Woman Crush Weekly, No. 23
From center court to the Supreme Court, it was a week of high emotions, and even higher stakes.
A1: News & Analysis
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka, the 20-year old woman redefining what it means to be Japanese beat her idol Serena Williams at the US Open in a contentious match. It is Osaka’s first Grand Slam title, and the farthest Williams has advanced in a Grand Slam tournament since returning from maternity leave. Osaka holds Japanese citizenship, thanks to her mother, and is half-Hatian thanks to her father. She trains in the U.S with a German coach of Serb descent. Tennis, y’all! 🙌 — The New York Times
Kamala Harris
In the three-ring circus that is D.C. it’s super hard to keep your eye on the criminals … I mean birdies, that pass for politicians these days, but somehow Sen. Kamala Harris seems to be managing it. Sen. Harris had a humdinger of a week questioning Ivanka’s Dad’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kava-nope. She both insinuated that she might have dirt connecting him to the Mueller investigation and caught him up in a wicked riposte concerning Roe v. Wade. She wasn’t alone, of course and found allies in fellow Senators Feinstein, Hirono, and Klobuchar. And let’s also not forget a fantastic performance from Sen. Cory Booker, who I’m letting slide in here because, reasons. — Salon
Ayanna Pressley
Much like the upset victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the victory of Ayanna Pressley was a surprise to some, and totally not a surprise to others. And much like there wasn’t anything in particular wrong with Joe Crowley — the white man Ocasio-Cortez beat — the same can be said of Michael Capuano, the 10-term representative Pressley upset on Tuesday. Pressley is likely to become the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts in the House. — Boston Globe
B1: One Big Thing
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars while a postgrad. And then her advisor and some other guy were awarded the Nobel Prize for her discovery. There was outrage on her behalf, but Dame Bell Burnell never put up a fuss. She just kept working. And then, last week, at a very fancy gala sponsored by very fancy (and very rich) people, Dame Bell Burnell was awarded a $3 million special Breakthrough prize. Dame Bell Burnell will use the money to support students that are traditionally underrepresented in physics. WIN. — The Guardian
C1: More Politics (Sorry)
Stormy Daniels
This profile of Stormy Daniels in Vogue is everything. Daniels’ story is the crystallization of what feminists mean when they urge everyone to “believe women.” Just believe them. Believe their stories, believe their motives. Believe their voices, believe their morals. Daniels has been vindicated, and yet she’s the one on the run, hiding out from giant toddlers in red hats and the paparazzi. “We’ve been in a couple car chases. We’ve had people put notes under the door, which means they know what hotel I’m in.” Chilling. — Vogue
Zephyr Teachout
Zephyr Teachout is running for New York State Attorney General while pregnant. Meh. That really shouldn’t mean anything. And yet it does. But it’s probably not why she’s not going to win. Teachout — while over-qualified for the position — is running against a handful of other people who are also over qualified, including awesome New York City public advocate Letitia James, Leecia Eve (onetime Hillary aide and attorney), and U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. — Time
D1: Fashion, But Make It Inclusive
Serena Williams
You didn’t actually think I was going to make it through this entire newsletter without giving Serena her own feature, did you? I could have gone the easy route and linked to this new ad she did for Nike, or this one (featuring her nanny!?!) for Chase. But no. I’m going for it, with this piece from Broadly entitled “Serena Williams’ Outfits Are Not the Issue for Tennis — It’s Her Blackness” by Victoria Uwumarogie. “Williams is known for both her muscles and her curves, and when poured into her catsuit … it was her shapely figure, a shape quite common for Black women, that was really being deemed as disrespectful to the game.”- Broadly
Mina White
As the director of IMG Models’ Curve division (aka, “plus” size models), it is Mina White’s job to try and remake an industry obsessed with skininess, one casting at a time. And it’s not easy. Designers love to tell White they can’t hire her girls because they don’t fit the sample sizes. To which White blithely replies, “These women want (your) clothes; to assume that if you’re plus size, you live below a certain income level is wrong.” — Glossy
E1: Sports
Hayley Wickenheiser
The Toronto Maple Leafs, part of the NHL, have a new assistant director of player development, Hayley Wickenheiser. Wickenheiser is one of the best women hockey players of all time, and she just happened to be the perfect fit for what the Maple Leafs were looking for. Maple Leafs GM Scott Dubas has some solid reasoning in diversifying the club’s hiring. “Research shows that the more diverse your organization, the better your decision making, the better your operation in general. If you’re only hiring white males, and I’m saying that as a white male, you’re probably leaving a lot on the table.” O, Canada! — Global News
Marysol Castro
New York City is a metropolis of transplants. I moved here 20-years ago, and there are a lot of little things that make you realize you’re a true New Yorker: The way you walk, the way you talk, your sports allegiances … Oh. Whoops. I’ve really messed up on that one, because, honestly, if you come right down to it, all of the franchises in and around the city are, how shall I put this? A little tough to love. Kinda like New Yorkers, yaknowwhadimean? I fell in love with baseball watching the Yankees in the early naughts, but the Yankees, in their own way, are kind of tough to love. Recently my son has been asking me about what sports teams we support, and I’ve been kinda leaning him towards the Mets. They’re so, I dunno, irascible? Tetchy? Inconsistent? Yeah, well, they’re still a little better than the Knicks. And now the Mets have Marysol Castro on the PA over at Shea (I mean, CitiField (whatever)) and that makes me like them even just a little bit more. — The New York Times
F1: Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?
It’s not everyday I have the opportunity to close out this newsletter with one of Georgia O’Keefe’s incredible works, but thanks to this excellent piece from Barrons on the increasing prices paid at auction for the works of women artists, here it is. Also, as an added bonus, this piece got me to reread Linda Nochlin’s epic 1971 essay in ArtNews, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” which, sadly, rings every bit as true today as it probably did back then. And as a bonus to the bonus, Googling the essay got me to this excellent illustrated guide to Nochlin’s eassy from HyperAllergic, which is beautiful and useful.- Barrons
The Woman Crush Weekly is the newsletter of the Pallas Network. Our goal is to highlight the amazing women around the world changing the game. If you feel so motivated, please send along your favorite stories about women changing the world. My inbox is always open: ann@pallasnetwork.com xo — Ann
Originally sent as The Woman Crush Weekly, № 23
