Gerber, 22, is the daughter of 90s supermodel Cindy Crawford, and yes, she has inherited every single cell of her mother’s asymmetrically perfect features. She’s now a successful model in her own right but also a keen reader, a book reader, and in the past few years, she’s made it part of her public identity.

Since 2020, she’s worked hard to cultivate the image of a stylish book-worm. She’s made sure the world knows she reads and that we know she’s a thinker. Gone are the days of the bookworm image, of the girl with glasses reading in her pjs in bed. 

In September 2020, Gerber posted a screenshot to her 10 million followers on Instagram of a scene from Richard Benjamin’s 1990 movie Mermaids, starring Cher and Winona Ryder. 

The image shows Cher in a bathtub, reading Grace Metalious’ 1956 novel Peyton Place, looking beautiful, focused and cerebral. Next to her, Winona Ryder, who plays her daughter in the movie, peers up towards the corner of the camera, obviously distracted by some agitated feelings towards her mother, who seems lost in her book. 

Suddenly, I was interested. 

The book Gerber was promoting that week, Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists, had nothing to do with the film, but that single post piqued my interest. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kaia (@kaiagerber)

A few months earlier in March, Gerber had started a virtual bookclub via her Instagram as a way for her to connect with writers, other celebrities and friends during the pandemic. The first book was Sally Rooney’s Normal People – whose fans are the OG of ‘the stylish reader’. In her first live chat, she spoke with Daisy-Edgar Jones and Paul Mascal, stars of the screen adaptation of the novel. 

Her book selections were diverse, and her intentions were noble. In May, she selected Spring Awakening, the late 19th century classic play by German dramatist Frank Wedekind, in order to “raise awareness for the performing arts industry in nyc. theaters are closed for the time being, putting so many actors, writers, and crew members out of work,” as Gerber described in a post on Instagram.

“It’s really important that we keep supporting the community that plays such a large & important role to the city.” 

Over the next few months and years, Gerber would invite the likes of Lena Dunham, Jia Tolentino, Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) and Raven Leilani onto her platform to talk about their books. These women have huge cultural capital and radiate an equal measure of affable coolness, intelligence and obtainable beauty. 

Gerber would continue to post images on Instagram of beautiful women reading, either from photos, or screenshots from movies. It didn’t matter that most of the images had nothing to do with the books themselves. Gerber knew how to get someone like me interested.

I’m a female reader, a book reader, and I aspire to be beautiful. Inevitably, in my own life, I separate these two pursuits. When I read, I’m mostly always in some loose, flimsy outfit, sprawled across my sofa chair in my study, looking more like a sloth on a tree than a presentable woman. The last thing on my mind is trying to appear beautiful. 

But these women, women like Gerber, and her fellow supermodel friends who read, including Dua Lipa, Emily Ratajkowski and Camille Rowe, have harnessed Instagram’s most fundamental currency — hot privilege, and began a movement to aestheticise book reading.

And by book reading, I mean, actual books. Physical, paper items. You won’t see a kindle anywhere here. 

The books on Gerber’s bookclub list are carefully selected to exude a certain sensibility. Think east-coast elites. Think oat-milk drinking hipsters who wear white linen shirts and own more than two pairs of Birkenstocks. Carrying a book, or at least, appearing to consume its content, has become another gesture towards aspirational living. Not only do we need to appear to be taking care of our outward appearances — we need to cultivate the right kind of intellectual and cerebral agendas. 

This week, Gerber, along with her friend Alyssa Reeder, (a New York City-bred writer and editor who writes for Into the Gloss) launched Library Science. 

The site collects all the books she’s had on her bookclub so far; all 34 books, it’s 33 authors, most of them American. Joan Didion appears twice. And of course she does. Her books (along with her cult status among liberal white women) is the basis upon which all the other books instantiate. 

Another late author on the list is Françoise Sagan, who has an equally pertinent status among women who pay very close attention to the fabric of their clothes. 

The majority of authors on Gerber’s list are women and out of the 33 authors, nine are people of colour, or mixed race. Five are late authors. There is one trans author. Most of them went to Ivy league colleges, or were born into privilege and celebrity, as Gerber has. 

Wealth and affluence can provide one with a certain cultural capital – in Gerber’s case, she’s used it to curate a literary milieu. They can be “taste” makers. But what does it mean to have “taste”? More importantly, who adjudicates this metric? Today, it seems that the answer is beautiful people who know how to market themselves. Personally, I believe the gay American writer, Ocean Vuong was the first to aestheticize that very singular, New York City-artist image. Just check out his IG to know what I mean.

Initially, I was drawn to Gerber’s ethereal beauty. I love looking at pretty people. But pretty people who read?! Irresistible. Before my private divorce from social media, my favourite Instagram account was @hotdudesreading. The female equivalent is @coolgirlsreadingbooks. Somehow, it feels less of a novelty to see an attractive woman reading than it is to see an attractive man reading. The Internet agrees with me, because the former account has more than a million followers, while the latter has only 48.7K followers. 

As I said before, Instagram runs on hot privilege. And Gerber knows how to milk it. Looking to be well read is now a visual pursuit. It’s aspirational to appear to be well-read. And though her Library Science hasn’t inspired me to amend my break-up with Instagram, I agree with the platform’s philosophy: “We learn the most from the stories that aren’t our own.”

The post The gentle, slow, agonising beautifying of book-reading appeared first on Women's Agenda.

When Rahimi competed at last year’s Commonwealth Games in the UK, she was the first female Australian Muslim boxer to do so. She won a bronze medal in the featherweight division (57 kilograms). At the time, she said in an interview, “It will be amazing to be representing my country and also my community.”

“I’ll hopefully show the youth and everyone out there that everything is possible regardless of how you look, how you dress.”

The 27-year old Bankstown resident wears long sleeves and a full-length hijab under a protective headgear when she boxes. 

Before 2017, the year she began boxing, apparel restrictions were placed on female Muslim boxers. In 2019, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) amended its rules, allowing Muslim boxers to wear a hijab and full body cover in the ring.

Recently, she spoke to the Herald about the discomfort she feels competing in warmer climates. 

Rahimi competed in this year’s IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, which took place in New Delhi during the holy month of Ramadan. For Rahimi, abstaining from food and drink during the day was especially challenging. 

She went for her run in the mornings before dawn – “in order to keep up my training and water levels,” she said.

It was something she was limited to doing once a day. The former make-up artist said she was left feeling fatigued and drained, but that she was committed to her religion. “It’s part of my religion and so it’s important to me.”

Rahimi initially started boxing for fitness reasons, before discovering a deep passion for it. She discovered she had a natural talent for it and was motivated by attending a fight night. She started training and competed in her first fight in 2018.

Last month, Rahimi travelled to the capital of the Solomon Islands where she won gold. Reflecting on the experience of competing in Honiara’s heat, Rahimi said the temperatures were extremely hot and that the humidity was “insane.”

