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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 11, 2017 3:17:09 GMT -6
I was watching "The Jane Austen Book Club," and there's a scene where they mention male authors that are/were really female. I'd known that women used their initials, and/or male names, but seeing it on screen just somehow made it more real, and appalling.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 11, 2017 8:21:59 GMT -6
I love that movie!
It's not surprising, given the attitudes of era, that female authors had to use male pen names back then, but nowadays? That's appalling!
I read something the other day about a similar topic. What is considered a masterpiece piano composition was played for the first time this past Wednesday under the rightful composer's name - 188 years after she composed it. Felix Mendelssohn had always been given credit for composing "Easter Sonata", when in actuality it was written by his sister, Fanny.
Both brother and sister were considered musical prodigies. Felix was encouraged to pursue his talent, and traveled throughout Europe, gaining fame as a composer. Fanny's talent was resigned to the parlor room, because it was "indecent" for a woman to do the same - although she wrote 500 musical compositions. When the manuscript of "Easter Sonata" was discovered 40 years ago in a bookshop, it was signed "F. Mendelssohn" and it was assumed it was written by Felix, although it was never previously mentioned in any of his works.
Musical scholars though, began to wonder if it was Fanny's composition and not Felix's. It was through Fanny's diary entries, letters between brother and sister, and writing samples that Fanny is now finally recognized as the composer of the piece.
"It must be a sign of talent that I do not give up, though I can get nobody to take an interest in my efforts.” ~ Fanny Mendelssohn
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 11, 2017 16:44:35 GMT -6
Such a shame that gender denotes the worth of something, and diminishes the ability of a person.
Same goes for those with mental/physical handicaps/disabilities. I've seen videos showing handicapped people who refused to let others limit what they can and cannot do, and I'm heartbroken that it's taken this long to take away those limitations, and allow them to discover what they can and can't do for themselves.
No one should be told that they don't have the ability to do something. They should be allowed to find their own way/path of doing it.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 14, 2017 10:51:02 GMT -6
Most definitely true, Joxie. There are so many groups of people that are marginalized only because other people see them in some way as inferior, that it makes me grrrrr.
"It's not for sales in shops, not for roses, not for vacations. It's for women's rights and human rights. ~ Wei Tingting
In China, International Women's Day is a commercial holiday celebrated with nice gestures such as giving candy or flowers. In 2015, Wei Tingting and four of her friends had planned instead to hand out stickers on the bus in order to raise awareness about sexual harassment on public transportation. Two days before Women's Day though, they were taken to a detention center outside of Beijing, and interrogated for 37 days about their plans to organize for LGBTQ and women's rights. News of their detention spread quickly, leading to global campaigns to "free the five".
Today, Tingting runs a nonprofit working for gender equality.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 14, 2017 20:33:10 GMT -6
All that time and expense that could be used for real crimes.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 15, 2017 21:31:34 GMT -6
Jane Austen was in the news a couple of days ago. A recent discovery lends evidence to another theory as to what the mysterious illness was that caused her death - this time around it's unintentional arsenic poisoning, based on three pairs of eye glasses found in her desk. Though the strengths of the glass lenses along with her other symptoms point to possible arsenic poisoning, the actual cause of her death is still all speculative.
“I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman's inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman's fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men....Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.” ~ Jane Austen, from "Persuasion"
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 15, 2017 23:24:37 GMT -6
It's such a shame that a lot of people had the ability to live longer, had they just had the medical knowledge back then.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 19, 2017 8:53:52 GMT -6
How about then, we look at a woman who helped advance medicine...
Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012), an Italian neurobiologist, was depicted in that 'Science as Art' link I posted in the "Interesting Finds" thread: "In 1938, Mussolini's Manifesto of Race barred her from an academic career (in other words, because she was Jewish, she was barred from holding university positions). Undaunted, she built a secret lab in her home and continued her research. After WWII she was invited to study and work in the United States. Her discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF) earned her a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1986." For the last twelve years of her long life, she served in the Italian Senate.
Since I haven't posted anything in here in a few days, here are two quotes from her - one reflecting on her life as a woman...
"My experience in childhood and adolescence of the subordinate role played by the female in a society run entirely by men had convinced me that I was not cut out to be a wife." ~ living to 103, Rita Levi-Montalcini never married.
And hope for the future...
