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It's Dangerous For Her To Get To School, But She's Doing It For Her Future
It takes extreme devotion to do what she has to do every morning just so she can learn.
10.16.13
Joy
Thousands of women share image of Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh with a powerful message
'De-condition and unlearn what you’ve been wired to think: that women are your competition.'
01.17.23
Jamie Lee Curtis celebrating Michelle Yeoh's Golden Globes win was an empowering moment for all women.
The 2023 Golden Globe Awards was an incredible night for Michelle Yeoh. The 60-year-old actress had waited 40 years to play the lead in a Hollywood film, and winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy for her starring role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was a dream come true.
Yeoh's moment in the spotlight made headlines that night as her award speech went viral. But following the ceremony, another moment went viral—the split second Yeoh's name was called as the winner and the reaction of her co-star, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Curtis herself had been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the film but didn't win. (That award went to Angela Bassett in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.") But whatever disappointment Curtis may have felt about not winning her own award did not diminish her response to Yeoh's win, which was immediate, intense and immensely joyful.
A screenshot of Curtis' triumphant celebration of Yeoh's win was shared on LinkedIn by Erin Gallagher, CEO and founder of gender equity company Ella, along with a powerful message that's resonating with women everywhere.
Gallagher wrote:
"Ladies, this is your vibe for 2023: unabashed hype woman.
Full on. Full out. Full force.
This photo was taken last night at the Golden Globes when Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress for her role in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'
Look at Jamie Lee Curtis.
Look. At. Her."
Erin Gallagher's post about Jamie Lee Curtis hyping Michelle Yeoh's win has been reshared thousands of times across social media.
Gallagher continued:
"You can feel her energy, her fire, her power.Her excitement, joy and passion for Michelle is palpable. The photo moves. It vibrates.
If you saw this photo without context, you may think that it was actually *Jamie* who won.
Ladies, this is your vibe for 2023.
Hype. Other. Women.
When she wins, fight the urge to question…
…who does she think she is?
…why is she getting attention?
…did she really deserve it?
…is she really that good?
...what about me?
Guess what? The world has sold you a lie.
Her success doesn’t detract from yours.
Her wins don’t create your losses.
Her joy can’t steal the joy that’s meant for you.
De-condition and unlearn what you’ve been wired to think: that women are your competition.
It's a trap. Meant to distract us. And to keep us keeping each other down.
Find your Jamie.
Hype their Jamie.
Be her Jamie."
The message hit home, and hard. Reposts on Facebook have circulated thousands of times as women share the message with an enthusiastic, "Yes, this!"
The sense of competition between women is often unspoken and not overtly encouraged, yet it exists. Research indicates that women have had complex relationships with one another, marked by both competition and cooperation, throughout human history. Throw in the uphill battle for social and political power in the modern era and it's perhaps unsurprising that women can sometimes see other women's success as threatening to their own.
That isn't really how it works, though. It's not like there's a finite amount of female good fortune to go around. Success is not pie. As Gallagher points out, another woman's success does not detract from our own, and there's ample awesomeness out there for all of us.
Plenty of forces will try to pull women down and hold them back—do we really want to add to that? Be a force that lifts women up. Hype those you know who are crushing it. Celebrate their successes. Be their Jamie. There's nothing but winning in it for us all.
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Identity
Florida politician said Shakespeare never used pronouns 'in his plays' and got a fact check
Shakespeare's plays were 'fluid' to say the least.
01.19.23
via Pixabay and Ballotpedia
William Shakespeare and Lavern Spicer.
In William Shakespeare's “Sonnet 59,” he makes the point that there is “nothing new but that which hath been before.” Here, he admits that even the Bard himself struggled to come up with new ideas that hadn’t been written about previously.
This problem stems from the fact that people tend to think the struggles we have today are entirely new when they’ve been part of the human drama for centuries. A great example is how society grapples with gender nonconformity. In 2023, there is a vigorous debate, which tends to fall along political party lines, over the use of personal pronouns.
Lavern Spicer, a Republican from Florida who has lost two congressional elections, has made a point of fighting back against the use of pronouns. She’s gone viral for incorrectly claiming that pronouns weren’t used in either the Bible or the Constitution.
Spicer was back at it again on January 1 when she tweeted, “Shakespeare didn’t walk around putting pronouns in his plays. That’s why they’re classics. Imagine if this dude wrote ‘My name is Macbeth and my pronouns are they/them.’ SMH.”
Shakespeare didn’t walk around putting pronouns in his plays.
— Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) January 1, 2023
That’s why they’re classics.
Imagine if this dude wrote “My name is Macbeth and my pronouns are they/them”.
SMH.
The former congressional candidate received countless responses from people explaining that Shakespeare used pronouns in his writing and gender-neutral ones at that. Further, many of Shakespeare’s plays featured themes of gender nonconformity.