“As soon as I put the head cover on, I was dripping sweat. But, like with fasting and training, I adjust.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tina Rahimi – Boxer (@tinarahimii_)

Now, Rahimi is focusing on the Paris Olympics, which begin in July next year. On Instagram, she posted a clip of her fighting with a quote from Mike Tyson: “The temptation for greatness is the biggest drug in the world.”

She captioned the post, saying: “I’ve never ever been satisfied with my achievements. I’m not sure if thats a good thing at times but just because I’ve qualified for the Olympics, it doesn’t give me an excuse to settle.”

“Yes, Im obviously taking it a little easier to give my body the rest it needs. But knowing that I only have about 7/8 months till the Olympics really freaks me out ”

“Never let anyone make you feel that you’re not good enough or capable of achieving the things you want the most.”

Speaking about her current training routine in an interview, she said she is training twice a day, six days a week.

“I can’t wait to get to Paris and represent Australia,” she said. “I fell in love with [boxing] the moment I started. I didn’t want to stop. It felt so good. It has taken me this far.”

She will be joined on the team in Paris by Australia’s first two-time female boxing Olympian Caitlin Parker; Tiana Echegaray, Tyla McDonald and Marissa Williamson Pohlman. 

The post Meet Tina Rahimi, Australia’s first Olympic female Muslim boxer appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Recent trend pieces celebrating former Hollywood A-listers going grey and showing off their faces without makeup has become catnip for those of us who wish to believe the world is becoming a less horrible place for women. 

In part, it is. This so called “pro-ageing” movement ostensibly celebrates the ageing process – but only with women. We don’t see click-bait pieces marvelling at George Clooney’s grey streaks, or Steve Carrell’s salt and pepper beard. Why? Because as men age they just become sexier, we’re routinely told.

Indeed, it’s not lost on anyone that brands promoting the idea that looking your age is aspirational while charging $450 a bottle for lift-firming serum is a mind-bending yet ordinary paradox of existing as a women in today’s society. 

Things have shifted for feminists in recent years; we have always armed our fists against a host of injustices (reproductive rights, gendered violence, pay inequality…just to name a few) and yet when it comes to the idea of beauty (wholesalely created by men) it appears that showing up to a public fashion event at 56 without makeup can be seen as “an act of courage and rebellion.” 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by i-D (@i_d)

That’s how Jamie Lee Curtis described Pamala Anderson, who attended Paris Fashion Week a few months ago sporting a “makeup free” look. 

The press went wild. They went wild again last week, when she rocked up to the Fashion Awards in London without makeup. We’ve come to a point in time where articles titled “Pamela Anderson Makes Another Makeup-Free Appearance on 2023 Fashion Awards Red Carpet” can inspire other articles, like Glamour UK’s “Pamela Anderson Going Makeup Free Is Not An Act of Rebellion” and another in Forbes, titled: “Here’s Why We All Need To Pay Attention To Pamela Anderson.” (Answer: “Pamela Anderson, stepping out au naturel is a powerful reflection of the growing desire for authenticity.”)

In August, Anderson was interviewed by a fashion magazine about her stray away from conventional beauty aspirations, preferring to embrace a make-up free lifestyle which she said has been “freeing and fun.”

“I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older,” she told Elle. “And I’m kind of laughing at myself when I look at the mirror. I go, ‘Wow, this is really…what’s happening to me?’ It’s a journey.”

Last week, she told another magazine, “I’ve always been in the [fashion] world and I’ve always been photographed. I can look at the past, but I like to always move forward. I just want to keep on moving forward, keep on doing new things and challenging myself and challenging beauty.”

Anderson described the noise she created when she showed up to Paris Fashion Week with minimal makeup. 

“Everyone was asking me about it,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “ I didn’t know anyone was even going to notice it. But I was doing it for me. I felt like … ‘Am I going to continue this makeup thing for the rest of my life?’ I mean how much more makeup could you put on someone?”

“I just peeled it back. For me, it’s either no makeup — or a showgirl. You know, like something for a character for a film or a photo shoot. Like, I love makeup. I love to play with that. But it’s not an everyday thing and so for these things that I’m promoting and where I’m working, but being me, I just don’t see the need for it.”

She went further in another interview, expressing her wish to coin an alternative description to the word, ‘ageing’. “I like to say the word ‘life-ing’ instead of ageing,” she said in a TikTok interview. “Chasing youth is just futile. You’re never going to get there, so why not just embrace what’s going on? And since I’ve really just walked out the door as me, I feel a relief, just a weight off my shoulders. and I actually like it better.”

Sarah Jessica Parker gave a candid interview in July about “missing out on the facelift”.

“I think about all of it. I ask people all the time, ‘Is it too late?’.” I mean, I’m presentable. I don’t really like looking at myself… I think I’m fine.” 

The 58-year old went on to describe the double standards women face when it comes to ageing. 

“There is so much emphasis put on, especially women – and primarily women – about looks.”

“Even last year when we first went on the air with the new season [of And Just Like That…], there were so many endless articles about ‘ageing’ and ‘ageing gracefully’, and you know, ‘Sarah Jessica’s hair is grey’ – and I was like, first of all it’s not, but who cares? I’m sitting next to Andy Cohen whose head is covered in grey hair and you’ve not mentioned that at all.”

More recently, she told Prevention “It’s important to me that someone is minding my skin versus somebody who is like ‘I can make you younger,’ which is of no interest to me and isn’t a reality.” 

Other female actors have joined this bare-faced movement including Helen Mirren, 78, Andie MacDowell, 65, Michelle Pfeiffer, 65, Jennifer Aniston, 54. Last December, the Herald showcased midlife celebrities “embracing the no-make-up selfie”.

Then there’s the pro-greying champions who’ve spoken out about wanting to let their hair evolve the way nature intended. 

If your whole professional artifice is based on looking reasonably youthful and conventionally put together, then it can’t be dismissed that showing up to a public event without all the conservative trappings of ‘beauty’ is a fantastic and gusty move.

But let’s not forget too that these women are all white, abnormally beautiful and lithely skinny. A win for a few female celebrities does not shift the sexism and ageism ordinary women face. 

We are subjected to more pressure to look a certain way — more of us worry about ageing than our male peers or partners. A recent survey of over 2,000 Americans found that 70 per cent of men report feeling unconcerned with ageing, while just over fifty per cent of women report feeling the same.

The same survey found that while an overwhelming majority of women had no trouble equating old age with beauty, just 65 per cent of men believed in this idea. 

A higher percentage of women than men report changing their hair style and hair colour to look younger. Bottom line is that women spend more money, time and energy to looking youthful, hairless, and pristine. We are more complicit in the pursuits towards extreme beauty ideals that are asked of us under patriarchy. We still live in a misogynistic society – a society that “insists that a woman’s appearance is of paramount value,” as Jia Tolentino write in 2019.

It might be a small victory to see a woman who was once considered the sexiest woman alive to reject the use of makeup. It would be an even bigger victory if such acts signified a larger move away from equating a woman’s worth to her physical appearance. 

