Frida Kahlo Gets Her Own Barbie
Just before International Women’s Day, Mattel has revealed their plans to release 17 new “Inspiring Women” Barbie dolls, based on real-life women icons including Katherine Johnson, Gabby Douglas and Frida Kahlo. Remezcla reports that some fans of Kahlo’s work and legacy are criticizing Mattel for erasing much of what made her a barrier-breaking woman from her doll, including her unibrow and her disability. Read more about the new line of dolls at CNN.
Michelle Obama Meets The Two-Year-Old Who Was Couldn’t Stop Staring At Her Portrait
Parker Curry, the two-year-old who went viral last week after a picture of her admiring Michelle Obama’s portrait was posted on Facebook, got to meet Obama in person yesterday. They danced to Parker’s favorite song, “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. Watch the heartwarming video at The Washington Post.
Tina Tchen Is Working To End Racism And Sexism In The Grammys
Michelle Obama’s ex-Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen, is spearheading an effort to diversify Grammy nominees and winners. The Recording Academy has been under fire for the past few months after president Neil Portnow said that if women wanted to win Grammys they should just “step up.” Read more on Jezebel.
White Women Can “Have It All” — Because Of Women Of Color
Slate published an article about how white women have been able to achieve work-life balance by relying on the labor of women of color. The article details the complex history of women of color in domestic labor and demands that we dismantle the narrative of women of color as caretakers in white communities.
Daniela Vega Gives “A Face And A Voice” To Chilean Trans Community
The New York Times reported that transgender actress Daniela Vega’s rise to fame, and more recently her Oscar win for A Fantastic Woman, has dramatically increased gay and transgender visibility in her home country of Chile. Gay and transgender rights activists are hoping that her performance in A Fantastic Woman will act as the final cue for Chilean lawmakers to pass a 2013 bill that would allow transgender children and teenagers to change their name and gender on official documents.
Cynthia Nixon May Run For New York Governor
Cynthia Nixon, activist and former Sex and the City actress, may be running for Governor of New York against Andrew Cuomo after an onslaught of encouragement from New Yorkers. If elected, she will be the United States’ second openly bisexual Governor. Read more at NBC.
Donors Pledge $2.5 Million To Elect Stacey Abrams As The First Black Female Governor
USA Today reports that a San Francisco-based philanthropist has collectively secured $2 million in donations ($1 million of which is her own money) to go towards the campaign to elect Stacey Abrams as Governor of Georgia. The funds will be used to help increase Black voter turnout for the May 22 primary and is utilizing political strategies similar to the ones that furthered black voter turnout in the Alabama Senate election.
Poet Lucie Brock-Broido Has Passed Away
The prolific poet Lucie Brock-Broido passed away yesterday, leaving behind an unparalleled creative legacy. Brock-Broido had received numerous awards and honors including a Guggenheim fellowship and a Witter-Bynner prize from the Academy of American Arts and Letters. Read more on Poets.org.
top photo: Mattel
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