Spicer’s tweet showed that she probably hadn’t read much Shakespeare.
So you’ve never read Shakespeare, then.
— Darrin Bell (@DarrinBellArt) January 2, 2023
Sweetie, crossdressing and gender confusion are MAJOR PLOT POINTS in *several* of Shakespeare's plays. Just say you've never read any of his work next time, it'll be more honest.
— Suzy (endless screaming) (@mis_cue) January 16, 2023
Shakespeare's plays regularly commented on sex, gender identity/fluidity and expression. One of the best parts of Shakespeare is how often productions choose to explore these concepts. This is a very silly tweet.
— Sam (@SamHunt999) January 17, 2023
Twitter user Jason Tondro explained that Shakespeare used the singular "they" "before it became the target of a cultural war."
Shakespeare took great delight in confusing the audience about gender, and I’m gonna give you just two examples because I’m waiting for take-out. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/NaWaWPSQaD
— Jason Tondro (@doctorcomics) January 17, 2023
The famous best example is Twelfth Night, in which a male actor dresses up as Viola, a young woman who dresses up as a young man who falls in love with another man and who is loved by another woman (who is played by a man). 2/3
— Jason Tondro (@doctorcomics) January 17, 2023
But my personal favorite is Othello, when Desdemona’s maid explains women behave badly because they learned all that shit from men, and then you remember both women are being played by men, so the whole scene is really men holding up a mirror and saying “take a long ass look”.3/3
— Jason Tondro (@doctorcomics) January 17, 2023
Shakespeare used the singular “they” centuries before it became the target of a cultural war, and it’s funny the OP should cite Macbeth because that’s where Shakespeare wrote “Unsex me here” ffs (take out is late). /4
— Jason Tondro (@doctorcomics) January 17, 2023
Cross-dressing was also a regular part of all of Shakespeare’s plays because, during his time, women weren’t allowed to be actresses so female roles were played by young men or boys.
— Cheryl (@cheeryohs) January 14, 2023
Ma'am...Twelfth Night's ENTIRE PLOT involves a woman (who would have been played by a male actor) dressing as a man. A performance of that play is where this very famous picture comes from, with Anne Hathaway playing the role of the play's protagonist, Viola. pic.twitter.com/fVhpbc3wsB
— Rowan The Fox (@SexyBurlapSack) January 17, 2023
Twelfth Night, in which a male actor dresses up as Viola, a young woman who dresses up as a young man who falls in love with another man and who is loved by another woman (who is played by a man).
— David Williamson #FBPE #FBPPR #AutismParent (@Ourtosh) January 17, 2023
It was also funny that of all of Shakespeare’s plays she chose to make an example out of “Macbeth.”
Macbeth literally opens with Macbeth asking the witches their pronouns pic.twitter.com/Hc9cutlWKb
— Doug Dodson (@DougDodsonENews) January 18, 2023
Oh Lavern, you never fail to amuse me. Do you know what "DRAG" stands for? Shakespeare's stage direction: DRessed As Girl. All productions had male actors, including those playing the female parts. Yes, Lady Macbeth was a dude. I doubt if you've ever read a word by the Bard.
— StarryKnight (@tpkirb) January 17, 2023
Looking back at Shakespeare’s work proves that pronoun use has evolved and will continue to do so.
Ironically, Shakespeare is a perfect example of how pronoun usage changes with the times. We don’t use thou, thine, or thy anymore but he did. The culture changed and thrived. It can do so again.
— Kate Lonsdale (@KateWritesStuff) January 17, 2023
Spicer fired back at her critics using the most inclusive of all nongendered pronouns, “Y’all.”
Y'all triggered.
— Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) January 17, 2023
To be charitable to Spicer, it seems she tried to make the point that things were better in the past because we had defined gender roles. But she used an awful example to make her point. Further, her point is wildly incorrect because gender nonconformity has been part of humanity since the beginning of time.
Shakespeare’s work isn’t timeless because of his pronoun use, but because his work touched on universal human themes that have remained relevant for hundreds of years. Shakespeare wrote about love, family, power, death, ambition, fate and yes, gender.
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popular
Gen X advice for Gen Z: Woman shares the things she wishes 'somebody told me in my twenties’
'You date people you think you deserve. You deserve better.'
01.18.23
Gen Xer shares some timeless advice for Gen Z.
Meghan Smith is the owner of Melody Note Vintage store in the eternally hip town of Palm Springs, California, and her old-school Gen X advice has really connected with younger people on TikTok.
In a video posted in December 2022, she shares the advice she wishes that “somebody told me in my twenties” and it has received more than 13 million views. Smith says that she gave the same advice to her partner's two daughters when they reached their twenties.
The video is hashtagged #GenX advice for #GenZ and late #millennials. Sorry older millennials, you’re too old to receive these pearls of wisdom.
