Curly Hair Inspiration

Last night I was scrolling through Instagram when I bumped into a gorgeous picture of Emmy Rossum sporting her naturally curly hair. I stopped scrolling and stared at the beautiful picture for a couple minutes and thought, "you know what? Curly hair is beautiful. Maybe I should start wearing mine naturally more often..."

It's not that I don't think curly hair isn't pretty, because I do...it's just that I don't think it looks pretty on me. Big difference. But why?? I've never loved it. I always wanted straight hair because mine was so thick and unruly, it never looked "done". It always looked like I just rolled out of bed, while all the other girls' hair looks glossy, straight, perfect, with no frizz. From an early age, perhaps reinforced by the media and representations of "beautiful put-together women, I always disliked my naturally curly hair. 

For instance:  

"Samira Ahmed, senior news presenter, who has been working at Channel 4 News in the UK for the past 11 years. Earlier this week, Ahmed announced her departure from the media company after being told that her hair was too "scruffy" for TV" Her decision to leave comes after claims that she was repeatedly told by executives that Channel 4 chiefs did not like her hair."  [Here]

I'm sure you can relate to this, if you have curly hair. "No doubt we have all heard it before ourselves: “Your hair looks so pretty straight,” “Why don’t you straighten more often,” or even, “Your curly hair is ugly!”. It can be tough out there when you're hair doesn't look like the blown-out goddesses. 

So here's a list of all the beautiful curly haired celebrities that make me want to LOVE wearing my hair naturally curly.

Celebrities with Naturally Curly Hair That Make me Want to Love my Own

1. Emmy Rossum

Of course my #1 has to be the Gal that inspired this list and made me want to love (and wear!) my hair naturally curly!! I just love her, she's a gem! Brains and beauty! 

2. Kate Hudson

Penny Lane...how can you not love her?! Her hair is a direct representation of her lively and free-spirit personality. 

3. Julia Roberts

Goddess Supreme, Julia Roberts was one of the first women that made curly hair "cool". Of course, it was ALWAYS cool, but you know what I mean.

4. Lorde

I cannot even put into words how much I love her and her hair. She is perfection.

5. Beyonce

I'd be remiss if I didn't include Beyonce on a 'hair list inspo' list. Her hair is GORGEOUS.

6. Sara Jessica Parker

I could not forget about Carrie Bradshaw; her curls are just as iconic as the white tutu/pink tank combo, her "Carrie" necklace, and Manolo Blahnik. 

7. Mila Kunis

This Ukranian beauty's curly tresses first graced our TV screens on That 70's Show, and she continues to inspire me with her natural curls. 

8. Alicia Keys

GORGEOUS. Natural. And the super talented singer/pianist started a bare face campaign that is so inspiring! Natural IS beautiful!

9. Nicole Kidman

Nicole's red curls were one of the highlights of 90's fashion, because they were unique and carefree. This updo has me seriously rethinking my next "going-out" style. 

10. Shakira

There's nothing cooler than Shakira and her volumized, beautiful blond curls!! 

11. Debra Messing

Oh, Grace. I have ALWAYS been a fan of her hair!! She'd always beautiful, but when she let's her (natural) hair down, it's some of the best curl-action in the biz. 

12. Tatiana Maslany

Perhaps my favorite new comer, the outstanding and crazy-talented actress from Orphan Black ((who plays 14 different clone characters on the series)) rocks her natural curls all the time! She IS curly hair inspo!

So, for all the curly-haired gals out there, let's let down our curls and enjoy the beautiful bounce we were born with!! 

#WCW: Favorite Fictional Women in STEM

STEM is very important to me. As a woman with a degree in a STEM field, working (in STEM) as a researcher, it's VERY important to me, to say the least. I've always admired STEM women, before I even knew what STEM was. By the way...STEM stands for Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics, fields where women are typically underrepresented. That lack of representation is why it's so important for women in STEM to be at the forefront. 

As unlikely as it is to see women represented in these roles, women of color fulfilling STEM roles is even MORE unheard of. THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. LIKE, NOW. It is appalling that these issues still exist. Representation is important to young girls and young women because when they dream and plan out their lives, they need to be able to SEE themselves in these roles, on their TVs, their movies, their computer screens, in their books, in their real lives... Ashley Zweig, in an article for the Odyssey, states that "whether we choose to admit it or not, the characters that inhabit our screens have a great impact on our lives; they help to shape who we are, the way we view the world around us, and who we aspire to be. That's why representation in the media truly matters."

Representation for women in STEM is of upmost importance. Aleks Krotoski poses this question in an article for the Guardian: Technology companies build products that help us make sense of the world- How can they do this without input from 52% of the world's population? She goes on to state that "in 2005, women made up 24% of computer science students. By 2010, that figure had dropped to 19%, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. A 2012 report from Creative Skillset found that only 29% of the interactive media industry in the UK is female, and the majority hold positions in art and design and communications rather than engineering."

