Say hi to your resolutions from us. *Mark Wahlberg voice*
You did it! You survived your first post-holiday week back in the office. We're so proud. 2017 is proud. Now read these links and make your mom proud too.
Subversive message from the patriarchy or honest mistake? You decide.
Links we don't love, don't love at all. After a closed-door meeting with Mike Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced plans to defund Planned Parenthood, yanking about $400 million in Medicaid.
If you're feeling bad about not making Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 list, don't despair. The New Yorker has a list of 30 of the most disappointing under 30.
Are you wondering what will happen if Obamacare is repealed? Will you still have health insurance?
It's not just health on the line. Jobs would be affected as well. Repealing the Affordable Care Act could lead to a loss of almost 3 million jobs and cause serious economic stress on individual states.
Michelle Obama gives her final address to the nation as First Lady. Anybody have a box of Kleenex?
Tilikum, the SeaWorld Ocra that gained attention from the Blackfish documentary, has passed away. Seriously, where is the Kleenex?
This interview gives us 9,00,001 more reasons to love January Jones and her approach to single parenting.
And with that, we give you the giant Prozac pill that is Carrie Fisher's urn. Goodbye you badass space warrior. We love you.
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10 Defining Moments for Women in 2016
Shed a tear for our favorite First Lady ever.
2016 was full of ups and downs, peaks and valleys, but no matter where you're standing now, it was a monumental year for women. We are counting down ten of our favorite defining moments.
FEMALE-LED POLITICAL TEAMS & KATY TUR
Reporter Katy Tur lived out of suitcases for over a year and a half. Received endless threats (to the point where she needed Secret Service protection), and bullying at Trump rallies, but the reporter never stopped doing her job. Of the campaign trail she wrote, "For one thing, the boys on the bus are now the girls on the plane. Fellow NBC reporters Andrea Mitchell, Kasie Hunt, Hallie Jackson, Kristen Welker, and I are the first women-led politics team in the history of network news—just one remarkable shift in a campaign season where the only rule seems to be that there are no rules."
SIMONE BILES MAKES HISTORY
The reigning floor champion in gymnastics, American gymnast Simone Biles became the first female gymnast of this generation to take home four Olympic gold medals. At 19 she is considered the greatest gymnast in the world.
She's also a powerful advocate for radical self-acceptance. Biles who was just named the AP female athlete of the year has taken so much criticism about her body that she felt the need to address the bullying on Twitter recently: "you all can judge my body all you want, but at the end of the day it's MY body," she wrote. "I love it & I'm comfortable in my skin."
Call it a gold medal mic drop.
SAMANTHA BEE CHANGES THE LATE NIGHT GAME
With one of the best and most diverse writing staffs and its boss front woman, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee easily became one of the best shows in 2016. Bee might not have changed the outcome of the election, nor should a late-night comedy show have the ability to, but her satirical overtones are the best in the game. And she does it standing up, as if to remind people that she wears the pants. Beyond that, her writer's room diversity efforts have paid off and she's leading the charge, challenging other shows to do the same.
HRC
She won the popular vote, didn't win the race, but Hillary Rodham Clinton made history. For women everyone. For little girls who saw a woman command the national stage. For women who never thought they would cast their vote for a female nominee. At the DNC Clinton accepted her nomination saying, “When there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit. So let's keep going, until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves. Because even more important than the history we make tonight is the history we will write together in the years ahead.”
SARAH MCBRIDE MAKES STRIDES FOR THE TRANS COMMUNITY
Sarah McBride became the first transgender speaker at a major political convention when she spoke during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. She's interned at the White House, helped her home state of Delaware pass protections for the LGBTQ community and is now the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. Though she one worried that her dreams and her identity were incompatible, she has become a brilliant example of the power of inclusively. "Will we be a nation where everyone has the freedom to live openly and equally?" she asked the convention. "A nation that's stronger together?" Will will if she has anything to do with it.
THE FOREST THROUGH THE TREES: SENATE SILVING LININGS
We may not have realized our first female president, but there are now a record number of women in the Senate. On Tuesday, three women of color were newly elected to the Senate, quadrupling the number of sitting members. Prior to Tuesday's election, Hawaii's Sen. Mazie Hirono was the only woman of color in the Senate. She became the first and only Asian-American woman elected to the Senate in 2006, along with the first woman elected senator in Hawaii. Amongst the newly elected members of the Senate is California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is both African- and Indian-American. Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina senator in U.S. history and the first woman elected senator in Nevada. Tammy Duckworth became the first Thai-American senator in history after she beat out her Republican opponent for an empty seat in Illinois.