The post Pamela Anderson’s bare-faced “rebellion” is a small step for our right as women to age on our own terms appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Here are our top-rated moments from her interview:

She’s currently in her happy place

“It feels like the breakthrough moment of my career, happening at 33. And for the first time in my life, I was mentally tough enough to take what comes with that.”

“This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been.” 

“I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years.”

“I’ve been given a tiara, then had it taken away.”

“Over the years, I’ve learned I don’t have the time or bandwidth to get pressed about things that don’t matter. Yes, if I go out to dinner, there’s going to be a whole chaotic situation outside the restaurant. But I still want to go to dinner with my friends.”

“Life is short. Have adventures. Me locking myself away in my house for a lot of years—I’ll never get that time back. I’m more trusting now than I was six years ago.” 

Gruelling workouts in preparation for her Eras Tour

“Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud. Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.” 

“I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones. I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.” 

Swift hired choreographer Mandy Moore (not the pop star actor) who Emma Stone worked with during La-La Land. 

“Learning choreography is not my strong suit,” Swift said. 

She also stopped drinking, because “Doing that show with a hangover — I don’t want to know that world.”

During a hiatus from consecutive shows, she rests for a full day: “I do not leave my bed except to get food and take it back to my bed and eat it there. It’s a dream scenario. I can barely speak because I’ve been singing for three shows straight. Every time I take a step my feet go crunch, crunch, crunch from dancing in heels.” 

“I know I’m going on that stage whether I’m sick, injured, heartbroken, uncomfortable, or stressed.” 

“That’s part of my identity as a human being now. If someone buys a ticket to my show, I’m going to play it unless we have some sort of force majeure.”

On performing her songs on Eras Tour

“Every part of you that you’ve ever been, every phase you’ve ever gone through, was you working it out in that moment with the information you had available to you at the time.”

“There’s a lot that I look back at like, ‘Wow, a couple years ago I might have cringed at this.’ You should celebrate who you are now, where you’re going, and where you’ve been.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

On the challenges working in the music industry

Swift’s life changed dramatically after Kanye West’s infamous VMAs disruption in 2009 when Swift was onstage accepting the award for Best Video by a Female Artist. 

“I realised every record label was actively working to try to replace me. I thought instead, I’d replace myself first with a new me. It’s harder to hit a moving target.”

“By the time an artist is mature enough to psychologically deal with the job, they throw you out at 29, typically.”

“In the ’90s and ’00s, it seems like the music industry just said: ‘OK, let’s take a bunch of teenagers, throw them into a fire, and watch what happens. By the time they’ve accumulated enough wisdom to do their job effectively, we’ll find new teenagers.’” 

On the two major career events: 

“It’s not lost on me that the two great catalysts for this happening were two horrendous things that happened to me.”

“The first was getting canceled within an inch of my life and sanity. The second was having my life’s work taken away from me by someone who hates me.”

Kim Kardashian feud 

In 2016, Kanye West released a song, “Famous” where he sings: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / I made that bitch famous.”

West later said that Swift had consented to the lyrics. Swift denied this. A few months later, West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian claimed in a GQ interview: “[Taylor] totally approved that. She totally knew that that was coming out. She wanted to all of a sudden act like she didn’t. I swear, my husband gets so much shit for things [when] he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved.” 

She also called Swift a snake on Instagram. The following month, Kardashian released Snapchat receipts of Swift appearing to give Kanye permission to release “Famous.”

Swift immediately released a Notes app statement: 

“Where is the video of Kanye telling me he was going to call me ‘that bitch’ in his song? It doesn’t exist because it never happened. You don’t get to control someone’s emotional response to being called ‘that bitch’ in front of the entire world.”

“Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination. I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative, one that I have never asked to be a part of, since 2009.”

After the scandal, Swift told TIME this week she felt like she was in “a career death.”

“Make no mistake—my career was taken away from me. I had all the hyenas climb on and take their shots.” 

“You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar.”

“That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard.”

“I thought that moment of backlash was going to define me negatively for the rest of my life.”

“The Scooter Thing”

In June 2019, Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group, which included Swift’s entire catalog at that point, which was valued at US$140 million. 

The sale meant that Braun owned the rights to Swift’s first six albums, and any time someone requested license to a song, he would pocket the money. 

“With the Scooter thing, my masters were being sold to someone who actively wanted them for nefarious reasons, in my opinion,” Swift told TIME. 

“I was so knocked on my ass by the sale of my music, and to whom it was sold.”

“I was like, ‘Oh, they got me beat now. This is it. I don’t know what to do.’”

“I’d run into Kelly Clarkson and she would go, ‘Just redo it.’” 

“My dad kept saying it to me too. I’d look at them and go, ‘How can I possibly do that?’ Nobody wants to redo their homework if on the way to school, the wind blows your book report away.” 

Swift rerecorded her all her songs, and released them as “Taylor’s Version”. 

“It’s all in how you deal with loss. I respond to extreme pain with defiance.”

“If you look at what I’ve put out since then, it’s more albums in the last few years than I did in the first 15 years of my career.” 

“Nothing is permanent. So I’m very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level, because I’ve had it taken away from me before. There is one thing I’ve learned: My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things. Keep making art.”

“But I’ve also learned there’s no point in actively trying to quote unquote defeat your enemies. Trash takes itself out every single time.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

On Feminism

“If we have to speak stereotypically about the feminine and the masculine. Women have been fed the message that what we naturally gravitate toward—”

“Girlhood, feelings, love, breakups, analysing those feelings, talking about them nonstop, glitter, sequins! We’ve been taught that those things are more frivolous than the things that stereotypically gendered men gravitate toward, right?” 

“And what has existed since the dawn of time? A patriarchal society. What fuels a patriarchal society? Money, flow of revenue, the economy. So actually, if we’re going to look at this in the most cynical way possible, feminine ideas becoming lucrative means that more female art will get made. It’s extremely heartening.”

You can read the full interview with TIME here.

The post ‘It’s harder to hit a moving target’: The remarkable evolution of Taylor Swift laid bare in Time’s Person of the Year Interview appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Taylor Swift is fifth on the list. 

The list is divided into six categories: Media & Entertainment, Politics & Policy, Finance, Business, Philanthropy and Tech. Women in business occupied the most spots on the list, with 36 — they include Karen Lynch, president and CEO of CVS Health, Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, and Gina Rinehart, who came in at No. 48 on the list. 

Finance held 19 spots, including Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, CEO of Banco De Brasil Tarciana Paula Gomes Medeiros and CEO & Managing Director, Macquarie Group Shemara Wikramanayake. 

Politics and Policy held 18 spots. Notable individuals include Tokyo’s first female governor, Yuriko Koike, Slovakia’s youngest and first female president, Zuzana Caputova, and the world’s longest-serving female head of government, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed. 