Here is some of the timeless advice that Smith shares in the video.
Perfection is bullshit.
You never be more good-looking than you are today.
Put your phone down and enjoy your life.
Don't change for anybody.
Don't worry about making mistakes.
Laugh at yourself.
If somebody shows you their true colors, believe them.
Travel.
You end up dating the people you think you deserve. Usually, you deserve better.
Don’t forget to always wear your sunscreen.
@melodynotevintage This might only help one person and thats ok. Advice I wish somebody told me in my twenties. #genx advice for #genz and late #millennials #adviceforyour20s #lifeadvice #fyp dont be an asshat in the comments if you are older, its not helpful.
She followed up the video with a sequel with even more sage advice.
Know who's on your side and who you can ask for help.
Don't smoke.
Don't spend longer than one year with the wrong person.
Find your own style.
Don't stress over the small stuff.
Good manners don't go out of style.
Do the work that it takes to be really good at something.
Your happiness is more important than other people's disappointment.
@melodynotevintage This might only help one person and thats ok. Advice I wish somebody told me in my twenties part 2 #genx advice for #genz and late #millennials #adviceforyour20s #lifeadvice #fyp
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Community
Artist creates stunning—but temporary—wildlife portraits with natural, foraged materials
Hannah Bullen-Ryner uses just nature and her hands to make creatures that are meant to blow away.
01.19.23
Hannah Bullen-Ryner's gorgeous creations aren't built to last.
Some people create art as a way of immortalizing a piece of themselves, to leave behind some creative evidence of their existence and communicate through their art long after they are gone. But what of those who create art that isn't meant to last?
Hannah Bullen-Ryner, a full-time mother to twins, walks to the woodlands and fields about 10 minutes from her flat in Hertfordshire, England, each day as a ritual. She sits immersed in nature, in all kinds of weather, and creates whatever creature decides to "visit" her out of whatever natural items she can forage.
She uses no tools—no scissors, clippers or glue. All she has are her hands and her camera to capture her creations before they are scattered by the wind or washed away by rain.
Sometimes her land art "visitors" blow away within seconds of her creating them, but Bullen-Ryner isn't bothered.
"Right now it is the ephemeral nature of my work that makes it special to me," she shares on her website. "I lay my emotions down on the ground and they blow away. That is a very cathartic experience."
The only materials she uses are things she finds in nature—twigs, leaves, petals, rocks, shells—some of which she saves and reuses and some of which get carried off by the wind to "visit" someone else.
Bullen-Ryner used to be a painter and a photographer, and her painter's eye comes through clearly in her land art. However, it's an entirely different beast to create a brush stroke just as you want it to be and to use individual pieces of whatever you find to "paint" with.
"I flow every single day unless the weather is too crazy," Bullen-Ryner shares. "It has become a spiritual ritual and something that really improves my mental health. I decide after I have sat down, placed my gathered elements down and cleared a space...sometimes I don't know until after I have already begun and other times I use reference photos to work from. It very much depends on my mood too. Sometimes I want to make something cute and uplifting, other times it's more dark or energetic."
Some of her creations involve minimal materials for a more impressionistic animal, such as this lion.
Others look almost like an actual painting, like this wee badger.
"I create to share my love of nature and to soothe my soul," she writes.
And believe it or not, most of these creations could fit in the palm of your hand.
"My work is very, very small," Bullen-Ryner shared with Street Art Utopia. "I need very tiny ingredients and I am never not looking. I’m a magpie and have tiny pebbles and things constantly, in every single pocket. I also recycle elements over and over and over again. I store them in half coconut shells that I leave on site and cover with an old fence post. If petals have dried I dunk them in some water until they are workable again."
Oh, by the way, here there be dragons as well.
Bullen-Ryner sells prints of her favorite photos on her Etsy shop just once a month and only for a few days or until they sell out. (Her mother runs her Etsy shop and Bullen-Ryner writes that she "can't risk breaking her.")
You can follow Hannah Bullen-Ryner and see more of her ephemeral animal friends on Facebook and Instagram.
From Your Site Articles
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Pop Culture
Disneyland unveils major changes happening to the park, including lower ticket prices
The announcement follows Bob Iger's return to his role as Disney CEO.
01.19.23
Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash
2023 Disneyland looks like new rides and lower ticket prices.
Let’s face it. Disneyland might have once been dubbed “the happiest place on Earth,” but over the years that title has lost its merit. Complaints about cheapened experiences are common—from huge crowds, to broken-down rides and even foul smells. This, combined with insanely high ticket prices, has made guests feel like the Disney magic has dimmed.
However, it seems that Disney might be helping the wish for a better park come true, as it just announced several positive updates happening to its resorts in 2023.
