ADW ART DEPARTMENT WEEKLY ISSUE 106 VOL. 13
KNOW THEM ASTRONAUT
PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMIST
NOBEL LAUREATE TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEUR
ZOOLOGIST BACTERIOLOGIST CIVIL RIGHTS ICON AUTONOMOUS ROBOTICS
ENGINEERS X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHER
MATHEMATICIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
PHYSICIST LAWYER GENERAL MANAGER REFEREE AND MORE!
WHEN GIRLY WAS OFFENSIVE
Women’s History WHAT WE SOW
SHE WILL REAP BEST BETTYS
HISTORICAL & FICTIONAL
TOY STORE
OUR NEW TARGET
Hope FOR SPRING
MINI BOARD EAGERLY ANTICIPATED
The last time we showed you pictures of this place, it was going out of business signs for Toys ‘R’ Us three years ago. Luis and Boom have been counting down the days to it re-opening as a Target for what feels like two years. Boom came into the world knowing nothing but toy shopping every weekend, but I stopped taking everyone out to Long Island. Then pandemic meant toys weren’t being delivered or restocked. Now there is a Target within walking distance with a new escalator that leads to toy shopping on the new second floor. Well, where toys should be. EBay sellers also pounced on the opening. Shelves are only being restocked when the store opens at 8 a.m. making for more guys asking about toys than actual toys. Boom and Luis are still happy to have Target nearby and will just not be there at 8 a.m. —MV
WE MADE IT A YEAR I don’t think I baked banana bread. Maybe I blocked it out. Definitely no sourdough! I did whip coffee, but that was just me putting coffee and ice in a blender. It was nothing like the videos I saw. I watched a lot of TV. And I made a lot of Dubbs.
I spent so much time home alone.
Pro Tip
Combo meal prices go up even if minimum wage doesn’t.
OF COURSE THEY DID This screenshot from Feb. 19, 2014. It’s one of those things that’s discouraging but not the least bit surprising.
Art Department Weekly is published by Dinosaur Girly Productions, 184 Bay 26th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214. The entire contents of ADW are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without expressed written consent of the publisher. ADW accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. ADW reserves the right to edit, rewrite, refuse or reuse material, is not responsible for errors or omissions, and may feature same in other mediums for any and all purposes.
PROCESSING TRAUMA The expectation that all the Marvel series on Disney+ would set up the forthcoming movies—or at least the other series—overwhelmed the expectations for WandaVision. It was fun to guess what everything meant and who might show up, and I don’t regret that for a second. Elizabeth Olsen saying there would be a cameo as big as Luke Skywalker showing up in The Mandalorian was not cool, but she also said she was pulled into WandaVision because it would be about Wanda on Wanda’s terms. That’s all the spoiler anyone needed to be sure this was a show about how she would deal with all her pain. “What you are dismissing as Easter Eggs are trauma triggers Wanda was creating to process her complex trauma. The writers were intentional and many trauma specialists and survivors understood,” Kyle Howard, a preacher, posted on Twitter. “What some of you saw as ‘slow’ is actually care. Processing trauma IS tedious.” I think the reason I ended up being so happy with the finale is that Wanda remains the most powerful person in the Marvel Universe. Mephisto didn’t make her do it. Dr. Strange didn’t save the day. Wanda did what everyone who experiences loss wishes they could do and created an idyllic world for herself. Howard sounds hopeful. “Those who fall into the pit of finding their identity in their grief will often find themselves in despair. Those who understand how they are shaped by their grief can grow from it and cannot be consumed by it.” Check out @KyleJamesHoward. —MV
D R A HE
T R NA
R E V O
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“ʻI’m a hero. I just found the missing thing. I mean, FACTS” -Luis
“You’ll know you’ve found The One when you want to fuck, marry, AND kill them” -Una
“I am back in the room today!” -April
“I thought ʻPuerto Rican’ was something about a butt” -Betty
BREAKING PETE Luis has always commended Breaking Bad as an amazing television series, but Madeline didn’t start watching it until this month. She agrees it is amazing, but all she can think about when Skinny Pete appears on screen is that he must have been who handed down the hat in Betty’s collection. Who wore it best?