Media and Entertainment held 12 spots, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, founder of Ebonylife TV Mo Abudu and Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria. All but one woman in this category hail from the US. (Let’s not forget Forbes is an American publication). 

Tech held 9 spots, including Ruth Porat, the chief financial officer of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Meta’s CFO Susan Li, CEO of semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices Lisa Su and SpaceX’s president and COO Gwynne Shotwell. 

The Philanthropy category included five women: Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, Laurene Powell Jobs, Solina Chau and Julia Gillard, who came in at No. 92. 

Most women on the list are from the US. Others hail from UK, Brazil, Germany, France, Taiwan. Hong Kong and China. 

Controversially, Barbie also made it onto the list, slipping in at No. 100. It’s the first-ever fictional character to be selected on the list, a decision the publication admits is “unconventional”.

According to Forbes writer Maggie McGrath, the doll has “expanded beyond a symbol of female empowerment to become an avatar for the necessity of fighting to recapture power that’s been taken away.”

“She’s inspired girls and their mothers for generations, but this was the year women needed her most,” McGrath wrote.

“What Barbie can do is give voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless through her ability to inspire. Barbie is much more than just a plastic toy.” 

Yet the woman responsible for making it huge again this year, Greta Gerwig, was not included on the list. 

Sketchy? You bet. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Forbes (@forbes)

You can read the full List of Forbes 100 Most Power Women of 2023 here.

The post Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women of 2023 includes an imaginary doll called Barbie appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The 40-year old director of this year’s highest grossing film, ‘Barbie’, will join just a handful of other women to have previously won Director of the Year Awards at the film festival. They include Chloé Zhao (‘Nomadland’), Jane Campion (‘The Power of the Dog’) and Sarah Polley (‘Women Talking’). 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Palm Springs International Film Society (@psfilmfest)

Campion and Zhao went on to win Best Director awards at the Oscars for their respective films. 

This week, the festival’s Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi released a statement, describing Gerwig as a director who has created “the cinematic experience of the year with Barbie, the perfect blend of comedy, emotion and adventure that has both entertained and resonated with audiences.”

“[The movie] became a cultural touchstone around the world,” Chandi said. 

“Gerwig is a masterful filmmaker, and her vision is brought to life so vividly by both the script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach, and by her clear and singular collaboration with her extraordinary crafts teams, whose visuals are matched only by the outstanding performances delivered by Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and the entire cast. It is our honour to present the Director of the Year Award to Greta Gerwig.” 

‘Barbie’ was one of cinematic history’s highest grossing films — earning almost US$1.442 billion worldwide. Gerwig became the first female director to helm a film that surpassed US$1 billion in global ticket sales. On its opening weekend in July, it broke records, grossing over US$358 million worldwide, making it the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. 

Just last month, it ended its record-breaking streak of 12 weeks on the US box office top 10 List. When the DVD version of the movie was released in October, it topped both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts in its debut week. 

If the movie takes home Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards, it will become only the second billion dollar movie to do so, after Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King’ in 2004. Gerwig has also been tipped to be nominated for Best Director. The nominations for next year’s Oscars will take place in late January, 2024. 

Rumors that the movie may have a sequel were quashed this week after its leading star, Margot Robbie told The Associated Press “I think we put everything into this one. We didn’t build it to be a trilogy or something.”

“Greta put everything into this movie, so I can’t imagine what would be next. It doesn’t have to be a sequel or prequel or a remake, it can be totally original,” Robbie said.

“It can still be big ― given the big budget to do that. And just because there’s a female lead doesn’t mean it’s not going to hit all four quadrants, which is, you know, I think a misconception that a lot of people still have.”

A month after the release of ‘Barbie’, Gerwig herself said there were no plans to make the film into a franchise. 

“I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.” 

In October, she admitted her movie’s success was possible only due to Patty Jenkins’ 2017 movie, ‘Wonder Woman’. 

“There was absolutely nothing to point to before — we weren’t able to use anything as what they call a ‘comp,’ [comparision], Gerwig said. 

“That’s how they build budgets, and they assess risk. I know we wouldn’t have been able to make this movie had Patty Jenkins not made Wonder Woman. But at the same time, we weren’t able to use Wonder Woman as an example, because superheroes are their own category. You can’t use Disney Princesses because that’s its own category. This didn’t really have a thing that we could point to.”

“Now this is a comp that other people can use and say, ‘Well, it works here.’ It’s a female character, and it’s a comedy, and Noah [Baumbach] and I wrote it, lady director, all of these things — it’s big, and that worked. So hopefully, with other female characters looking forward, that helps.”

Gerwig is now working on adapting ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ for Netflix. 

The post Greta Gerwig secures Director of the Year Award for ‘Barbie’ at prestigious film fest appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The woman behind the project, Mundanara Bayles, hopes that the podcasts give First Nations Peoples and people of colour a chance to reclaim their narratives, strengthen cultural identity and contribute to the inclusive Australia they want to see, and hear.

“This is the next generation,” she said at the launch in Sydney on Wednesday morning, where she was surrounded by several First Nations podcasters and media personalities. “I want you to remember that you’re looking at the next generation of media, business entrepreneurs – they’re gonna do something big.”

“And from today onwards, having our own media platform, these brothers can probably start a podcast tomorrow. They don’t need to wait till they get older or till they get recognised to get that tap on the shoulder.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Black Magic Woman Podcast (@blackmagicwomanpodcast)

“What’s important about this network is that we inspire the younger generation to do what they wanna do and to be able to reach their full potential in this country.” 

“It is my intention that Black Cast will empower first nations people and people of colour to reclaim their narratives, strengthen cultural identity and contribute to a more inclusive Australia. We are proud to showcase exciting emergent talent from our communities.”

“Whilst also improving cultural and socio-economic outcomes, Black Cast podcast will be conceived of developed by and proudly platform, First Nations, Black and People of Colour.

“I promise that you that we will hold space for the celebration of indigenous knowledge and diverse perspectives just like my grandmother and father did before me again.” 

Mundanara, who has worked as an entrepreneur, educator, and public speaker for several years, roped in the support of Producer and longtime family friend Clint Curtis and Network Advisor Jamila Rizvi to create BlakCast.

Partnering with ARN’s iHeart, Australia’s top podcast publisher, the network will seek to drive revenue and audiences for new and diverse talent across the country. 

BlakCast’s podcasts include Black Magic Woman (which Mundanara launched in 2020 and continues to host) Yarning Up, Curtain the Podcast, Unapologetically Blak, Meet the Moband Coming Out Black. 

The shows range from exploring First Nations queer identity, LGBTQ+ issues that affect Indigenous people, generational trauma, to interviews with Black business leaders, sporting icons and regional community leaders. 

Mundanara’s father, Tiga Bayles was a pioneer in Indigenous media who used his platform as inaugural chair of the NSWALC to champion the rights of Aboriginal people across NSW in the 1980s.

