From the White House to Hollywood, check-out the latest news, trends and upcoming events. No images? Click here My Isolation Diary By Emily Vogel (Source: Giphy) Dear Diary, All I can think about these days is gold... and not just because of the new season of "Outer Banks." But rather, all of the women who took home first place medals and made history in Tokyo. Here are just a few of the many firsts at this year's Olympic Games.
Read the full list of firsts on Today.com. Felicity Jones Says ‘Last Letter From Your Lover’ Gave Her and Shailene Woodley ‘A Voice Every Step of the Way’On the first episode of WrapWomen's podcast, "UnWrapped," we spoke with actress-turned-producer Felicity Jones who took us behind the scenes of her new film "Last Letter from Your Lover," the first title under her new production company Piecrust. Based on a romantic novel by JoJo Moyes, “Last Letter from Your Lover,” follows ‘Ellie’ (Jones), who finds a trove of love letters from the 1960s and sets out to solve the mystery of a secret love affair. On the other side of the dueling storyline is Jennifer, played by Shailene Woodley, who also served as an executive producer on the film. From script development and early discussion about characters to reviewing various cuts of the film, Jones said they “were able to have a voice every step of the way.” According to Jones, stepping into this new role as a producer seemed like the perfect next step in her career. “You obviously have such an intimate knowledge of a character and the story when you’re playing someone in the film. It seemed a very natural progression to be able to have a voice in the broader structure of the story,” she told WrapWomen. Tune into our ‘UnWrapped’ podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott Team Up to Give $40 Million to Support Women (Source: CNBC via Getty Images) MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates are joining forces to give $40 million to four organizations that promote gender equality. The recipients were selected as part of the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, a competition which has billed itself as “the first competition centered on gender and equality in the U.S. with an award of this magnitude and… an opportunity to invest in and empower women leaders.” The four groups, which were awarded $10 million each, are focused on gender equality in caregiving, tech, higher education and minority communities. The organizations are as follows:
“We can break the patterns of history and advance gender equality, but we must commit to lifting up organizations, like the ones receiving awards today, that are ready to lift up women and girls,” French Gates said in a statement. Scott added the awardees are “strong teams working on the front lines and from within communities to help women build power in their lives and careers.” How Allyson Felix Stood Up to Nike and Redefined What's Possible for Women in SportsSharon Waxman (left) and Allyson Felix (right) at WrapWomen's Power Women Breakfast LA 2016 “Unfortunately, it’s nothing new — being a woman in athletics always striving for equality with your male counterparts,” Olympic Track star Allyson Felix told TheWrap’s CEO Sharon Waxman at WrapWomen's Power Women Breakfast 2016. Fast-forward to 2018 when Allyson Felix decided to start a family. In response, Nike offered her a contract that was 70% less than what she was receiving. So she left Nike and decided to start a deal with Athleta. Within months, the uproar was so loud that Nike wound up changing its policy regarding female athletes and contractual agreements tied to childbirth. "I didn't know what was going to come of it, but the one thing that really gave me the courage was being the mother of a little girl," Felix, mom to Camryn, 2, said in an interview with TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie last week. When Felix crossed the finish line Friday, she became the most decorated track and field Olympian in U.S. history by winning her 11th career medal, surpassing Carl Lewis. When she stepped onto the podium to receive her gold, she did so wearing her own new shoe, the Saysh One. It was designed by her own company and with a team of women who created the product. 4 Lessons Employers Can Learn From Simone Biles(Source: Forbes via Getty Images ) Coming into the Tokyo Olympics, all eyes were focused on Simone Biles as she was predicted to be the clear winner again. However, Biles shocked the world by bowing out of the women's all-around finals to focus on her mental heath. Forbes takes a deeper look into what lessons this has for an organization's top performers. 1. Even your star performers will wobble: When this happens, their confidence is often shaken. One way to help get it back is to ask your employee to think about a time when they had a setback—and ask them to remember how they came out of it. 2. Great expectations can lead to burnout: Burnout in the workplace—if not due to a lack of sufficient headcount—can be partly managed by saying "thank you" more often. Gratitude does wonders to boost morale. 3. It takes courage to speak up when things aren't right: If people don't feel safe at work, they often won't speak up—and businesses lose out by not receiving critical feedback. Policies such as zero bullying and acknowledging (rather than punishing) failed ideas are a great start. 4. Great performance requires great mental health: While depression and anxiety often dominate the conversation, it's time to consider subtler conditions such as burnout, disengagement, lack of passion, too high of expectations and more. It starts at the top with a company's leaders willing to be vulnerable. Then, include everyone in the conversation. Indonesian Army Hints at Ending Invasive ‘Virginity Tests’ for Female Recruits(Credit: Kuncoro Widyo Rumpoko/Pacific Press/Sipa/AP) Nope, you didn't read that headline wrong. For decades the Indonesian army has been implementing mandatory "virginity tests" for female recruits – as well as, in some instances, the prospective wives of male soldiers. During the invasive tests, women have two fingers inserted into their vagina by a doctor of either sex, in a bid to assess whether they have an intact hymen. Human Rights Watch said the practice amounts to “gender-based violence.” Additionally, the World Health Organization has said that such tests have “no scientific validity” and is a “violation of the victim’s human rights.” Speaking on a teleconference that was uploaded to YouTube last month, Indonesian army Chief of Staff General Andika Perkasa implied that the procedure would be stopped, with training instead focused on “capability.” “We have to be consistent. The selection we do for men should be the same (as) tests for women, in terms of testing their capabilities to follow the basic of military training,” he said in the broadcast. Selena Gomez: ‘I Signed My Life Away to Disney at a Very Young Age’(Source: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Selena Gomez is making a return to her old stomping grounds with the debut of her new Hulu show, "Only Murders in the Building" alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. She hasn't acted on a TV show since "Wizards of Waverly Place" ended in 2012. When asked how her experience making the upcoming murder mystery show compares to her past work during the TCA Summer 2021 Tour, she told reporters, “I signed my life away to Disney at a very young age and I didn’t know what I was doing.” Now, the 29-year-old, who plays a New York City resident and true-crime podcast fanatic caught up in an unsolved death, says she felt like a “sponge” on the set of the Hulu series, trying to “soak up all the wisdom” that she could. She added that being surrounded by living legends like Martin and Short taught her a lot. By the time they finished filming the last episode, she joked that she wished she could have redone the first “because of how I developed and felt towards the end.” Did We Just Become Best Friends? WrapWomen is a power base of influential women of entertainment, media, technology and brands committed to changing the face of their industries. Stay up-to-date on all things WrapWomen at www.wrapwomen.com. Join the conversation on social media! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter for surprise guest takeovers and Insta live performances. Tune into our podcast "UnWrapped" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. |