Quick Hits
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Girl Scouts of the USA is rolling out 23 new badges to encourage young girls and gender non-conforming kids to pursue STEM careers. Some of the new badges include robotics, computer science, and mechanical engineering. Yes, we’re grown women. And yes, we are very jealous. Girl Scouts
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YIKES: Maternity leave policy in our country (or lack thereof) has officially gotten so dire that donating paid time off to coworkers has become a popular baby shower gift. ABC
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She may not be running for president, but Michelle Obama is still participating in the upcoming election. The former First Lady has started a new nonpartisan voter registration initiative called When We All Vote to increase voter turnout. Fortune
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Move over, Kylie. Iconic makeup artist Pat McGrath’s 3-year-old makeup line, Pat McGrath Labs, is now worth $1 billion. She grew up poor and was raised by a single mom who immigrated to the U.K. from Jamaica. Talk about working her way up. Where was her magazine cover, huh? Harper’s Bazaar
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Also in the world of cosmetics, Ulta Beauty has announced that it will carry the Black woman-owned and African heritage-inspired makeup line Juvia’s Place. Prepare yourself for some super-pigmented palettes at a very affordable price point. Bustle
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Here’s a disappointing finding: According to a study by the Census Bureau, in heterosexual marriages where wives outearn their husbands, both spouses tend to under-report the wife’s salary. Male fragility is really somethin’ else. The New York Times
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A Canadian study has found that while men are more likely to get heart disease than women, women are more likely to die from it. This may in part be due to the fact that it’s often more difficult to tell when a woman exhibits symptoms. Arm yourself with the warning signs of heart disease in women here . The New York Times
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A Texas court has begun to hear a case regarding the state’s law that requires fetal remains be buried or cremated post-abortion. Opponents of the law say that it places undue burden on clinics, and aims to impede their operations. Prior to the passage of the current law, fetal remains were required to undergo the same disposal as other human tissue. The case is just one of many across the country concerning restrictions on abortion clinics. Reuters
In the World of Entertainment
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90’s fans rejoice: Charmed, the show about three kickass witch sisters fighting evil, is back! And, this time, it’s even more feminist (and diverse). Bustle
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Vampires more your thing? Rumor has it that Buffy the Vampire Slayer will also be getting a reboot — and a Black leading actress. CNN
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Comics can be a real (white) boys club. But Marvel VP of content and character development is looking to change that. One of her most significant contributions? The creation of Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani American and Muslim superhero in 2014. Fast Company
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In other heroic news, Nicole Maines will star as the first transgender superhero on TV in her role as Dreamer on CW’s Supergirl. Fortune
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Paramount Television Chief Amy Powell has been ousted from the company after allegedly making racially insensitive remarks. Bloomberg
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Women probably could have guessed this on our own, but it’s always nice to feel validated, I guess. New research shows that men film critics are more likely to give movies starring women poor marks. On average, women critics will give a woman-centric movie a rating of 74 percent while male critics will give a rating of 62 percent. There is no significant discrepancy for male-driven movies. The number of male critics is also double the number of female critics. The New York Times
The Best Thing We Saw All Week
Being groped is a humiliating experience, and, for many, causes feelings of powerlessness and panic. Too often, perpetrators go unpunished, taking advantage of victims’ momentary shock.
Not this time, though. When 31-year-old Ryan Cherwinski decided to grab the butt of a waitress at a restaurant in Savannah, Ga., he was in for a rude awakening. A now-viral video of the incident shows how the waitress, 21-year-old Emilia Holden, reacted quickly to the assault, grabbing his shirt and throwing him on the floor.
“I looked at him and I said,’You don’t touch me, motherfucker!’” she told People. Holden says she didn’t expect to react the way she did and appreciates the outpouring of kind words people have sent her way. Cherwinski has been charged with sexual battery.
“I’m glad that other women can see this and know that you can stand up for yourself. It’s nice to know that I have empowered other women,” Holden told People. This is a video everyone needs to see. I’ve personally lost count of the times I’ve watched it, and it only gets more and more satisfying. Huffington Post
Around the World
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A Canadian study has found that there are more working women in Quebec than Ontario — and the reason is likely due to better subsidized daycare there. Montreal Gazette
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India has done away with a contentious 12 percent tax on feminine hygiene products. Let’s hope the U.S. gets its act together and eventually follows suit. CNN
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Rwanda has some of the highest rates of breastfeeding mothers in the world — a whopping 87.3 percent of mothers breastfeed their babies. The country also has the fourth highest rate of female participation in the workforce in the world at 51.5 percent. This may in part be due to Rwanda’s 12 weeks of paid maternity leave and two 30-minute lactation breaks guaranteed by law. OZY
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Continuing Pope Francis’ progressive revolution within the Catholic Church, the Vatican has sparked controversy after announcing that women do not have to be virgins to serve as 'brides of Christ.' The Guardian