“I’m just saying, weird how nobody’s astrologers or spiritual advisers predicted this shit”
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-overheardla
“It came.” -Luis
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TWO ARTISTS WE LOVE
HUMBERTO RAMOS His manga-inspired style is instantly recognizable
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As a proud Latino, I love following the exploits of Latin artists. In 1995 I was introduced to the frenetic and expressive art of Humberto Ramos, a young Mexican artist, would quickly become one of my favorites. Humberto burst onto the comic scene while launching Impulse with the great Mark Waid. His work was manga-inspired, but had an energy that literally jumped off the page. With a thicker line and dynamic poses, his work would inspire a new wave of artists (Ed McGuiness, Joe Madureira, and J. Scott Campbell). In 1998 Humberto was tapped by Jim Lee’s Cliffhanegr Comics to launch his own creator owned-series Crimson. Ramos would continue to play in this creator-owned realm for almost five years, launching Out There after Crimson. After playing for so long in the teen world (Impulse, Crimson, and Out There all centered around a youthful cast) that catered to his strengths, Humberto would get the biggest break of his career. In 2003 Ramos began an award-winning run at Marvel, working on covers for Spider-Man. With his profile at an all time high, he would continue his Marvel work while still launching creator-owned books (Kamikaze and Revelations). In 2008 Humberto went full-time exclusive with Marvel. He’s worked on The Runaways, Spider-Man, and re-teamed with Mark Waid to launch The Champions. With an oft-copied art style, he stands completely unique with instantly recognizable art. He is hands down one of the best Spider-Man artists of all-time and an absolute inspiration to Latino artists everywhere.
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AMY REEDER Dynamic pencils lead to dramatic storytelling
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My favorite place at any comic convention is Artist Alley. Without fail, one of the first artists I visit is Amy Reeder. She is like a breath of fresh air in the comics field. Fun, quirky, and exceptionally talented, Reeder also happens to be one of the nicest artists I’ve ever crossed paths with. I first encountered Reeder in the DC booth at NYCC 2010. She was getting ready to take over alternate art duties on Batwoman as well as providing covers for Supergirl. I love booth sketches, so I quickly got in her line. We chatted for a bit and she told me how much fun she had drawing Madame Xanadu. (I didn’t really know the character, but I bought the trade and was instantly blown away by her work. She was awarded Eisner Awards as Best Penciller and Best Cover Artist for her work on the series.) As we chatted and she sketched, she turns to me and says, “I’m not doing my best work today. Why don’t you come by my desk tomorrow and I’ll do a better sketch for you?” I went to her table in Artist Alley the next day, and true to her word she had drawn a wonderful Supergirl for me. It would have been so easy to forget, but she didn’t. I’ve been a devoted fan ever since. Reeder continues to churn out some of the best pencils on the market. Her pages always have a clear focal point and are so technically proficient. Reeder’s work has a clean, soft line, with a keen sense of pacing and fashion, along with some of the most expressive faces in all of comics. If you are not familiar with her work, I can’t recommend Rocket Girl more highly. It is, simply put, one of the most beautifully rendered books in all of comics.
From Issue 93, Amy Reeder takes a picture of Kal at her booth at 2017 New York Comic Com.
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WildFang on Lafayette in February 2018
THE TIME IS RIPE BY MADELINE VEGA
So much of what I want to say would never fit in a single issue of ADW. For like eight years I’ve collected screenshots and stuck them in a folder labeled “feminism.” The time never seemed right. No one hates white women except white women, so, while all of the problems are real, they seem kind of petty compared to other injustices in the world. This March brought a bunch of headlines to discuss. The CEO of Bumble became a billionaire, ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange while holding her baby—an unrealistic expectation. Stop Asian Hate trended after eight people were murdered
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by a man allegedly trying to tame his sexual addiction. Exoticism was a problem long before that. And the NCAA didn’t seem to be treating women’s basketball in an equitable manner. This Women’s History Month felt like time to take that folder and boil it down to a theme issue. I could go on editing this for another eight years, so instead I’ll say it’s an introduction to begin learning more.