AAUW's data in their research reports Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (2010) and Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing (2015) reflect these sentiments. In America, "more than ever before, girls are studying and excelling in science and mathematics. Yet the dramatic increase in girls’ educational achievements in scientific and mathematical subjects has not been matched by similar increases in the representation of women working as engineers and computing professionals. Just 12 percent of engineers are women, and the number of women in computing has fallen from 35 percent in 1990 to just 26 percent today. 

The numbers are especially low for Hispanic, African American, and American Indian women. Black women make up 1 percent of the engineering workforce and 3 percent of the computing workforce, while Hispanic women hold just 1 percent of jobs in each field. American Indian and Alaska Native women make up just a fraction of a percent of each workforce."

As tomorrow is International Women's Day, and after seeing Black Panther again, for the third time, I've decided to release this week's #WCW highlighting my FAVORITE Fictional Women in STEM.

Shuri, Princess of Wakanda, The Black Panther (Movie)

Shuri is a princess of the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda. Shuri is a technical genius; she designs the special armored outfits and gadgets for her brother to use. She also fights alongside the Dora Milaje, the female warriors who protect the King, in defense of Wakanda and her brother, the Black Panther. Her technological innovations rival that of Tony Stark and Q (of James Bond fame). She is such a phenomenal  character! [Actually, all of the women in the film are STELLAR. They're all of my most favorite parts!]

Dr. Ellie Sattler, Jurassic Park

It's important to me that you know this; Dr.Ellie Sattler is the most important character in Jurassic Park. She is my earliest #WCW; I can vividly remember seeing this movie as a very young child when it came out, and instantly wanting to BE HER. Dr. Sattler is a paleobotanist, who, along with my first crush, Dr. Grant, saves the characters from an island of genetically grown (by-mosquito and-frog DNA) Dinosaurs.  She doesn't sit back and let the men rescue the day, she does it herself. She's an integral part of why the characters survive to tell the tale. 

Cosima Niehaus, Orphan Black

Cosima is one of the clones masterfully played by Tatiana Maslany, and the brains behind finding and interpreting the science behind their genetic makeup. She was once a PhD student in Experimental Evolutionary Developmental Biology, but dropped out of school to study the female clones' biology. Despite congenital respiratory illness (that has killed other clones) still threatening her life, Cosima continues to fight for truth and justice with her clone sisters. She is one of my all-time favorites!! 

Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, Big Bang Theory

Amy is the incredibly smart Neurobiologist is the only one who can keep up with Sheldon Cooper. She is probably my favorite character on the show. She is hilarious, loyal, loving, and tenacious. She is a wonderful best friend to Penny and never sacrifices her intellect or standing up for what she believes in.

Dana Scully, The X-Files

Another one of my first #WCW! Scully is an FBI agent and a medical doctor. She is brilliant! Scully has a Bachelor of Science degree in physics (her undergraduate thesis was titled Einstein's Twin Paradox: A New Interpretation). While in medical school at Stanford University, she was recruited by the FBI, and accepts their offer. She is the brains of the operation in so many ways. But she is also courageous, brave, fierce, and resilient.

Angela Montenegro, Bones

Angela Montenegro is a specialist in forensic facial reconstruction at the Jeffersonian Institution. She uses her skills as an artist to develop, maintain, and improve the lab’s three-dimensional graphics and computer simulation systems. She is credited with the innovation of the "Angelator", which is later recreated/replaced with a newer version, the "Angelatron".

Happy Quinn, Scorpion

Happy is mechanical engineer prodigy; she's part of the literal team of geniuses, called Scorpion. Happy's genius has saved the fictional world so many times; without her, the team would not be successful.

Dr. Maura Isles, Rizzoli & Isles

Dr. Isles is the Medical Examiner and the other half of Rizzoli & Isles. She has a warm, happy personality, who's extremely curious, interesting, and funny. She has a brilliant mind and devoted to her work and her best friend (Jane Rizzoli). The pair are a crime fighting team, showcasing women in leadership roles working together to save the world (or at least, their city). ;)

Dr. Jane Foster, Thor

Doctor Jane Foster is one of the world's leading astrophysicists, the world's foremost astronomer, the creator of the Foster Theory, as well as one of the premiere experts on Asgard. She found Thor after he was banished from Asgard and fell to Earth while she and her team were in New Mexico studying astronomical anomalies. Need I say more?? She is literally my favorite part of Thor. (Sorry Chris Hemsworth!)