In 2013, Mundanara co-founded consultancy and cultural training organisation BlackCard with Dr Lilla Watson, a respected Aboriginal elder, artist, educator and course developer.

When Mundanara was named this year’s Supply Nation’s Indigenous Businesswoman of the Year, she said that she hoped she can “inspire more young Aboriginal girls to start dreaming big.”

“And to start thinking at a young age of running a business and being an entrepreneur and to know and believe that we are in control of our destiny,” Bayles told National Indigenous Times.

“We are in the driver’s seat, so we need our young people in particular to create positive mindsets and to know that we are in charge of our futures.

“If we want to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and start creating intergenerational wealth, then being in business will give us a head start.”

Corey Layton, Head of Digital Audio at iHeart, said that he was “proud” of Mundanara’s continuing legacy in producing podcasts. 

“She [is building] on her family legacy in broadcast, guiding, amplifying, and monetising a large array of Australia’s best Indigenous podcasts,” Layton said. “This presents an exciting evolution in the iHeart network which we’re committed to grow”.

The post BlakCast set to change podcast scene for First Nations Australians appeared first on Women's Agenda.

CEO of Media Diversity Australia, Mariam Veiszadeh was named the overall winner of the awards, now in its fifth year. 

The University of Melbourne’s centre for Asian capability, Asialink is a sponsor of the awards that recognise the Most Influential Asian-Australian across a wide range of fields, including  arts and culture, community and advocacy, corporate, education, entrepreneurship, legal and professions, media, public sector, science and medicine, and sport. 

CEO of Asialink Martine Letts, said the awards “shine a light on the incredible leadership talent and potential of Asian-Australians.” 

Mariam Veiszadeh is widely known for her advocacy in diversifying Australia’s media landscape, as well as her work setting up the Islamophobia Register Australia — a collective database of Islamophobic incidents experienced by the public. 

Veiszadeh, who began her career as a lawyer at Westpac, spoke about the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion in 2017 at a TED Talk in Sydney. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mariam Veiszadeh (@mariamveiszadeh)

This week, she told the ABC (a media partner for the 2023 Asian-Australian Leadership Awards) that during the TED talk, she was “the only person on that stage that they hired a security guard for.”

“That was the extent of the risks that I was facing,” she said. 

“It really impacted me. I was physically sick, I had a lot of mental health challenges. It takes a significant toll on you as a person.”

“But I think it also cemented my determination to continue fighting against hatred. So I tried to raise awareness about it. I tried to tackle it head on.”

In 2021, she became the CEO of Media Diversity Australia, a not-for-profit organisation and the nation’s peak advocacy body for diversity and representation in media. 

In October 2022, the organisation partnered with eight inaugural newsrooms to offer them diversity, equity and inclusion expertise to help champion cultural diversity in their workplaces. 

At the time, Veiszadeh said she was “pleased to witness and help drive the palpable push from many newsrooms to have their journalists and commentators reflect the broader community and, by default, the wider national conversation.” 

This week, she told the ABC the organisation is still working tirelessly to create a media landscape that “looks and sounds more like Australia.” 

“That means holding up a mirror to an industry that doesn’t always want a mirror held up to it,” she said.

“My strategy is bringing everyone on the journey, because you don’t drive change through using a sledgehammer. We don’t want to just talk about the media, we want to talk to the media. We want them to be part of the solution.”

Asialink’s CEO Martine Letts said that even when one in five people in Australia have an Asian cultural heritage, only 3 per cent of senior management positions are held by them. 

“It’s not only in the boardroom where this bias exists, it extends across all industries,” Letts said. “There is still a long way to go, and there is a real lack in recognition of and focus on leveraging Asian-Australian grown talent.”

“If overseas markets are more attractive to talent from multicultural backgrounds we risk losing our best and brightest.”

Johnson Partners, a Sydney-based executive search firm affiliated with the Awards, released recent findings which revealed that 93 per cent of board members on ASX-listed companies have either an Anglo-Celtic or European background, while per cent of top CEOs are of white Anglo-Celtic or European heritage.

Jason Johnson, founder and CEO of Johnson Partners, believes that a significant shift needs to happen in corporate Australia’s approach to cultural diversity.

“We need to see a  It is not only the right thing to do but also critical to unlocking the full potential of our economy,” Johnson said.  

“Companies that embrace diversity and foster an inclusive culture will be better placed to navigate an increasingly globalised business environment and increasingly diverse customer sets and stakeholders.” 

Johnson, a former Global Chairman of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, believes that the ‘bamboo ceiling’ is preventing Asian-Australians from taking their share of top leadership positions.

“Our major companies, government departments and universities….[do not] reflect their staff, student populations or customer bases,” he said. 

“The pandemic caused many diversity statistics to go backwards, so we have some serious ground to make up to address the under-representation of diverse leaders.”

Other winners

Lifetime Achievement Award: Ming Long 

As the first woman with Asian heritage to lead a top 200 ASX listed entity, Long is a well-known corporate leader who was appointed Chair of the Diversity Council of Australia’s board in 2021. 

She has held a range of senior executive positions throughout her career, including CEO and CFO roles in both listed and unlisted companies, Chair of AMP Capital Funds Management Limited, and a non-executive director of QBE Insurance (Auspac), CEDO, Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, and is an advisor on the University of Sydney Culture Council.

Under 25 Rising Star: Rhea Werner

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rhea Werner (@rhea_werner_)

At just 17, year-old Rhea Werner has been using her platform on social media to talk about body image and mental health. 

In 2021, she co-founded the Body Confident Collective Youth Project, the first, national youth-led initiative supported by researchers from Melbourne University.

Arts and culture: Mindy Meng Wang

Mindy Meng Wang is a Chinese Australian composer and performing artist who specialises in the guzheng — an ancient Chinese zither. She is known for her cross genre collaborations with international artists including Gorillaz, Regurgitator and Paul Grabowsky. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Meng Wang (@mindy_mengwang)

This week, she spoke about her latest album collaboration, “Origin of You” which she recorded with fellow Chinese Australian Sui Zhen.  

The album, according to reviewer David James Young, is a musical exploration of their “personal experiences with death, grief, motherhood and diaspora.” 

“Every single time we play this music, it’s a way to help us process these things,” Wang told Young. 

“I want this music to remind people that we all have shared feelings as human beings. My goal in music is to make people realise that we’re inherently the same — no matter your cultural background, how you grieve, how you feel about love, how you feel about your family. If we knew how similar we all were, I feel like the world would be a better place. I want this music to be a sonic hug for people.”

Education, Science and medicine winner: Dr Celina Ping Yu

Having spent her career working towards cultural inclusion, diversity and relationship-building between Australian and Asian academic and business communities, Dr Celina Ping Yu was the clear winner in this category. 

She is the founder of the Global Business College of Australia and since 2014, has been the college’s managing director.

In 2017, she started Edvantage Institute Australia, an international higher education campus of the Edvantage Group, a Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency registered private higher education provider. 