"After centuries of dormancy, young women... can now look toward a future moulded by their own hands."
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Post by Phalon on Mar 22, 2017 4:47:20 GMT -6
Since she was visiting the country less than a week ago, here's a quote from the German Chancellor:
"I might bend, but I will never break because it's my nature as a strong woman." ~ Angela Merkel
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Post by Phalon on Mar 26, 2017 9:46:24 GMT -6
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” ~ Alice Paul
Alice Paul believed there should be an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing equal rights for men and women. In 1923, she introduced the "Lucretia Mott Amendment," which read: "Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction." The amendment was introduced in every session of Congress until it passed in reworded form in 1972 as the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment).
It was just last week that Nevada voted to ratify the ERA, becoming the 36th state to do so. The vote was symbolic - the deadline passed in 1982. Even if the deadline had not passed, and even with Nevada's vote last week, the Equal Rights Amendment is still two states shy of being becoming constitutional law. Nearly 100 years after an equal rights amendment was introduced, women in this country still do not have equal rights under the Constitution.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 27, 2017 17:36:33 GMT -6
I watched, "To Walk Invisible" Sunday night, and loved it. I kept wondering what was fact, and what was made up to 'make for a better story.' I Googled and found the brother was an artist, which wasn't focused on in the show. And that he was the first to get published, of the siblings. The show hinted at his creativity, but I suppose they didn't dwell on him because it was a story of the sisters.
I've never read any of their works, and I don't recall ever seeing "Jane Eyre" & "Wuthering Heights" from beginning to end. I do know of their plots. Years ago I bought a set of books: The Brontës: Charlotte Brontë and Her Family by Rebecca Fraser, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Haven't read any of them yet. If anyone is interested we can do a read on one or more of their works next.
On the show, Emily was telling Anne where she got her story idea from for "Wuthering Heights," and I'd love to know more about that true tale. I forgot the names, so I'll have to rewatch so I know what to Google. Or Google the book title and see if the real story comes up.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 28, 2017 6:37:35 GMT -6
Same here. I've seen the ending of "Jane Eyre" (probably the last 30 minutes or so), and have read some of Emily's poetry, which to me, not being much of a poetry reader, seemed rather depressing.
I'll have to check if "To Walk Invisible" is scheduled to re-air; it sounds interesting.
We mentioned the Bronte Sisters earlier this month, in regard to women having to write under men's names in order to be taken seriously, so how about a women's history quote today from one of the sisters...
Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex. ~ Charlotte Bronte, "Jane Eyre"
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 28, 2017 22:00:35 GMT -6
"To Walk Invisible" airs again on Thursday night. 9pm CDT here. Probably 10pm your time. It's 2 hours. It's on PBS. I checked on TVGuide.com, and it isn't scheduled to air again after Thursday. Though you might be able to find it on NetFlix. It originally aired in December 2016, from what I've found, so there's probably a DVD of it out now. I might get it. I recorded it and watched it again last night.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 29, 2017 7:45:26 GMT -6
Oh! Ten pm is perfect! Going out with a friend that evening, and I should be home by then - and both Hubs and BP will probably go to bed shortly after 10, so I'll have the T.V. to myself, and won't have to listen to them complain that it's boring; I'm sure neither of them would be interested. "The ability to have a bra that fits you, that provides you with support so that your clothes lay right, so that you can stand up a little straighter and more dignified, so that maybe you can feel better about yourselves ... that’s a powerful feeling from a small piece of cloth." ~ Dana Marlowe This is from an article I read yesterday. It's something that I don't think men would be aware of....not that they wouldn't understand exactly, but I think it'd have to be pointed out to them first, and even then, they couldn't relate. The article is about a non-profit organization that Marlowe started that provides homeless women and girls with bras and feminine hygiene products. "Support the Girls", the name of the non-profit, has donated more than 95,000 bras and 525,000 feminine care products in the United States and around the world. You don't think about a simple thing like access to bra or tampon holding women back, but the reality is a woman can't really go anywhere without them, and what do they do if they can't afford them? It's an interesting article: www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/homeless-women-need-bras-this-group-is-helping/ar-BByUj7h?li=BBnbcA1
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 30, 2017 20:25:42 GMT -6
Well, my PBS channel and TV Guide have different times. It's 9:30pm CDT on my satellite channel.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 31, 2017 23:11:14 GMT -6
I got home just in time to watch it last night....and it wasn't on here. I checked though - it's on Xfinity on Demand; I haven't watched it yet though.