Dr. Jo Harding, Twister

Dr. Jo Harding lost her family in a storm as a child, which inspired her to become a meteorologist that studied catastrophic weather activity. Her team, nicknamed ‘storm chasers’ develop a machine that tracks storms and records the activity,in hopes to increase the amount of advanced warning time and save lives. She continually puts herself in the harms way, even willing to give her own life, for the sake of science and helping to prevent the unnecessary loss of human life.

Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, Big Bang Theory

Bernadette has her Ph.D in Microbiology and a lucrative job at a pharmaceutical company. While the show may have been at first about the male geniuses, it has developed into a more inclusive gang of scientists with Bernadette and Amy, who simultaneously hold their own and elevate the thinking of the male characters around them. Bernadette also working during her pregnancy and after the baby is born, by choice, and it a great example for many career moms that it is doable and okay to choose to be both a mom and a scientist. 

Dr. Temperance Brennan, Bones

Brennan is a forensic anthropologist, who investigates human remains at crime scenes where the flesh is too degraded for a coroner to obtain evidence. Nicknamed "Bones", she is the protagonist of the series and undergoes a lot of character development throughout the series, while still remaining true to herself and her love of science. Towards the end of the series, she has a daughter, and also showcases the struggles of being a working mom. She is the leading expert of forensic anthropology, and uses her incredible brain to help her partner fight crime. 

Dr. Mindy Lahiri, The Mindy Project

One of my favorite (and humorous) portrayals is done by the lovely Mindy Kaling, of Dr. Lahiri, an OB/GYN in New York City. Mindy is bubbly, hilarious, and wickedly smart, trying to juggle her personal life with her professional life. She's romantic, honest, self-deprecating, and unapologetically herself. Kaling has stated that Dr. Mindy Lahiri is inspired by her own mother, which makes this even more wonderful!

Abbey Sciuto, NCIS

Abby is a forensic scientist at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) headquarters at the Washington Navy Yard, with expertise in ballistics, digital forensics, and DNA analysis. She is the show's best feature. Don Bellisario (the show's creater) said he "wanted to take an alternative-style person with tattoos and make her someone who is happy, totally put together and successful. All the script said about her was: black hair, caffeinated and smart...She's completely unaware that anybody thinks she looks weird. She thinks she looks pretty and never calls herself anything other than happy". Abbey pushes boundaries and breaks stereotypes, and of course, I appreciate her "gothic nature". 

Penelope Garcia, Criminal Minds

Penelope is a technical analyst for the Behavioral Analysis Unit that is the center of the  show. She is brilliant, confident, fun-loving, and hilarious, providing much of the show's comic relief. She is highly optimistic and provides a great support system for the other characters on her team. 

So, here's to all the real life STEM women out there, working tirelessly in male-dominated fields. If you get tired of being "the token woman", remember what we are fighting for. And that, some day, our daughters and nieces will know a world where women are just as likely to hold jobs in STEM fields as men, and just as likely to be CEO's, Judges, Astronauts, Engineers, Mathematicians, Scientists, Technological Innovators... 

International Womens Day is 03/08/18. Lets get it!!

HEAR US ROAR.

March 8th is International Women's Day! International Women's Day (IWD) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Run annually on March 8, the day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. IWD provides an important moment to showcase commitment to women's equality, launch new initiatives and action, celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness, highlight gender parity gains and more.

The day is celebrated and supported globally by industry, governments, educational institutions, community groups, professional associations, women's networks, charities and non-profit bodies, the media and more.

Collectively every person and all groups can make a difference within their sphere of influence by taking concrete action to help drive gender parity. From small powerful grassroots gatherings to largescale conference and event audiences - International Women's Day is celebrated everywhere. It's a big day for inspiration and change.

I made a list (of course I did!) of ways to CELEBRATE!!! So put on your NASTY WOMAN tee, all your feminist pins, your Dissent collar, and pink hat and LET'S GET IT!!

1.Push for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.  equalrightsamendment.org

The Equal Rights Amendment would provide a fundamental legal remedy against sex discrimination for both women and men. It would guarantee that the rights affirmed by the U.S. Constitution are held equally by all citizens without regard to their sex.

The ERA would clarify the legal status of sex discrimination for the courts, where decisions still deal inconsistently with such claims. For the first time, sex would be considered a suspect classification, as race currently is. Governmental actions that treat males or females differently as a class would be subject to strict judicial scrutiny and would thus have to meet the highest level of justification – a necessary relation to a compelling state interest – to be upheld as constitutional.

Wondering why the 14th Ammendment doesn't offer this protection? Read it here: www.equalrightsamendment.org/faq.htm#q8

To actual or potential offenders who would try to write, enforce, or adjudicate laws inequitably, the ERA would send a strong preemptive message: the Constitution has zero tolerance for sex discrimination under the law.

States that have NOT ratified the ERA: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, & Virginia. 