Community & Advocacy/Not for Profit: Marjorie Tenchavez

Marjorie Tenchavez is the founder and director of Welcome Merchant, a social enterprise  supporting small businesses owned by refugees and asylum seekers.

Tenchavez, who is a former finalist for Emerging Leader in Non-Profit at the Women’s Agenda Leadership awards, was also a recipient of the NSW Humanitarian Awards in Business this year. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Welcome Merchant (@welcomemerchant)

Speaking to Women’s Agenda last year, Tenchavez said many migrants and refugees in Australia struggle to get bank loans “…because of their visa status and/or lack of financial history in Australia.”

“I’ve been in this sector for a long time and there were times when I thought about changing industries but hearing their stories and successes keeps me inspired,” she said.

“It’s really important for me to see them succeed without our help.” 

Legal and Professional Services: Mannie Kaur Verma

As a principal lawyer at Regal Lawyers, Mannie Kaur Verma empowers her clientele, who are mostly migrants, to fight for their rights. 

“This may include demanding a respectful relationship, employee entitlements or justice in a dispute,” she describes on her website. “I place intersectionality at the core of my practice.”

The former Labor candidate for Rowville in Victoria is also the co-Founder of the non-profit organisation, Veera – Brave Girl, an organisation that seeks to educate and empower migrant women to break the cycle of abuse. It also provides a network of resources for vulnerable women to leave violent relationships.

“A lot of women come here on partner visas, so they are dependent on their partners,” she told Women’s Weekly in 2021, when she was nominated for the Women of the Future Awards. “They have no networks. No support systems. No access to resources.” 

Read the full list of winners here. 

The post “I was paranoid that my work wouldn’t understand,” Asian-Australian Leadership Awards winner Mariam Veiszadeh on fighting islamophobia  appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The famed author, speaker, activist, and feminist launched her latest book “I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage” with fellow revolutionary Yumi Stynes, untangling the myths of the fairy-tale wedding and happily ever afters that young women are taught to pursue with hungry teeth. 

Ford’s searing and insightful conversation with Stynes was met with a theatre-hall full of nodding heads. 

Attacking the system of the marriage requires one to look into history — something Ford read deeply into to uncover the toxic provider and protector myth at its foundation. 

“All throughout history, leading right up to today, the thing that has infuriated men who rely on patriarchy to give them value and power, that men rely on — is women never looking up and realising that they might have power of their own,” she said. 

“It’s that protector and provider myth. So many of you will have heard men say— “Well you need us to protect you, and provide for you…” 

And you’re like, “Who are you protecting us from?” It’s not sharks. 

“The protection thing is a bit wishy washy for you right now. You’re not doing a very good job of it, lads. And also, what are you providing?” 

“So many women historically were unable to care for and provide for themselves because legally, we weren’t allowed to have any fucking money.” 

Ford noted that in Australia, women weren’t allowed to have bank accounts until 1975.

“There are women in this room, who were adult women in 1975, who could not get a bank account by themselves without the signature of their father or their brother or their husband.” 

She reminded audiences that she is not anti-married people. She is anti-marriage.

“I want to say as well to the people who are married in the room. This is not an attack on you at all. I say that in the introduction, it’s not an attack on individuals. It’s about systems. And it’s about cultural conditioning, and about questioning how and why we come to the choices that we come to.”

“What is different about a marriage that you can’t get in a long term relationship? It is about questioning why we do these things.” 

Ford has written about the harmful stereotypes the patriarchy enforces on both men and women in her previous books, including “Fight Like a Girl” and “Boys will be Boys”. In “I Don’t”, she criticises the way women are made to believe true love is our only reason for being.

“We can say probably pretty factually, that whether or not you buy into marriage yourself, as a young person in the world, and particularly as a young woman, you have been subjected to an onslaught of romantic fairytales and fantasies and myth-making, that largely targets you.” 

“It doesn’t really target men, it doesn’t target men in the same way.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cracked and Spineless Books (@cracked_and_spineless_books)

“There is an assumption in the world that men will end up married, because when they decide that they’re ready to settle down, of course, there’s a woman there who’s just been waiting for the last 15 years to be picked,” she joked. 

Yet for women — we are taught to pursue a wedding ring like nothing else — a goal that Ford believes is harmful. 

“The biggest predator that risks women’s lives is men,” she said. “That is the statistical reality of it — look at the number of women just in the last week who’ve been murdered by men in this country.” 

“If we create a cultural impetus for women where we say the only way that you can do this thing we say to you is your biological inevitability, your biological responsibility, and also the only thing that you will ever truly be happy in having and in doing…without it, you will always be bereft of emotional satisfaction…then they end up stuck in scenarios where the only way that they can do that thing is to put themselves in a situation where they living with the most dangerous predator, and that is all to serve as patriarchy, and to serve as men living for patriarchy.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Clementine Ford (@clementine_ford)

Beyond that, there’s limited lifestyle choices available to women who don’t necessarily want the things we are told to want, ie. marriage, children. 

“If you’re a woman in your 30s, and you feel in any way, shape, or form that you might want to have a child…what do you do when it starts to feel like time’s running out?”

“My friend says that it’s like women playing a big game of musical chairs. And then the music stops. They’re 35. And they’re like, ‘Well, I guess you’re the father of my baby.’ 

“This is the chair that I’m sitting on. And it’s a bit rickety, but there’s no other chair.” 

“If you don’t want to get married and you are determined to live by yourself for the rest of your life, it doesn’t mean you don’t want to date, it doesn’t mean that you don’t want sex, it doesn’t mean that you don’t wanna fall in love. [A friend] says that the options are so bereft at the moment, especially for women.” 

“Not everyone who can have a baby wants to have a baby. Women are made to feel like somehow [motherhood] is our only purpose in our life…only then will we become a fully realised human being, if we pass another human into the world. We’re like a subway station.”

Ford laments the contradictory messages about relationships women are told everyday — “We’re told that we’ve got to find the soulmate, The One, the best friend…to be with him for the rest of my life. 

“The idea of The One is such a dangerous idea. But then if your relationship breaks up, we’re then told — ‘you’ll find someone else soon’. So…which is it? 

“Is it really, really hard to find a decent person to spend the rest of your life with…or is it just like…get on the apps? It has to be one or the other.” 

Ford told audiences that she co-parents her son with her ex — something she feels “very grateful” for. 

But she doesn’t want women to use the word “lucky” when we’re describing male partners. 

“I don’t want to say ‘fortunately’, because that’s often how women talk about their relationships— I’m really lucky, I’ve been really lucky. I’ve got a good one. It’s like, it’s just we should just not be saying that we’re lucky to have men who treat women like human.” 

Despite the horrors behind marriage and its systemic inequalities, Stynes reminded audiences that Ford’s book is one of clear optimism and hope. 

Hope for a better future for all women. 

She mentioned Alexandra Collier’s book, “Inconceivable”, as a “really brilliant” story. 