How about we end Women's History Month with quotes from First Ladies about women...or at least First Ladies that I remember from my lifetime because it's late, and I don't feel like going back farther than that.
"A liberated woman is one who feels confident in herself, and is happy in what she is doing. She is a person who has a sense of self-it all comes down to a freedom of choice." ~ Betty Ford
My greatest disappointment in all the projects I worked on during the White House years was the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment to be ratified. ... Why all the controversy and why such difficulty in giving women the protection of the Constitution that should have been theirs long ago? ~ Rosalynn Carter
“A woman is like a teabag - only in hot water do you realize how strong she is. ~ Nancy Reagan
"Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president' s spouse. I wish him well! ~ Barbara Bush
“Whether I am meant to or not, I challenge assumptions about women. I do make some people uncomfortable, which I’m well aware of, but that’s just part of coming to grips with what I believe is still one of the most important pieces of unfinished business in human history — empowering women to be able to stand up for themselves.” ~ Hillary Clinton
We see all around the world where women's rights are denied, where governments don't believe in educating their girls. There are 800 million people in the world who are illiterate and 75 percent of them are women and girls. ~ Laura Bush
"No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens." ~ Michelle Obama
"I continue to firmly believe that education is the most powerful way to promote and ensure women's rights...by showing all children, and especially boys, that it is through empathy, respect and kindness that we achieve our collective potential." ~ Melania Trump
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Post by Phalon on Mar 7, 2018 7:46:53 GMT -6
I almost forgot about this thread...but then I remembered, and think rather than the calendar thread, this is a better place to post during Women's History Month; it's where we discussed the topic last year.
Today's quote comes from a very unlikely source - a man who has a horrible track record when it comes to women's rights.
"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless she persisted.” ~ Mitch McConnell, Feb. 2017
Ah, yes. Poor, poor Mitch. I am sure that never in a million years when he attempted to silence Senator Elizabeth Warren for reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King during Session's confirmation hearing last year, could he imagine his scolding words would become the lasting feminist mantra that it is - in fact, it is the official theme of this year's National Women's History Project, which this month honors women who fight all forms of discrimination against women.
I remember after McConnell said that, the Internet was set ablaze with memes of women who others tried to silence, who were warned, and yet never-the-less persisted - Susan B. Anthony and all the other suffragists, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Malala Yousafzai - just to name a few. History is full of women who had the strength, courage and persistence to face challenges, and make positive changes in this world.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 8, 2018 8:33:21 GMT -6
Today is International Women's Day.
Sometimes I think we're sheltered here in the U.S. as to how poorly women are treated in some parts of the world - we don't think about how, in some countries, just being a woman means that a person doesn't have the same basic human rights as men do; in some places, a woman's life is not worth the same as a man's.
So for today, I thought I'd post a few quotes from some amazingly tireless and stong women that we here, may have never even heard of; women who have fought against atrocities against women that we cannot even imagine. The women I'm quoting are just a handful who have received the International Women of Courage Award presented by the U.S. Department of State to women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and willingness to sacrifice for others, especially in promoting women's rights.
"We must keep our guard up, be aware, be careful, and not allow them to keep us from our work...with or without me, the process can not be stopped." ~ Norma Cruz (Guatemala), who has had rape and death threats against her and her family, for her work as a human rights activist campaigning against violence against women. She heads a foundation in Guatemala that provides emotional, social, and legal support to female victims of violence, and fights to protect mothers whose babies are stolen for international adoptions.
“Through our work, we are trying to help women abandon the tradition of bearing their burdens alone.” ~ Guo Jianmei (China), who founded China’s first legal aid clinic, which helps women protect their rights, drafts proposed legislation for the government, and publicizes the plight of women abused by their husbands, employers, or government.
"If anyone wants change, they have the obligation to do something to attain that change." ~ Beatrice Mtetwa (Zimbabwe), a lawyer who has been internationally recognized for her defense of journalists and press freedom, and is described as "Zimbabwe's top human rights lawyer". In a country where the law is used as a weapon against independent journalists, she's defended journalists and argued for press freedom; she has been threatened, imprisoned, and beaten for her work.