COMPANIES ARE MAKING MAKING MATERNITY LEAVE STRIDES
This past April Etsy employees became eligible for 26 weeks of fully paid leave over the first two years after a child's birth, with at least eight of those weeks taken continuously during the first six months following the birth.
American Express will offer twenty weeks of paid leave will be offered to men and women bringing a new child into their families through surrogacy, adoption, or birth, with an additional six to eight weeks for birth mothers.
Coca-Cola, EY, IKEA, and Basf are all expanding benefits as well. Though policies in the U.S. regarding paid parental leave are up in the air, the steps taken by these companies are important for the county overall. There is still a long way to go, but when big companies set the standard, others follow suit.
TAKING OUR ACHIEVEMENTS TO THE BANK
In America we believe in money, and in a move that’s long overdue, women will gain representation on U.S. paper currency for the first time in over a century. In August, the U.S. Treasury announced that women suffragists will appear on the back of the $5 and $10 bill, and Underground Railroad abolitionist and escaped slave Harriet Tubmanwill become the new face of the $20 bill.
BEYONCE GOT EVERYONE IN FORMATION
With her all female, all women of color drum line Queen B performed "Formation" at the Super Bowl to the tune of unapologetic black feminist overtones. She paid homage to the Black Lives Matter movement, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers. A few months later, she dropped "Lemonade," a revolutionary visual album that Rolling Stone named the best album of the year.
MICHELLE OBAMA DELIVERS ONE OF THE BEST SPEECHES OF THE CENTURY
She may have been on the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton, but when First Lady Michelle Obama took the microphone in Manchester, New Hampshire, she delivered one of the best political speeches many of us hear in our lifetime. She was raw, emotional, and brutally honest about the sexually abusive comments made by now President elect Trump. It was a rebuke that will reverberate for years to come. "It has shaken me to my core," she told the crowd. "If all of this is painful to us as grown women, what do you think this is doing to our children?" she asked. "What message are our little girls hearing about who they should look like, how they should act? What lessons are they learning about their value as professionals, as human beings, about their dreams and aspirations? And how is this affecting men and boys in this country? Because I can tell you that the men in my life do not talk about women like this."
Move over Jackie, we can expect alllll of the Michelle Obama biopics.
Have more favorites? There are plenty more to choose from. Share in the comments below!
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Links We Love: 2016 Was Just a Bunch of Highs and Lows
Just like our cycles.
This week you might have been a little distracted by the little notifications that someone you follow is trying out Instagram Live. You might have even caught us for a while too, but we hope we didn't distract you too much from the important things, including some of this week's top headlines.
FYI:
Award season is right around the corner. Take your picks for who will win a Golden Globe.
Under Elaine Welteroth, Teen Vogue is stepping up their editorial content 2000% and speaking on the issues affecting this country. This piece by Laura Duca is one of them.
Black Girl Magic does it once again: Read Michelle Obama's interview by Zendaya.
Greenery is in the horizon for 2017.
So let's get that money, honey.
Wonder Woman got fired as a UN Ambassador. Was it right?
The emotional (and physical) rollercoasters that are our cycles, narrowed down in two minutes.
Along with all the highs and lows for tech for 2016.
Get rid of the cliché new year's resolutions. Set your intentions right.
Traveling for the holidays next week? Here's some podcasts to keep you entertained.
Before you miss us again, make sure to follow us on Instagram to know when we'll be doing Instagram Live again. We love chatting with you. ;)
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Links We Love: The Election Is Finally Over
How women still made a change in politics this week, and more.
It's Friday. Take a seat and take a breather. This week has been whirlwind, but the election is finally over, we have a new President-elect, and we still have a lot of work left to do.
But first, read up. Can't create change without being in the know of what's going on now.
Here's an open letter to Secretary Clinton.
Instagram Stories 2.0 is here.
Sexism is echoing in all places, especially this week. Here's how to fight it at work.
"Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman." Damn right.
Here is one of the things women are rushing to do before Trump takes office.
Do you hate hearing these things at work as well?
We're not ready to say bye to Michelle Obama. Michelle 2020, please.
Facebook, how are some of us dead if we're still writing this?
You know how you're inspired by bloggers to travel around the world and take amazing photos? This takes it to another level, and it's downright scary.
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Good Girls Revolt: How 4 Powerful Career Women Asked for Raises
In honor of boss women everywhere.
Have you sunk into watching "Good Girls Revolt?"
On Friday, Amazon released their newest binge-worthy show based on Lynn Povich’s 2012 book The Good Girls Revolt, about a gender-discrimination lawsuit filed by her and her peers at Newsweek in 1970. The series follows a group of young female researchers at "News of the Week," who ask for equal treatment. (Sound familiar? It should.) GGR operates in the past and present, addressing the on-going struggle of female employees and their inability to out-earn male colleagues-- or simply earn an equal wage.