WOMEN TO KNOW What started as a fun way to fit more information into this issue became an all-consuming attempt to complete more than 30 illustrations on deadline. Are they too masculine? Is their skin the right shade? The source might look like a goddess, but the final... not so much. Oh well. No regrets.
IS THAT OFFENSIVE?
JULIANA ROTICH TECHNOLOGIST, ENTREPRENEUR
One time I changed my credit from “Ms. Madeline Vega” to “Dinosaur Girly Productions” on a brochure I designed. In my head, freelancing for women ministries would support women more than retouching models’ labias for RSVLTS.com. But the woman who hired me pleaded “girly” in 6-point type undermined what women ministers had achieved. Did she know MadelineVega.com was pictures of women in their underwear? A photographer I follow paired inspirational quotes with lingerie shoots pre-pandemic. The juxtaposition was clever. You need to be empowered to book a boudoir shoot.
She developed web tools to crowdsource crisis information to make Kenya safer. Now her BRCK can bring internet access with a battery modem.
TU YOUYOU PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMIST
WHEN I STARTED COLLECTING screenshots, my feed was full of posts from Esquire and Miss Representation. Their takes were almost always opposites. They both celebrated when Thor became a woman, but one cheered Carl’s Jr.’s nude Super Bowl ad while the other promoted a hashtag to stop sexist Super Bowl ads. I had two little boys and was seeing a lot of posts about rape culture. There weren’t a lot of posts for how to do a better job of raising boys, and one was going to Catholic preschool where high school boys traveled for anti-abortion rallies. So I took screenshots like, I’ll deal with all this later.
After discovering artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, a breakthrough in malaria treatments, she became the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize.
osexual The post meetr world d mansedsxy everyone be
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DR. HYAT SINDI SCIENTIST AND INNOVATOR
After creating low-cost devices for use in developing countries to help diagnose diseases, she was named the ninth most influential Arab woman.
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At the Intersection of
POLICE AND PROTECT
DR. GLADYS WEST MATHEMATICIAN
Her contributions to the modeling of the shape of the Earth and the satellite geodesy models are the underpinning for GPS.
When schools argue they cannot regulate anyone wearing masks, some of us laugh. T-shirts are turned inside out and girls are sent home for exposing bra straps or thighs. Clothing, makeup, and hair are thoroughly policed. We can’t defend society from a virus with a layer of fabric the way we try to protect against sexual urges? Comments sections quickly go off the rails to attack appearances and equate them with intelligence and health—or how much value we can assign an individual. Janeane Garofalo once talked about how, as people fawned over her in the ’90s, all she could think was she’d lost so much weight her teeth were loose. Margaret Cho had a whole routine about being hospitalized after losing 30 pounds to play basically herself on All-American Girl. Now Lena Dunham is using her platform to talk about the differences between being a size 4 and size 14 and how that shouldn’t determine value. We won’t stop valuing appearance, but it seems healthier to accept a whole range.
Annette Kellermann was arrested in 1907 for indecent exposure. The Australian professional swimmer started her own line of suits.
Jes Baker themilitantbaker.com responds to A&F limiting women’s sizes in 2013 because fat kids are “uncool.”
MARIA DA PENHA ACTIVIST
A Brazilian biopharmacist and human rights defender for whom a 2006 Brazilian law is named after her own domestic violence case languished.
DR. ROSALIND FRANKLIN CHEMIST
An English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite.
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When magazines take the idea that there isn’t one perfect woman and then create her based on polling, it really misses the point. One artist actually wrote “beautiful” on herself to challenge the concept of what is accepted.
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April 2014 - credit tumblr
In the early 1900s, women’s swimming costumes included high necks, long sleeves, skirts, and pants. As suits changed, women received tickets.
COMPLIMENTARY?
Smyle by Nightpantz pretends to advertise a pill that helps women appear more pleasing to men.