"It is the way the boys are raised...They are taught from the childhood that they are superior to women. It is a patriarchy mindset that is leading to such crimes. Even now the society here thinks a girl's dream is not a dream." ~ Laxmi Agarwal (India), who at age 16 had acid thrown in her face for refusing to marry a man who had stalked her for months. She is one of the most recognizable people fighting acid assaults in India, a country that has 200-300 such assaults reported yearly, mostly against women; actual attacks are thought to be as many as 1000 per year, because many go unreported. She launched a campaign against acid attacks and to curb the illegal sale of acid, and is a T.V show host, speaking for the rights of women who have gone through a similar ordeal.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 8, 2018 21:29:32 GMT -6
There is still human trafficking. There are still places where the people are not free, both men and women, and a lot of those places probably wouldn't allow freedom for women even if the men were to somehow force a free government.
As good as most of us have it, there is still oppression and dictatorship in many countries. People are fleeing their homelands in order to survive, and to give their children a chance at freedom. I don't like war, but we shouldn't sit idly by and not help these people to take back their homelands. Don't let a few take control of many.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 10, 2018 7:35:34 GMT -6
I agree. There were more than a hundred women who received the International Women of Courage Award since 2007 - when I was looking for quotes, I read what some of these women were fighting for or against, and the horrific things they endured; it was mind-blowing - women all over the world tackling things like human trafficking, to some simple things we take for granted - the right for women to receive an education.
The right to an education for women in this country wasn't always so, of course. There was a time when education, particularly university education, was considered something for men only. The education, if any, young women received consisted mainly of manners and home economics - math, science, and philosophy were subjects only for men. Emma Willard worked to change that.
"We too are primary existences ... not the satellites of men." ~ Emma Willard (1787-1870)
A teacher, then principal, she was unhappy with the curriculum taught to young women, so opened her own boarding school, which taught courses in history and science. Later, in 1821, she opened the Troy Female Seminary, the first higher education institution for women in America (which still operates today as the Emma Willard School).
Widespread educational equality was still a long way off, but Willard's school was the start (though it was only for the upper class), and she lectured on women’s education in America and Europe, founded another all-women’s school in Greece, and wrote geography and American history textbooks until her death in 1870.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 12, 2018 7:11:27 GMT -6
"To fly, we must have resistance." ~ Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin is an American designer and artist known for her work in sculpture and land art. While still a student at Yale, at the age of 21, she achieved national recognition when her design was chosen in a national competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.
The public design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a "blind" contest; entries were assigned a number, and the names of the entrants were omitted. Lin's design beat 1,441 other competition submissions, but when it was revealed that she was a young woman, had no professional experience, and an Asian American, she received harassment. Ross Perot, independent presidential candidate who had pledged funds for the memorial, called her "an Egg Roll", and pulled his funding.
An unconventional and non-traditional design, it is considered one of the most influential memorials of the post-World War II period. I've been to see it a few times while we lived in the D.C. area. It is hard to stand in front of "The Wall", look at all those names, and not have a chill run up the back of your neck.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 12, 2018 18:49:49 GMT -6
I guess it's a good thing it was a 'blind' contest, otherwise she probably wouldn't have won.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 13, 2018 6:18:31 GMT -6
She's written that "from the very beginning I often wondered, if it had not been an anonymous entry 1026 but rather an entry by Maya Lin, would I have been selected?”
With the Parkland, Florida shooting, the name "Marjory Stoneman Douglas" has been all over the news lately (it doesn't seem like it's been a month already). So who was Marjory Stoneman Douglas, (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998), the woman the high school was named after?
An American journalist, author, women's suffrage advocate, and conservationist, she was known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development. Douglas lived to 108, working until nearly the end of her life for Everglades restoration.
On the eve of the National School Walkout tomorrow, calling for stricter gun laws, here are two quotes from Marjory, speaking of her work saving the Everglades. May her words be inspiration to the students fighting for what they believe is right.
"There is always the need to carry on."
and...
"You have to stand up for some things in this world."
