Madonna sat down for a rare interview to talk about turning 60, and about Harvey Weinstein
Columnist Vanessa Grigoriadis spoke with singing legend Madonna about music, turning 60 and being a single mom of six kids. She dispelled the myth that she was fame-hungry in the 1980s, insisting she was just “tired of being broke,” adding “all I wanted was a song to get played on the radio. That’s all I was praying for. One song.” Madonna also spoke about disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, saying he “crossed the line” with her and was openly sexual and flirtatious. She was happy to see women speaking out about his abuses.
Physicist Inés Urdaneta opened up about the unique issues that women face in STEM careers
Inés Urdaneta is a California-based physicist who focuses on light matter interaction at the atomic, molecular and solid-state levels. In an interview with Thrive Global, Urdaneta recounted that in order to survive in her male-dominated field, she used to dress in T-shirts and tennis shoes in order to reduce her femininity and be taken more seriously. STEM environments are competitive, and many women prefer to work collaboratively, she said. This might help account for the disproportionately small number of women in the field, Urdaneta maintained.
Serena Williams is the first athlete to make Forbes’ 2019 Richest Self-Made Women’s List
With a net worth of $225 million, tennis star Serena Williams is the first athlete to make Forbes’ 2019 Richest Self-Made Women’s List. Williams made her fortune through athletic endorsements, but also through her venture capital firm Serena Ventures, which has invested in dozens of start-ups. Joining Williams are Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, and Oprah Winfrey.
Anna Kaiser used to be Shakira’s choreographer. Now, she’s the reigning queen of dance fitness
Anna Kaiser built a prominent career in dance and celebrity personal training. Still, Kaiser wanted more. She launched a New York City workout studio and coined her own dance/cardio/strength method: AKT, or Anna Kaiser Technique. Now, she’s bringing her workout and studios across the country and raising a child — all while being a personal trainer to celebrities like Shakira, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Ripa and more. Know Your Value and MSNBC anchor Yasmin Vossoughian interviewed Kaiser about her entrepreneurial journey .
Fox News called Kirsten Gillibrand “not polite” and she embraced it
Presidential candidate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, went on the offensive during a Fox News Town Hall broadcast on Sunday during a discussion about abortion. At one point, the Democrat looked directly at host Chris Wallace and accused Fox News of spreading a “false narrative” around the issue. Wallace responded by saying, “I understand, maybe to make your credentials with the Democratic base who are not appearing on Fox News, you want to attack us, but I’m not sure it’s frankly very polite.” Gillibrand seized on the incident on Twitter, and changed her profile to say “not very polite.” She is selling tote bags emblazoned with the phrase: “frankly, not very polite.”
PGA Tour Radio DJ suspended for comments about the U.S. Women’s Open, Tiger Woods blasts him
The U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament ended this week, but not without drama. Hank Haney, a SiriusXM Professional Golf Association radio DJ, was suspended last week for expressing indifference towards the event and saying racist comments. During the broadcast in question, Haney laughed that he couldn’t name six of the U.S. Women’s Open players, but that the winner would probably be Korean and named Lee. He then joked that he didn’t even know where the event was. Golf legend Tiger Woods told outlets that Haney deserved the suspension, which prompted Haney to attack Woods on Twitter, saying, “Amazing how @tigerwoods now has become the moral authority on issues pertaining to women.”
21-year-old California woman became the youngest person to visit every country
On Friday, 21-year-old California woman Lexie Alford claimed she had traveled to all 196 sovereign nations in the world. This would make her the youngest person to touch down in every country, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The title formerly belonged to a 24-year-old man who touched down in every country by 2016. Alford’s last country was North Korea, where she visited a de-militarized conference room. Before she is crowned by the Guiness World Record Committee, however, Alford will have to prove her record to the Guinness Book of World Records with 10,000 pieces of evidence in chronological order.
Japanese women shouldn’t have to wear high heels to work, according to a new petition
Women in Japan are fighting for looser restrictions on female dress code in the workplace, specifically when it comes to high heels. The movement, called #KuToo, was launched by freelance writer and actress Yumi Ishikawa, who argued that in Japan, it is a de facto requirement for women to wear high heels at work. She disseminated a petition, which was met with widespread support from other Japanese women. Ishikawa brought the petition to Japan’s labor ministry and issued the statement: “Today we submitted a petition calling for the introduction of laws banning employers from forcing women to wear heels as sexual discrimination or harassment.” The ministry is considering the issue.
Halley Bondy