The debate around whether catcalls are friendly and bring joy ends up with one side assuming women want male attention. If we focus on yelling “nice tits” at a kid, we miss the bigger picture. Are females only here to be pleasing? Can she just go about her life? How am I too sensitive if you stop your car to yell at me about the scowl on my face? —MV
MARY GOLDA ROSS AEROSPACE ENGINEER
To celebrate Native Americans, a special $1 U.S. coin features the first female Lockheed engineer and her contributions to the space program.
Enjoy the cold, emotionless embrace of Robot Hugs and learn to be an ally https://www.robot-hugs.com/comic/harassment/
HOW TO HAVE IT ALL A favorite question to introduce something like this themed issue is to ask, “Can women have it all?” No. As author Nora Roberts once explained, you’re constantly juggling balls. Know which are plastic and which are glass. Some balls shatter and some bounce, and that’s okay. The goal is to be able to decide and then accept what you can. The other day I saw an interview with Lucille Ball’s granddaughter where she talked about how Ball spent so much time doting on her because she hadn’t had that opportunity as a mother—she’d been so busy trailblazing in the entertainment industry. When asked if Ball was a feminist, her granddaughter was quick to say no, she was just an all-American girl trying to live her life. Um... A guy from my hometown posted that he was at a coffee shop and 12 women were all holding babies, talking about babies, looking at babies... “Mom, do you regret missing out on this and getting your PhD instead?” Right away loads of female friends showed up to ask if he was being sarcastic. Then his mom publicly reminded him that she fussed over babies for years and didn’t start her doctorate until he was in junior high. The poster said he’s worked with quite a few moms who kick ass, comment below, unfriend above... I don’t think he meant to be malicious. Like the cartoon at the left, sometimes these aren’t real people coming for you. Inner critics find fodder everywhere. Would women finally feel like they have it all if all life paths were supported? —MV
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DR. CYNTHIA BREAZEAL ROBOTICS PIONEER
Her work in autonomous robotics promotes human flourishing and personal growth.
NORA STANTON BLATCH BARNEY ENGINEER
Like her grandmother Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Nora was involved in work for world peace and women’s rights. In 1905, she was the first woman to graduate from Cornell University with a Civil Engineering degree.
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REPRESENTATION MATTERS
DR. ROGER ARLINER YOUNG ZOOLOGIST
She earned her doctorate after years of juggling research and teaching with the burden of caring for her invalid mother. She studied hydration and dehydration of living cells.
Long before Nichelle Nichols took off on the USS Enterprise as Lt. Nyota Uhura in 1966, women were succeeding in science, but Nichols was the most visible Black woman on television during the Civil Rights era. When she planned to leave Star Trek for a role on Broadway, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned her a blonde could be cast in her spot and it would be like she was never there. So she stayed as a beacon for fans and sang after the series ended. Dr. Mae Jemison says Nichols inspired her to become an astronaut.
Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) was a Linguistics Cryptographer Philologist on Star Trek. Dr. Mae Jemison appeared in an episode of The Next Generation in 1993. In Renegades: Ominara, Nichols plays the title character, a pirate and head of the underworld. Loren Lott plays the younger version of Ominara. Nichols tells her on TikTok she is also just here for the snacks.
DR. RUTH ELLA MOORE BACTERIOLOGIST
Born in 1903, she was a pioneer for Black female scientists. Moore conducted studies on blood groups and enterobacteriacea.
1969: Margaret Hamilton stands next to the code that got us to the moon. Hamilton was the lead Apollo flight software designer. 2019: Dr. Katie Bouman poses with the 5 petabytes (5,000,000 gigabytes) of data that got us to the black hole. Dr. Bouman developed the algorithm to make the first picture of a black hole.
Diana Trujillo who traveled to the U.S. with no English and just $300 in her pocket just put a rover on Mars. “As a little girl, I saw the women in my family give up a lot. It gave me the tenacity that I needed to say I’m not going to give up on my dream. I want to be out there looking back in, showing my family that women have value, that women matter.”
DR. SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON PHYSICIST
The former Chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (2014-2017) has a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy.
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SEEMS APPROPRIATE
Our gaming issue didn’t get into the abuse female gamers receive online, so an influencer ad for Tampax that emphasizes comfort caught my attention. Most posts from @krystalogytv feature sexy costumes, but this story emphasized all the ways to game and be comfortable—partly inclusive, partly fantasy.