“If you’re thinking that you want to have a child, but it doesn’t seem possible for you right now — you can,” Ford said. “It’s not easy, but it’s possible, you can do it by yourself.” 

“There are ways to build community and family with other people.”

“I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage” is out now, from Allen & Unwin.

The post Don’t say you’re ‘lucky’ to have a man who treats you like a human : Clementine Ford appeared first on Women's Agenda.

And why shouldn’t they? Every city she has performed in since March has seen an extraordinary spike in revenue. 

According to a Bloomberg News analysis, her total net worth has just reached $US1.1 billion — and The Eras Tour is projected to generate close to $US5 billion in consumer spending in the US alone.

Bloomberg estimates that the shows performed so far have racked up more than $US700 million in ticket sales —  the average ticket cost at $US254. (Here in Australia, ticket prices ranged from $80 to $500 — many paid $700+ on the resale market.)

Boosting the economy

The extraordinary success of the Eras tour has seen Swift add $US4.3 billion to the US gross domestic product thus far. 

The estimated figures were analysed by the folks from Bloomberg Economics, which calculated the value of her music catalog, five homes, and earnings from streaming deals, music sales, concert tickets and merchandise.

With such a reliable scheme of revenue, it’s not surprising that world leaders and public officials are calling for the 33-year old to bring her tour to their cities. 

Chilean President Gabriel Boric, the mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony and even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have made public statements inviting Swift to make an appearance in their cities.

In June, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s monthly Beige Book summarised the city’s economic activity, mentioning Swift’s three-shows in May for spurring growth in the city’s economy.

“Despite the slowing recovery in tourism in the region overall, one contact highlighted that May was the strongest month for hotel revenue in Philadelphia since the onset of the pandemic, in large part due to an influx of guests for the Taylor Swift concerts in the city,” the document read.

In Chicago the following month, three Eras concerts led to an all time hotel revenue record. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker credited Swift with reviving the state’s tourism industry. 

In Seattle, Downtown hotel revenues reached a high of $US7.4 million on a single night of the Eras tour alone, while in Houston, city-wide revenue for the weekend when Swift performed reached a total of $US34 million — a 136 per cent spike from the same period in 2019.

Music journalist Nora Princiotti believes the Eras Tour success can be attribuited to the depth and popularity of Swift’s music catalog. 

“I don’t know that anybody envisioned a tour of this scale ever happening. She can go three and a half hours and just hit after hit after hit,” she told Time.

“For as big as she has been for so long, even if this is a new peak, I think a lot of fans feel like they’ve spent their entire lives defending their love of her.”

Princiotti, who writes for pop culture site The Ringer and co-hosts the podcast Every Single Album: Taylor Swift, added there is “…something very strange in seeing the US government, or all of these various municipalities, just desperate to get a little sliver of the clout that comes from just being somewhat associated with Taylor Swift.”

Carolyn Sloane, a labor economist at the University of Chicago, described Swift as “a great economist.” 

“In addition to being a generational talent, Taylor Swift is a great economist,” Sloane said. “Taylor has great ideas, is able to scale her ideas and seems to be pretty risk-seeking.”

Other sources of revenue 

Not only is the Eras tour generating as much money as the economies of small countries, Swift is setting records with other sources of revenue. 

The filmed version of her Eras performance “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” has already made $US123.5 million globally, and generated a record high $US92.8 million at the box office on its opening weekend. 

On Saturday, Spotify announced that Swift had broken two records with the release of her newest album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — the singer-songwriter’s fourth rerelease of her earlier albums. 

“She’s done it again,” Spotify wrote on Twitter. “On October 27th, Taylor Swift became the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history, and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2023 so far.”

And how can we forget Swift’s romance with NFL star Travis Kelce — which has sent NFL viewership ratings flying and increased sales of his jersey by 400 per cent?

Alice Enders, head of research at Enders Analysis believes that part of Swift’s success has been the constant release of merchandise for fans. 

“There’s this whole ecosystem she has, and it’s very lucrative for her,” Enders said. 

“There’s a cost of living crisis and people are still forking out thousands of dollars to see Taylor Swift.” 

“We are in an experience economy where people crave going out and participating in social events. It’s no surprise that people are flocking to this Eras Tour experience in what is increasingly an otherwise digital environment we live in.”

The Eras tour is set to resume with a nine-show South American leg next month. With 89 shows to go and the rest of her international tour next year, the Swifties Effect has a lot more power in it yet.

The post Everybody wants a piece of Taylor Swift. Here’s why appeared first on Women's Agenda.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the 42-year old announced she’d signed a two-book deal with the Random House Publishing Group (PRH), and that her memoir will delve into the struggles and challenges she faced during her childhood, early tennis training, and subsequent rise to the top. 

“For so long, all I was focused on was winning, and I never sat down to look back and reflect on my life and career,” Williams said in the statement. 

“Over the last year I’ve really enjoyed taking the time with my growing family to celebrate my accomplishments and explore my other passions. I couldn’t be at a more perfect place to be able to take-on such a personal intimate project, and there’s no one I would rather do it with than the team at Random House.”

The first book does not yet have a title and the publishers have not yet announced a release date.

Its North American rights were acquired by PRH vice-president and executive editor Jamia Wilson and publisher Andy Ward. 

“Through stories that have yet to be told, Serena will pull back the curtain to reveal new layers about her experiences on and off the court and what it took for her to make such an indelible mark on sports and culture,” Wilson said.

Williams’ memoir will give “a full and open account of her remarkable life, from her childhood in Compton, California, learning to play with her mother and father, to her academy years in West Palm Beach and her decision to turn professional at age 14, to her rise and reign as the top women’s tennis player in the world – and one of the most accomplished athletes in history.”

The memoir will be an “open-hearted exploration of the experiences that have shaped her life,” according to the publisher. 

Williams will reflect on “overcoming scrutiny and attacks in a predominantly white and male-dominated sport, navigating devastating losses on and off the court, falling in love with tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, celebrating body diversity and expanding the confines of style in sports and pop culture, bringing awareness to maternal health disparities, and being a devoted mother to her daughters, Olympia and Adira.”

The second book, also untitled, will be an “inspirational” work, according to Random House. 

“Williams will offer rules for living that draw on her experiences as a philanthropist and advocate, her career as an investment unicorn with Serena Ventures, and someone who has long sought to lift a diverse and emergent generation of young women whose aspirations are not confined to the court,” the publishers revealed. 

Ben Brusey, the publishing director at Century — the imprint of PRH that acquired the books’ UK and Commonwealth rights, said he was honoured to be publishing “these deeply personal and inspiring books by Serena Williams.”

“[She is] a true cultural icon and one of the greatest athletes of all time,” he said. “Her upbringing was the subject of an Oscar-winning movie. But the full story of her journey off the court, told intimately here for the first time, is even more remarkable.”

“Full of the energy, passion and commitment Ms Williams has demonstrated throughout her life, these empowering books will present to readers a profound blueprint of how to conquer nearly insurmountable challenges, and how to thrive.” 