In the pilot, Nora Ephron (played by Grace Gummer) questions why she and other female researchers are scrambling over research assignments that will be handed off to the men. "All that's left to do is make yourself indispensable," says peer Patti Robinson (played by Genevieve Angelson) when Ephron first joins the team.
So in honor of good girls revolting and equal pay, here are 4 boss women who have asked for more money, more flexibility, and more respect.
LILLY LEDBETTER
“I went over and interviewed with Goodyear in 1978, and I worked for Goodyear tire company for 19 years before I found out that the males were making 40 percent more than I was making for working the same job. Someone left me a little torn sheet of paper and tipped me off anonymously, listing my base pay and their base pay. The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it was how much I had lost on overtime. I thought about my retirement and my 401(k) and my social security, because what you earn is what determines your retirement. I was just humiliated and embarrassed, to say the least, that a major corporation could do me that way. The company I worked for told me when I [was] hired there: ‘If you discuss your pay, you will not have a job here.’ So no one ever discussed their pay. I never knew. I had no idea how much someone else was making … After I got that tip, I filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the wheels went into motion with the company.” — Self, January 2016
MICHELLE OBAMA
“I took my last job [before my husband entered the White House] because of my boss’s reaction to my family situation. I didn’t have a babysitter, so I took Sasha right in there with me in her crib and her rocker. I was still nursing, so I was wearing my nursing shirt. I told my boss, ‘This is what I have: two small kids. My husband is running for the U.S. Senate. I will not work part time. I need flexibility. I need a good salary. I need to be able to afford babysitting. And if you can do all that, and you’re willing to be flexible with me because I will get the job done, I can work hard on a flexible schedule.’ I was very clear. And he said yes to everything.” —Parade, June 2014
SHERYL SANDBERG
“When I was negotiating with Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for my compensation, he made me an offer that I thought was fair. We had been having dinner several nights a week for more than a month and a half, discussing Facebook’s mission and his vision for the future. I was ready to accept the job. No, I was dying to accept the job. My husband, Dave, kept telling me to negotiate, but I was afraid of doing anything that might botch the deal. I could play hardball, but then maybe Mark would not want to work with me. Was it worth it when I knew that ultimately I was going to accept the offer? I concluded it was not. But right before I was about to say yes, my exasperated brother-in-law, Marc Bodnick, blurted out, ‘Damn it, Sheryl! Why are you going to make less than any man would make to do the same job?’
"Was it worth it when I knew that ultimately I was going to accept the offer?"
Tweet this.
My brother-in-law didn’t know the details of my deal. His point was simply that no man at my level would consider taking the first offer. This was motivating. I went back to Mark and said that I couldn’t accept, but I prefaced it by telling him, ‘Of course you realize that you’re hiring me to run your deal teams, so you want me to be a good negotiator. This is the only time you and I will ever be on opposite sides of the table.’ Then I negotiated hard, followed by a nervous night wondering if I had blown it. But Mark called me the next day. He resolved the gap by improving my offer, extending the terms of my contract from four to five years and allowing me to buy into the company as well. His creative solution not only closed the deal, but also set us up for a longer-term alignment of interests.” — Lean In, March 2013
GLORIA STEINEM
“The most ironic that comes to mind is that Time magazine asked me to write an essay about the early women’s movement. It was a long time ago — it was maybe in the ’70s. First of all, they asked me to do it because they didn’t have a woman on staff. Secondly, I did it under deadline because it never occurred to me that they would pay me less than they did men writing the same essay. Time had a page in each issue in which there was a personal essay. When my agent got the check, he told me that I was getting paid less than men who wrote the same essay. So, I wrote the editor of Time and complained and he sent me a Gucci purse. I took the purse back to Gucci because I needed the money and tried to get cash for it and I couldn’t.” —Fusion, December 2015
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Links We Love: Reading Material For Your Trip To #CreateCultivateATL
Reading material for your trip to Create & Cultivate ATL.
#CreateCultivateATL is tomorrow, and we can't contain our excitement!
We've been busy all week preparing to bring you our most spectacular conference yet, and if you've been busy like us, you might not have had a chance to look over the news this week. Don't worry, we're just as excited, but it doesn't mean we have to put staying-in-the-know on pause. Check out our favorite links this week below:
Michelle Obama 2020: Her speech at Hillary Clinton's rally yesterday left us speechless.
Chobani is leading the way for new parental leave policies in business.
Samsung just can't catch a break. Sayonara, Galaxy Note 7.
If you're in digital marketing, you're gonna want to see these stats ASAP.
Obsessed with the new Mac smell? There's a candle for that.