At the Intersection of
RACISM AND SEXISM 1913 is not ancient history. The fact there’s a photograph of Harriet Tubman at all stopped my scrolling. As Shaun King says in his post, this is why our nation is still fighting over the legacy of slavery today. Nothing about Meghan Markle telling Oprah all the ways the royal family and British tabloids were racist struck me as interesting. Now This seemed to have a similar attitude, taking the opportunity to recap how 12-yearold Markle asked Proctor & Gamble to change its sexist ad for Ivory dish soap. Nick News covered the story and the ad changed. It doesn’t seem likely the current media environment will put as much pressure on the royal family to treat Prince Andrew’s possible child sex trafficking with as much scrutiny as they are treating claims of Markle bullying staff. —MV
History isn’t something you look back at and say it was inevitable. It happens because people make decisions that are sometimes impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities. —Marsha P. Johnson
STACEY ABRAMS POLITICIAN, LAWYER, ACTIVIST
Her founding of Fair Fight Action has been widely credited with boosting voter turnout and giving Democrats the White House and Senate.
DR. MAE JEMISON ASTRONAUT, ENGINEER, PHYSICIAN
She became the first Black woman to travel in space after serving as a doctor for the Peace Corps. She is the current principal of the 100 Year Starship organization.
trans rights activist and key figure of the Stonewall Uprising
A reminder that transwomen are women and Black trans lives matter.
Two more women I would have included as illustrations if I had the time: RENÉE RICHARDS
Richards had competed in the men’s U.S. Open about 15 years before transitioning. After completing her transition, she wanted to take to the court in the women’s U.S. Open. When various forces in tennis colluded to stop her, she sued the United States Tennis Association in court and won the right to compete as a woman.
MONICA ROBERTS
On her blog, TransGriot, she says, “At least five people have told me that reading my blog posts is what kept them from committing suicide. So every time I sit down and start writing a post, I keep that in mind— that what I’m writing may inspire someone who does not want to persevere.”
March 23, 2021 • Art
DR. MARIE MAYNARD DALY BIOCHEMIST
Daly’s research disclosed the relationship between high cholesterol and clogged arteries, increasing our understanding of how diets affect the health of the heart and the circulatory system.
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SECOND GUESS
BIANCA SMITH RED SOX MINOR LEAGUE COACH
Her Jan. 4 hiring is seen as a bridge between men’s and women’s sports and an inspiration for Black players.
I wrote “2nd Guess” on the refrigerator white board so I wouldn’t be stressing about trying to remember all my ideas. Luis asked me what it meant but I wasn’t ready to talk, so I simply said, “It’s a story idea.” A few days later he asked again. I was more annoyed when I gave the answer the second time. “I don’t remember you telling me before. I don’t remember ever seeing it before,” he says, and I think, That’s why I have to write this... Even when it’s not gaslighting in the present, I grew up with constant seeds of doubt from my mom always questioning my perception. I heard her wrong. I don’t know what I’m talking about. The same people who would tell me my mom was wrong would then pull the same “you don’t know what you’re talking about” routine on me. So I can’t just type my ramblings into the issue. I can’t just fire off an email. I research. I triple check. I quadruple guess. Maybe it makes ADW better.
Where Misogyny Meets
CONSEQUENCES
SERENA WILLIAMS GREATEST OF ALL TIME
With 23 singles Grand Slams, 14 doubles Grand Slams, and four Olympic gold medals, does it matter she lost the 2021 Australian Open semifinals? She was maybe 9 weeks pregnant when she won it in 2017.
JEMELE HILL JOURNALIST
Hill uses her platforms in The Atlantic and on cable TV and social media to discuss social issues, sports activism, business, and culture.
