On My Mind...

It's been a big week for women in the news, from Shalene Flanagan winning the New York City Marathon on Sunday to some historic election victories on Tuesday. I've been working on some new interviews for the site, and I'm so excited about the women who are going to be a part of Girls Like You and Me in the coming months. I also went to a get-together for alums of my high school, which I always look forward to. I got to catch up with some old friends, and make plans to get together again soon... And, as always, I came across quite a few things I wanted to share with you this week!

Shalene Flanagan after she won the New York Marathon last Sunday!

1) Last Sunday, Shalene Flanagan became the first American woman to win the New York Marathon in 40 years! Not only is she an incredible athlete (seriously- have you ever seen elite marathon runners? They're amazing!), she's been a big part of building a supportive community of elite American women runners, and they've all been running faster as a result.

2) My friendships with other women are some of the most important relationships in my life, and Roxane Gay's 13 rules for female friendships are funny, pointed, and mostly just true.

3) Speaking of women I wish I were my real-life friends, Aidy Bryant is one of my favorites on Saturday Night Live- the music videos she pops up in are my favorite scenes in recent years. I loved this profile of her- she's just as sweet, sharp, and funny as you'd expect. 

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II

By Liza Mundy

4) Hidden Figures showed us how women were a vital part of NASA; now Code Girls is revealing how American women worked as code breakers during World War II. 

5) Today, November 11, is Veterans Day. Did you know that more than 2 million American women are veterans? Women comprise almost 10% of veterans, and that percentage is expected to double by 2040. Female vets are fighting for the recognition, respect, and services they deserve.  

6) A whole slew of women won election to state and local offices this past Tuesday. My favorite story: A county officeholder in New Jersey posted a sexist meme in response to the Women's March in January. That sexist act inspired Ashley Bennett to run against him- and she won!

7) Women's election victories are even more exciting because it turns out that women are pretty darn effective legislators, and just plain get more done than their male peers.

8) And last, one of my favorite sources of political and social commentary, Teen Vogue, has a special guest editor for their newest issue: Hillary Rodham Clinton. I really enjoyed her letter to her 18-year-old self, especially her advice to "take risks, and don’t be afraid to get caught trying."

On my mind...

Halloween has passed, the World Series is over, and it's firmly in the 40s and 50s where I live. (I was hoping I'd find some Christmas music on the radio on Wednesday, but no luck yet.) As usual, I've been absorbed by the news, so much that it often feels overwhelming. Between news of senseless violence and the tidal waves of stories of abuse and harassment (#metoo), and learning that yesterday was Latina Equal Pay Day, i.e. it takes Latinas until November 2, 2017 to earn what a white man earned in 2016. It was also announced that one of my favorite voices speaking truth to power, Teen Vogue, is going to stop publishing in print, but it's apparently going to continue on the web only. The highlights of my week were going to a Hillary Clinton book signing on Monday and having the chance to chat with Secretary Clinton, and getting to see lots of kids in costume on Halloween. Here are a few other things that have been on my mind this week:

1 ) LEGO Women of NASA are here! Creator Maia Weinstock told us about designing them, how she chose the women who are included, and how the set was chosen for production. Mine should be arriving later today, and I can't wait! Congratulations, Maia!

2) Birth Control Access: Contraception is expensive when you have to pay out of pocket, most women who need contraception use is, and the burden for paying for it largely falls of women. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies have been required to fully cover it, making birth control more accessible to more women. A few weeks ago, the President rolled back that mandate. The consequences of this for many women will be devastating. Birth control could become unaffordable, and without reliable access to contraception, they will no longer be able to determine if and when they want to become pregnant. That will have a negative impact on America's economic growth.

3) Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, and I'm always ambivalent about it. On one hand, it's rough to see the sun set at 4:30 in the afternoon where I live. On the other hand, I always relish the first week or two, because with the clocks set back, it either feels like I get to sleep in extra late, or I'm getting an early start on the day, because 8 o'clock today will be 7 o'clock on Sunday. I constantly read articles on "how to become a morning person," but for me, getting up too early just ruins my day. I don't feel like I'm getting a jump on things; I usually just feel physically ill. When I came across this essay, describing exactly what I experience when I have to wake up too early, it was so validating! Some of us just aren't wired for early mornings...

4) Have you all seen the "Mother Before" Instagram? I can't get enough of it. Women submit photos of their moms before they had children, along with a few sentences about them- personality, hobbies, career, partners, all kinds of things. Most of my friends have kids now, and I sometimes wonder if those kids will ever have a sense of the girls I knew growing up or the adults they were before kids.

5) And last, but certainly not least, Washington, D.C. fifth grader and Girl Scout Alice Paul Tapper writes, "I'm 10. And I Want Girls To Raise Their Hands." (Tapper's Girl Scout Troop sounds its own Feminist Fight Club, and I love it.)

On My Mind...

Gee whiz, the summer has flown by! For just about every student and teacher, school has started back up. I know Hurricane Harvey has disrupted the start of the school for many in Texas, to say the least of its destruction. And Irma seems to be gearing up to do the same in Florida. Add to that that announcement that the DACA program will be ending, negatively impacting 800,000 people who have lived in the United States for most of their lives, young people who often have known no other home than the U.S. It's been a difficult week, and its negative effects will be felt for a long, long time.
But, in addition to obsessively following the news (does that count as a hobby?), I've read a bunch of great stuff lately. I've been getting some new interviews ready, but in the meantime, check out these awesome women.

Oprah in character in the upcoming Wrinkle in Time movie. This is basically how I picture her anyway: wise, powerful, and stunning. 

1) I spent at least an hour yesterday on Time Magazine's Firsts page, watching videos and reading about women who have broken the glass ceiling in some way. As the introduction says:

What a jagged image we use for women who achieve greatly, defining accomplishment in terms of the barrier rather than the triumph. There she is up where the air is thin, where men still outnumber women, but where the altitude is awesome. Our goal with Firsts is for every woman and girl to find someone whose presence in the highest reaches of success says to her that it is safe to climb, come on up, the view is spectacular.

2) Oprah is (of course) one of the women featured by Time. I also loved her profile in the September issue of Vogue.

3) Oprah's A Wrinkle in Time costar Reese Witherspoon wrote this essay in Glamour about ambition and her own experience with putting her money where her mouth is- taking her frustration with the lack of film roles for women and producing Gone Girl, Wild, and Big Little Lies. Her advice: "Run away from a man who can't handle your ambition."

4) When I think of women who embody the idea of finding a way to do work as an adult that taps into what you loved growing up, Christina Tosi of Milk Bar always comes to mind. If you have a sweet tooth and you've ever eaten a compost cookie, or cereal milk soft serve, or crack pie, or any of the other VERY sugary treats at Milk Bar (my favorite is the cornflake-marshmallow cookie), you know why Tosi's treats have found such a devoted following. You might not know the story of how she built her business, though, which is just as compelling.

Ted Talk Tuesday: How Giant Websites Design for You

Margaret Gould Stewart, Facebook's director of product design, walks listeners through a user experience design challenge.  What needs to be considered when making a change to Facebook's ubiquitous "like" button? Who will be using it? What technology will they be using to look at Facebook? What do they really want from the experience?