LZ Sunday Paper Newsletter: The "May I?" Edition
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Readers,
It's Springtime and the Panels are leafing out. Last week, I had a beyond-fabulous time leading discussions at two different conferences with two incredible groups of people. We debated the subject of the power of women in relation to art -- mostly film, documentary and TV, but also books, fine art, and theater. I think we came to the conclusion that it's possible to create power and influence through the sheer act of creating art, loosely defined.
The folks I spoke with are, admittedly, at the top of their artistic fields. They studied a variety of subjects in college. Mostly liberal arts. All except two came of age before the mania for STEM came to be the academic/vocational salvation that it seems to have become. And all of them told compelling stories about how their education--in English Lit, in African American Studies, in Media Studies, Theater Arts, Philosophy, or whatever--directly helped them navigate the work world to be successful.
It's not to say that it was a ladder like a two year training-program at an Investment Bank or an MCAT/LSAT professional school path. But it isn't actually that far off. They each spoke of loving a discipline, being well-trained for it, starting on a path which, although not usually lucrative to start, sometimes actually was. And then, just like many of those armed with a more traditionally pre-professional degree, certain combinations of passion, skill, hard work, opportunity, and luck came together for them at some point in their careers. Different value was achieved in different ways.
I am also currently prepping to give a commencement speech. So I'm thinking a lot about what to tell students about what their education might mean once it's in their rear view mirror, about ten days from now.
Sure, there are those who will not find a career that's financially sustaining, let alone lucrative. But there are plenty who will. And by the way there are more consultants and lawyers and whomever else, stuck in mid-level corporate jobs, doing fine, but so not on track to ever do anything amazing.
On the power and influence front, I get it. To MBA your way towards becoming one of the Masters of The Universe is a seductive trope. But on the other hand, winning a coupla Pulitzers, changing the face of independent & queer cinema, activating social change, bringing unknown subjects to light and winning major acclaim for them, seems pretty good to me.
Thank you to the incredible women and men I spoke with and to this past week. You've helped me get psyched to write my speech to the graduates. We'll see what their parents think when I heartily endorse their non-STEM choices. In the meantime, tomorrow it's back to the giant escalators and bad air of Terminal 8. I will be paying inordinate sums to stay connected mid-air so that I may begin next week's culling of your weekly, must-read digest of news hand-picked by me, about and by women in business, politics, media, the arts and pop culture.
Send me stuff you think should go in a future edition here. Big fun meeting a long-time LZSP email penpal in San Francisco last week. Julie--thank you!
You can follow me on Twitter or on Insta @LZSundayPaper
When things are looking down, you can get a shared perspective @LZFloors.
See you next week--from the West Coast!
LZ
THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:
Rei Kawakubo, The Nearly Silent Oracle of Fashion via The New York Times
Rei Kawakubo Interview: 'Contemporary Culture Does Not Allow For Nuance' via The Guardian
NEWS, BUSINESS & POLITICS:
The Resurgence Of Blatant Sexism via The Atlantic
There Are Exactly Zero Women Working On The Senate Version of The Republican Healthcare Bill via Quartz
No, The AHCA Doesn't Make Rape A Pre-existing Condition via Reason
U.S Military Sexual Assaults Down As Reports Reach Record High via Reuters
Ivanka Trump Is Trying To Promote Her Book Without Stumbling Into An Ethics Violation via New York Magazine
FALLOUT:
Fox News Besieged By New Bias Lawsuit and Federal Inquiry via The New York Times
Corporate Sexual Harassment Hotlines Don't Work. They're Not Designed To via Quartz
MEDIA:
Witchy Woman: A Creative Director Reveals Her Witchy Ways via Ad Age
CAMPUS CLIMATE:
Taylor Dumpson: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know via Heavy
USC Student Charged In Campus Dorm Room Rape, Prosecutors Say via The Los Angeles Times
ARTS, FASHION, SPORTS, LIT & POP CULTURE:
Noone Decides Which Films and TV Shows Are Feminist via The Establishment
Carrie Fisher's Perfect Farewell On 'Catastrophe' via The Atlantic
A Must-See Exhibit Honors Black Women's Resistance Art via Good Magazine
The Turner Prize Shortlist Is Here, and It's More Diverse (and Older) Than Ever via ArtNet
My Mama's Manicures Taught Me How To Take Care Of Myself via BuzzFeed News
Dear Femsplain… via Femsplain
Ivanka Trump Wrote A Painfully Oblivious Book For Basically No One via The New Yorker
Gabourey Sidibe Doesn't Want To Talk About Her Body via The New York Times
Start-Up: A Novel--A Feminist Satire That Is As Addictive As It Is Biting via Kirkus Reviews
OFF THE COURT:
What Pregnant Athletes Can Achieve via The New Yorker
Why Is Swearing In Women's Sports Taboo? via The Girls Soccer Network
AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT:
Google Doodle Celebrates Marie Harel, The Inventor of Camembert Cheese via Time
The LZ Sunday Paperâ„¢ launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes high and low, not much in between. Our audience is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect to deliver at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.
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