2. Watch the documentary EQUAL MEANS EQUAL; equalmeansequal.com

This documentary offers an unflinching look at how women are treated in the United States today. Examining both real-life stories and precedent-setting legal cases, director Kamala Lopez uncovers how outdated and discriminatory attitudes inform and influence seemingly disparate issues, from workplace harassment to domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, to the foster care system, and the healthcare conglomerate to the judicial system. Lopez reveals the inadequacy of present laws that claim to protect women, ultimately presenting a compelling and persuasive argument for the urgency of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment.

Lopez writes: Over the course of the past seven years, I have taken a look at the top dozen issues affecting women and done an analysis of whether the laws that are presently in place are working or not to provide women with equal legal protections to men.

The subject and the real-world implications compelled us to be extremely comprehensive in our investigations and not skip steps or cut any corners. From the gender wage gap to sexual assault, from pregnancy discrimination to child sex trafficking, I found laws that are incomplete, insufficient and in some cases actually deleterious to the women they are supposed to be helping.

What are noticeably and shockingly absent are the basic explicit human and civil rights protections that men are afforded by the Constitution. In case after case, the Supreme Court demurs on protecting women because they have no explicit Constitutional right to which to point. And despite our reliance on the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia candidly shared his opinion that, “The Constitution does not protect women from sexual discrimination. No one ever thought that’s what it meant. No one ever voted for that.”

Clearly, there is a very effective propaganda campaign in the popular culture designed to convince us that women and men enjoy the same human and civil rights. Studies show that 72% of Americans are completely invested in the false belief that the genders are explicitly equal under the U.S. Constitution. My conclusion, after six years and more than 100 interviews and thousands of hours of research is that this blind spot opens the door to a lot of unconscious and conscious bias as well as disguising deliberate exploitation.

Ratifying the ERA would put American women’s civil and human rights on a solid immovable foundation, impervious to the winds of political change. EQUAL MEANS EQUAL makes the strong argument that full legal equality for women is a solution that has the potential to truly transform the United States and the world.

WATCH THE TRAILER Available to rent/buy from iTunes and Amazon. 

3. Sign up for emails from Action groups! 

This is a very SIMPLE way to know/get info on how to advocate for your favorite causes. I love getting emails from all my Orgs with quick "here's what you need to know!" newsletter, notifications on events, and current Action-Items. It's a good (sometimes daily) reminder that I can make a difference, even if it's signing an online petition or calling my representative. 

Here's a quick list of some of my favorite Action Groups: (Clickable links)

AAUW (American Association on University Women): 2-minute Activist: 

Equal Right's Advocates

National Women's Political Caucus 

National Network to End Domestic Violence

Girls Health & Justice Institute

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Women's National Law Center

4. Wear your PURPLE!!

International Women's Day states: "Purple is historically associated with efforts to achieve gender equality. In this context it was first used alongside green and white as the colors of the Women’s Social and Political Union, the organization that led Britain’s women’s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. For suffragettes fighting for the right to vote, purple represented “the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette,” according to the book Women's Suffrage Memorabilia: An Illustrated Historical Study by Kenneth Florey.

In the 1960's and 1970's, use of the color was revived by feminists to represent the Women’s Liberation movement as a tribute to the suffragettes. Fast forward to 2018, and the color is a fitting follow up to a year in which knitted pink hats dominated demonstrations around the world protesting against discrimination. More recently, gender-based workplace harassment took center stage as men and women spoke out about long-simmering workplace injustices. The #MeToo social media hashtag was used extensively worldwide to draw attention to these issues online. Undoubtedly, the fallout from lawsuits filed to bring workplace harassers to justice and further revelations about discriminatory practices will continue to unfold for years to come.

The significance of the color to the women’s movement was crystallized in The Color Purple (Harcourt 1982) a ground breaking book by American author Alice Walker, which famously mapped out discriminatory practices against African-American women in the southern United States in the 1930s. Walker became the first woman of color Pulitzer Prize laureate when the book won the award in 1983. 

Now widely associated with contemporary feminism, the color purple symbolizes achievements gained and achievements yet to come."

BONUS: LISTEN TO Prince's song “Purple Rain” and Jimi Hendrix's “Purple Haze”!!

5. #PressforProgress campaign on IWD and Beyond

One of the most powerful ways you can influence how quickly gender parity is achieved is through championing your own #PressforProgress campaign within your own community, network, organization or group. Each year an annual IWD campaign theme is kicked off on March 8, with its focus and activity supported by groups all year long. The IWD campaign theme unifies direction and galvanises activity to provide a meaningful framework for connected action throughout the year.

Find SELFIE cards on the IWD website!

No matter how you celebrate, make sure that you take at least a few moments to recognize not only the women in your life, but also recognize yourself, and the social changes that we still need to bring equity in our communities, states, Nation, and  WORLDWIDE.

International Women's Day: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/