Random House group president, Sanyu Dillon described Williams’ life as “one of deep commitment, fierce talent, unabating passion and love.”

“The team and I are honoured to collaborate with Serena on her literary endeavours, and we can’t wait to publish what will no doubt be landmark books of inspiration from a truly singular woman, athlete, mother, and business leader,” he said.

Widely considered to be the Greatest of All Time, Williams announced her retirement shortly before the U.S. Open in 2022. Throughout her career, she won 39 major tennis titles and is a four-times Olympic gold medalist. 

In an piece published in Vogue last year, Williams spoke about her thoughts on the next phase in her life.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”

She also wrote that she hoped that due to her success, “women athletes feel that they can be themselves on the court. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can be strong yet beautiful. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all.”

Williams is not new to authoring books. Her previous titles include a memoir from 2009 “On the Line” and a picture story, “The Adventures of Qai Qai” released in September 2022. 

In August this year, she gave birth to her second child, Adira River Ohanian. She and her husband, tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in September 2017.

Several high-profile memoirs have recently made headlines across the West. 

They include Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Worthy” (released earlier this month), Britney Spears’ “The Woman in Me” (coming out October 25) Barbra Streisand’s “My name is Barbara” (released on November 7 — and it’s a whopping 992 pages!) and Paris Hilton’s “Paris, the memoir”) released in March this year. 

The post Serena Williams to write an ‘intimate’ memoir appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The 2018 Australian of the Year was recognised for her pioneering contributions to quantum computing, including her creation of the country’s first quantum computing company, Silicon Quantum Computing, which she founded in 2017. 

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) professor was presented with her award on Monday night, describing the win as “a really special and wonderful thing.”

“I’m over the moon to receive the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science,” she said. “Yet figuring out how to make electronic devices with atomic precision is not something I could ever have done on my own.”

Professor Simmons, who is the Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at UNSW, credits her team for helping her develop an innovative way of making atomic electronics that can revolutionise quantum computing. 

Her discoveries will likely improve the manufacturing of therapeutic drug designs, fertilisers for agriculture, logistical patterns to reduce fuel costs and shortened delivery times. 

“For 25 years, I have worked with many amazing scientists and engineers – and I am enormously grateful to all of them,” she said.

“I would add a particular thank you to my current team. They are the most exceptionally talented group I have ever worked with. I can’t imagine a better group of people or a more likely team to deliver an error-corrected quantum computer for the benefit of Australia and the world.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UNSW (@unsw)

Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic praised Australians for putting “huge stock in our world-class scientists.”

“[Our country] understands science and innovation is at the heart of human progress,” he said.

Congratulating Professor Simmons on her win, Husic acknowledged the importance of her research and work. 

“Quantum computing has the power to transform industries and solve important challenges,” he said. 

“From automation on factory floors to rapidly advancing AI, the science and innovation sector is creating secure and well-paid jobs.”

Professor Simmons told Guardian Australia she was initially drawn to the field because she was interested in “building things that have not been made before, with the potential to have a huge impact on computing power”.

At her company, Silicon Quantum Computing, the ARC Laureate Fellow is working to engineer the world’s first error-corrected quantum computer – something which the Professor said was “unimaginable 20 years ago.” 

“We’re the only company in the world that can manufacture with atomic precision,” she said. “My belief is that precision is what you need to create this error-corrected quantum computer.”

“We’ve been able to put down individual atoms of phosphorus in silicon and encode information on both the electron and the nucleus of the phosphorus atom,” she said.

 “It’s something that was kind of unimaginable twenty years ago, that we would know how to manipulate and build devices where we’ve got atomic precision … in all three dimensions.”

UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs described Professor Simmons as an “internationally renowned” science leader, known “for creating the field of atomic electronics, pioneering new technologies to build computing devices in silicon at the atomic scale.”

“She is one of a handful of researchers in Australia to have twice received an Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship,” Brungs said. “She is a global superstar and I applaud her achievements in receiving the 2023 Prime Minister’s Prize for pioneering this important field.”

Since 2000, the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science have been recognising outstanding individuals across scientific research, innovation and teaching.

This year’s Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools was awarded to Judith Stutchbury, a teacher at Kalkie State School in Bundaberg, Queensland. 

A longtime teacher activist for the environment, Stutchbury’s efforts have won her multiple state awards, including the 2018 Australia Day Green Spirit Award, and the Education Queensland North Coast Region Teacher of the Year Award. 

Teaching students about the importance of marine turtle conservation in the Great Barrier Reef, Stutchbury said that she was inspired to write her educational book, Hatch Saves the Reef, which was published earlier this year and includes several on-line interactive games. 

“I’m extremely honoured to win Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools,” Stutchbury said in a promotional video. “It recognises teachers trying to make a difference for our next generation.” 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Curtin College ofthe Arts (@johncurtincollege)

The Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools was awarded to Donna Buckley, the Assistant Director of Maths and cybersecurity teacher at John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle, WA. 

“My role is to engage students for a love of programming and engaging girls through that,” she said. 

“I’ve made connections for my students to the real world to their passions to the arts so I can relate maths to them.”

Buckley went back to university as a mature aged student in order to teach her students a course in cybersecurity.

“It’s so important from a young age for cyber safety messages. We also need to show students there are possibilities for careers in this industry and from a diverse range of backgrounds and it’s that diversity that will help us overcome the challenges that are ahead.” 

Finally, the Prize for New Innovators was awarded to Associate Profesor Lara Herrero from Griffith University. 

The virologist is leading an interdisciplinary team in the Institute for Glycomics at the university to study the way viral infections are diagnosed, treated and managed. 

Specifically, her research focuses on mosquito-transmitted viruses associated with arthritis, such as Ross River virus (RRV) — the most common mosquito-transmitted disease in the country, with more than 5000 infections reported each year. 

Professor Herrero contracted RRV herself a number of years ago — an experience that left her with excruciating pain to her muscles and joints. 

Dissatisfied with the traditional drug discovery which can take up to two decades ‘from bench to bedside’, Associate Professor Herrero is trying to repurpose known drugs that can minimise the harrowing pain of viral arthritis. 

“We found one that was called Pentosan polysulfate that was traditionally used for bladder inflammation,” she explained. 

“That shared a lot of the mechanisms to RRV-induced arthritis.”

Professor Herrero decided to return to university to study medicine, “in order to understand how to get a drug all the way to a patient.” 

She secured a patent on her invention before partnering with Australian ASX-listed biotechnology company, Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals, to get the drug through clinical trials and into patients. 

“It’s a great achievement,” Professor Herrero said of her innovation. “There are no real big discoveries that are on the shoulders of only one individual, it’s a big team effort.” 

“[Receiving the PM’s prize] gives me a new sense of hope for the work that we’re doing and the work that we’ll do in the future.” 

The post Women sweep this year’s Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science appeared first on Women's Agenda.