~ Marjorie Stoneman Douglas
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Post by Phalon on Mar 14, 2018 7:26:28 GMT -6
"The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and our parents to call BS. Companies trying to make caricatures of the teenagers these days, saying that all we are self-involved and trend-obsessed and they hush us into submission when our message doesn't reach the ears of the nation, we are prepared to call BS. Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA telling us nothing could have been done to prevent this, we call BS. They say tougher guns laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS. They say a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. We call BS. They say guns are just tools like knives and are as dangerous as cars. We call BS. They say no laws could have prevented the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred. We call BS. That us kids don't know what we're talking about, that we're too young to understand how the government works. We call BS." ~ Emma Gonzalez, student activist, gun control advocate, and Majory Stoneman Douglas shooting survivor A full transcript of her speech given 3 days after the shooting in front of the Broward County Courthouse at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is here: www.cnn.com/2018/02/17/us/florida-student-emma-gonzalez-speech/index.html
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Post by Phalon on Mar 15, 2018 9:03:26 GMT -6
"I think that women, we're at this huge kind of point in our lives, in history, where we need to step into our power and not give it over to anyone or apologize for it. And understand that in whatever we do, we deserve to be there and we deserve to have a voice." ~ Viola Davis, actress, producer, author, and advocate to eradicate childhood hunger in America. I best know of her from her playing the role of Aibileen in "The Help".
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Post by Phalon on Mar 18, 2018 8:05:08 GMT -6
Since the last quote I posted was from Viola Davis, how about a quote from her co-star in "The Help".
"I think that young women and little girls need to see that they don't have to be the damsel in distress. They don't have to not show their strength. They don't have to be whatever the stereotype is or the tropes that we go to in our minds. ~ Octavia Spencer
Hubs and I watched "The Shape of Water" last night, which co-starred Octavia Spencer. I've loved her in everything I've seen her in, some of which is "The Help", "Hidden Figures", and one of my favorite Drunk History segments, "Harriet Tubman and Her Army of Bad B!tches".
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 18, 2018 21:54:47 GMT -6
I have them both on my TV Guide website/app watch list. Viola Davis is also in, "Beautiful Creatures" (2013). They both seem to jump off the screen, giving the impression that they'd be your bestest friends and a hoot to hang out with.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 20, 2018 6:53:31 GMT -6
I was surprised when I was looking up the quotes, how many movies and television shows they've both been in prior to, and since "The Help" which is the first movie I saw either of them. But then again, I don't often pay attention to celebrities; somebody mentions a popular celebrity's name, and often I have no clue who they're talking about - it drives the girls nuts.
Today's quote comes from one of Ireland's most popular and influential women during modern times.
"I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system." ~ Mary Robinson, first woman president of Ireland, who served from 1990 until 1997. A huge champion of human rights, she resigned her presidency a month early to become the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Her presidency was followed by another woman president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, who served two terms.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 20, 2018 21:33:15 GMT -6
"Out of Sight" may be the first thing I can remember seeing Viola in. She's been in several episodes of TV shows I watched, but I don't recall what character she played in them. Nothing stands out. So, 'The Help,' 'Hidden Figures,' and 'Out of Sight' are the ones that stick out with me.
"Never Been Kissed" may be the first thing I can remember seeing Octavia in. Though I don't remember her character at all. I see she too has been in episodes of TV shows I watched, but I don't remember her character in them. I love 'Beauty Shop.' I think I remember her character from that one. So, 'The Help,' 'Hidden Figures,' and the 'Divergent' Movies and 'Beauty Shop' are the ones that stick out with me.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 22, 2018 6:47:34 GMT -6
Since we're speaking about them both, I ran across something yesterday quite by accident about Viola Davis - she gave a powerful speech at this year's Women's March: www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a15834608/viola-davis-womens-march-speech-transcript-2018/When I found Viola's speech, I was actually drilling another celebrity name: Ashley Judd. Quite a few people have told me that BP looks like a very young Ashley Judd, and since I don't really know celebrity personalities, I recognized the name, but couldn't place a face with it. I've mentioned it to BP in the past, but she didn't know Ashley Judd either. She came home from school the other day though, and said one of her friend's moms said the same thing - that she looks like Ashley Judd, so we finally looked her up. BP doesn't see it, but yes, there is an uncanny resemblance. "The Conversation about women’s bodies exists largely outside of us, while it is also directed at (and marketed to) us, and used to define and control us. The Conversation about women happens everywhere, publicly and privately. We are described and detailed, our faces and bodies analyzed and picked apart, our worth ascertained and ascribed based on the reduction of personhood to simple physical objectification. Our voices, our personhood, our potential, and our accomplishments are regularly minimized and muted." ~ Ashley Judd, actress, political, AIDS, and women's rights activist
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