One of the biggest changes will be more days available to purchase low-tier tickets at $104. Folks should be seeing nearly two months worth of these low-cost ticket days.
In addition, guests will receive more flexibility with Park Hopper tickets—allowing them to cross over to different parks starting at 11 a.m.—as well as complimentary Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads.
Lastly, passes to Disney’s Magic Key program, which provides reservation-based admission to one or both Disneyland Resort theme parks, will be available for purchase more times throughout the year.
JUST ANNOUNCED! 🎆 Beginning April 3, fan-favorite “Happily Ever After” returns to Magic Kingdom AND “EPCOT Forever” will fill the skies above World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT for a limited time! 🌐 Learn more: https://t.co/TFGe9j0kkipic.twitter.com/OZPh0xfBpi
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) January 10, 2023
The Walt Disney World Resort will also be undergoing some changes, including Annual Passholders being able to visit after 2 p.m. without a reservation (except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park and during normal blockout dates) and complimentary self-parking for guests staying at Disney Resort hotels. That last one is already in effect, as of Jan. 10.
Both parks will have a few new offerings and attractions as well. As Walt Disney World says goodbye to Splash Mountain, it will say hello to a highly anticipated Tron Lightcycle/Run roller coaster in April.
Meanwhile, Disneyland’s Splash Mountain won’t be torn down, but instead reimagined as a “Princess and the Frog” themed ride called “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” which will accompany the soon-to-be debuted restaurant Tiana’s Palace, replacing the French Market Restaurant.
French Market Restaurant at @Disneyland will be reimagined into Tiana’s Palace, the newest restaurant on Orleans Street, later this year! Tiana’s Palace will offer authentic New Orleans flavors inspired by Tiana’s friends and adventures. Learn more: https://t.co/vJ8fAt4IEwpic.twitter.com/o0q4nosaXn
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) January 12, 2023
These updates are almost certainly due to a leadership shakeup at Disney headquarters. Or perhaps we should say … a leadership reversal? Bob Iger, who retired as CEO of Disney in 2021, was replaced by Bob Chapek. However, after Chapek lost a significant amount of fan loyalty (due in part to price gouging), Iger returned to his post as CEO less than a year after retiring.
Iger’s comeback and the upcoming changes to the Disney resorts indicate a renewed sense of what was once a major part of Disney’s culture—which is to honor the fans. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro, who wrote about the updates on Disney’s website, shared:
“I’m excited about all of these changes and offers and want you to know that we are committed to listening, adapting, and staying relentlessly focused on making the guest experience at our Disney parks even better.”
He continued, “I believe there’s no other place like Disney and of course, nothing helps our guests connect with Disney like you do. And while it’s easy to celebrate the products we make, the moments we create, and the experiences we provide … I think it’s important that we recognize all of YOU who make it happen.”
Read the full Disney update for 2023 here.From Your Site Articles
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Pop Culture
Cate Blanchett uses her award acceptance speech to call for abolishing televised awards
“I would love it if we would just change this whole f**king structure.”
01.18.23
Twitter
“I would love it if we would just change this whole f**king structure.”
Cate Blanchett might be taking home awards for her portrayal of a disgraced composer and titular character in the film “Tár.” But if she had it her way, there wouldn’t be an award to take home. While delivering her “Best Actress” acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Awards, Blanchett challenged the need for awards shows, calling them “televised horse races.”
She didn’t mince words. “I would love it if we would just change this whole fucking structure.”
“Why don't we just say there was a whole raft of female performances that are in concert and in dialogue with one another?” she said to the audience, celebrating the “extraordinary” performances by her fellow nominees — Viola Davis, Danielle Deadwyler, Margot Robbie, Michelle Williams and Michelle Yeoh.
She continued, “because, can I tell you, every single woman with a television, film, advertising, tampon commercials — whatever — you’re all out there doing amazing work that is inspiring me continually. So thank you. I share this with you all.”
Watch below:
Cate Blanchett said to stop pitting women against each other and she's so right!#CriticsChoiceAwardspic.twitter.com/L8gGuTEpvi
— Rina (@bbblanchett) January 16, 2023
To be fair, she kind of has a point. While it’s a good thing to recognize great work, art is subjective and unquantifiable. It’s not a sport, where there are clear cut rules as to what makes a winner a winner. Perhaps this system of picking one person above another in a creative field is outdated, not to mention unhealthy with the way it can inherently pit people against one another.
Competition is a natural part of the human condition. And clearly—as indicated by the widespread popularity of competition shows—it has its place in entertainment. However, what Blanchett seems to be arguing is that where competition largely divides us, creativity does the opposite, connecting us to our empathy and to each other. Not taking that into account largely misses the point of art altogether.
Perhaps it’s time to have a new system in place that does away with the shiny trophy and simply celebrates artists for their work. Odds are, they didn’t get into the industry for accolades anyway.
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