Viva la Feminista

The thing about being creative, especially on the internet, is that once you put an idea out into the world, it grows in ways you may not have conceived or dreamed. I mean, the #365FeministSelfie project grew from the #FeministSelfie hashtag, as well as the countless posts about selfies being empowering . A few selfie projects have come to my attention over the past month, including one inspired by #365FeministSelfie : Katia wrote to tell me that this project was being applied to the glut of red carpet conversations about designers. She called it " Who Are You Wearing? " and asked moms to respond. And thanks to her project, #365FeministSelfie made it to Redbook ! Mensen is taking a really different direction on the selfie path. Hand drawn selfies ! It grew out of her experiences with online dating. And of course the Today Show is jumping on the empowered selfie train with their #LoveYourSelfie series this week. They are connecting the series to "a new TODAY/A...

Viva la Feminista welcomes, Ambar Mentor-Truppa as a guest blogger today! Ambar is a Chicago-based feminist and public relations executive committed to cultivating the next generation of women leaders. As a board member and chair of Women Employed’s Advocacy Council, Ambar mobilizes young professional women to advocate on behalf of all working women and families.  “I lived through the Mad Men era!” That’s what author and trailblazing journalist Lynn Povich told the crowd gathered for a panel discussion co-hosted by Women Employed on February 13th. The audience listened attentively as Povich continued, sharing the story of how she and her female colleagues confronted the blatant sexism at Newsweek in the 60s. When they were told that “women don’t write at Newsweek,” the women not only didn’t accept it; they fought against it. In 1970, Povich and 45 other women sued the magazine for sex discrimination. “We loved Newsweek—we just wanted Newsweek to be better,” Povich explain...

The number 50 holds a special meaning in our society. 50th birthdays and anniversaries are golden. Over the past 50 days, I have observed that our group is one of golden fierceness.  A few days ago someone posted a photo of herself in a new bikini. And she is not rocking a typical bikini body either. She posted the photo along with a long note about how scared she was. Scared to be posting a photo of it for the world to see and scared at the thought of being on an actual beach in her bikini. But she knew in a few days she would...and with a smile.  What amazes me about #365FeministSelfie pics like that are that I wonder how many of you know how fierce you really are. Yes, you might be scared, but you took that picture. Maybe 20. Then you hit publish. Back during the single digit days, I saw many tweets about how others supported this challenge in spirit, but were too scared to do it themselves. You in the photo, the one on day 5 of the flu? You might be scared, bu...

"In 2009, women received a majority of the degrees awarded in biological and biomedical sciences, from associate to Ph.D., and earned 53 percent of the doctorates, according to The Chronicle's Almanac of Higher Education ( source )." This is up from less than 5% of all PhDs in science and engineering going to women in the last 1970s ( source ). In 1992, women were earning less than 40% of PhDs in biology ( source ). In " The How and the Why " a play by Sarah Treem, Zelda Kahn earned her doctorate in evolutionary biology in the mid-1980s, while R achel Hardeman is in the midst of her studies. This is what sets up a generational divide that is equal parts solid debate and trope. For one thing, Zelda is a single, career-driven woman who subscribes to the meritocracy theory for science careers. When Rachel begins to discuss her fears of being attacked as a woman, Zelda brushes it off. Rachel is also struggling with her desire to have a family - something she bel...

If you are looking for some great seafood and a delish drink, look no further than Kinmont in River North. I attended their opening in late January, Kinmont opened to the public on February 1st, and enjoyed the atmosphere and tastings. First, the restaurant is beautiful. It has the look of a lodge, but with a modern feel. Dark wood, stone and large mirrors.  In the bar area I found servers with trays of different drinks and I chose the Bridgetown Milano. Over the past few years I have discovered that I am allergic to wine, yes even whites, so I have been trying my hand at bourbon drinks. The Bridgetown Milano is made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, cinzano sweet vermouth, falernum and fernet branca. Strong and delish.  As for food samplings, servers walked around with a lot of different options. There was also a buffet of shrimp, oysters, and lobster ( just like on their reservations page! ). I tasted a good number of things, but the one thing that made me really...

We made it! The past 40 days have just been amazing. I have had a few interviews about the project, talked about it so often that I feel like I am boring all of you, but then I remember that there is just so much to talk about here.  I often stop myself from truly talking honestly about what I have been a witness to the past 40 days. While I have not been able to see every photo and read every caption, I have read a lot. And the honesty in them is overwhelming. See, when I am interviewed about this challenge, people ask what I am seeing, but to give specific examples. Frankly, the honesty I am seeing on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, etc is just too honest for me to be the reporter. Yes, most photos are public and anyone can see them. But the stories attached are too personal for me to share. Participating in this wacky idea of mine does not mean I own your photo and certainly not your stories. What I can say about what I am seeing is reminiscent of the early days of bl...

Ever wonder what Scooby-Doo would be like if it were set in Flint, Michigan? You find out at " Mr. Chickee's Funny Money ," now playing at the Chicago Children's Theatre at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago until March 2nd. Ella & I went to the press opening last week and had a great time. Mr. Chickee is an exploration of friendship, Motown music history and not far from the surface, the struggle to maintain one's determination in Michigan.  The plot is simple. A kindly elderly man, Mr. Chickee, gives Steven, a quadrillion dollar bill. Steven sets out to discover if it is real or not. At the same time a trio of U.S. Department of Treasury agents are out to find it and take it out of circulation. They are the bumbliest of blumbly characters - thus an excellent source of laughs. Joining Steven in this quest are his BFFs, Richelle and Russell. They call themselves the "Flint Future Detectives Club".   As in Harry Po...

VLF is a now an affiliate of SmileBox. I will post occasional deals and project ideas. But anytime you want to support VLF and get some  cards & such things please consider using the SmileBox link in the sidebar.  A friend asked me how I stand the overly romantic Valentine's Day cards that our kids are supposed to buy and then pass around at school every year. I guess I don't think about it until Ella & I are in the store aisle looking at the super gendered cards and then when she opens the box to find overly lovey dovey cards. Then I flashback to grade school and wanting to make sure I didn't give a "I Choo-Choo-Choose You" card to the wrong boy. And at least I could put people's names on the cards. Ella is supposed to just bring enough cards for everyone. In the end my friend made cards online. Honestly that's what prompted me to finally launch my affiliation with SmileBox. I did find customizable " My Friends Trading Cards " whe...