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Cancel culture shows up in my social media when it’s about a mom with an OnlyFans account reacting to her children being expelled from a Catholic school. The way I see it, the phrase cancel culture only took off after white men were punished for their misdeeds. The same society that wants to demonize cancel culture is happy to keep on attacking women. Kelleth Cuthbert’s appearance on the 2019 Golden Globes red carpet was so viral Fiji Water used her likeness for standees. Cuthbert sued, claiming she did not sign away her rights to ‘Fiji Water Girl.’ The bottled-water company filed a countersuit, alleging Cuthbert not only reneged on their agreement, but had “attempted to extort” Fiji, characterizing Cuthbert’s lawsuit as a move to “bite the hand that feeds her.” When Ted Yoho accosted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and called her names in front of reporters, the story became that AOC was using this as a platform to spring an expansion of her brand. AOC making a speech to say Yoho’s apology was unacceptable was somehow norm shattering. She is disruptive and viral. Commenters showed up to say she can’t complain. That’s how men treat each other. This is equal treatment for women. To which one wonders if men should treat each other better.
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BOOBS But Not Like That Rape culture is the system that prioritizes a woman’s purity and also allows for a man’s promiscuity, like a girl being sent home from school for violating a dress code (and interrupting her education) rather than teaching boys to focus on education. A whole industry keeps it going with pendants women can press to send a distress signal, nail polish to test if their drinks have been drugged, and so on. This creates a problem when there are nipples out there on Instagram from breastfeeding pictures. Is it sexy? Is she slutty? The same culture that once demanded women’s swimwear include high collars cannot resolve whipping out a tit for the purpose of nourishing a screaming infant. Hence, the comments on the photo below are about how horrified a mom is her daughter witnessed a stranger breastfeeding as though the daughter should not know this. —MV
KIM NG GENERAL MANAGER
The Miami Marlins hired Ng in November, making her the first female GM in MLB history. Forbes had already listed her as the 13th most influential woman in sports in 2015.
I PLACED A
KAREN ALWAYS WINS Whiteness always saves the day. When a Black couple stole baby formula, the press used their mugshots. When a white man murdered his daughters to punish his wife, the press used a happy family photo. So it’s not surprising that two different women breastfeeding in their graduation caps and gowns would receive different reactions publicly. Karlesha Thurman, a Black mother in California, ended up deleting the photo of herself to quell the blacklash. Four months later, Caucasian Australian woman Jacci Sharkey’s photo received overwhelmingly positive comments. Ruby Hamad has an amazing explanation on DailyLife.com.au. Lest we forget Meghan Markle’s claims about British royalty, “Colonial Australia was no better” than America: Non-white women were fair game for white men. So we end up with a culture where the hooker with a heart of gold is always white. “Even at her most licentious, she is made to appear innocent, wholesome and strangely virginal,” says Professor Edward Rhymes. So Sharkey is “adorable” and portrayed with girlish innocence while Thurman is vilified. And it’s not about where she was sitting. —MV
screenshot of an American Apparel skyscaper ad here and then deleted it because I thought the overwhelming image of a model’s ass as she doubles over degraded the achievements of Sarah Thomas. The “Hold Up” ad is from 2014, but Google is showing me American Apparel ads were rating as NSFW in 2017. I guess they declared bankruptcy but kept the aesthetic.
SARAH THOMAS NFL REFEREE
Officiating Super Bowl LV was the latest way Thomas broke glass ceilings as a football ref. She says her two decades in football started after she was voted out of a men’s basketball league.
MAIA CHAKA NFL REFEREE
The first one made me laugh. The second one I also read as celebrating the night he made her a woman.
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Working for the NFL in development since 2014, she will officiate her first NFL game in 2021
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BETTY
Throughout history, from all walks of life, this name deserves a spotlight 1682 - At the age of 23, Lady Elizabeth Hastings inherited a fortune. Lady Betty, as she became known, adopted a lifestyle of deep Christianity and enlightened philanthropy. A well known Society figure, she declined all offers of marriage. Seeing education as key to the future, she founded schools for girls. In 1738 Lady Betty contracted breast cancer for which she underwent surgery without the benefit of anaesthetics. Considering her future, on Dec. 14, 1738, she set up a Trust Deed, providing for the establishment of the charities that would bear her name. For this to be effective, she had to live for at least a year from that date; she survived for a year and a week, leaving a legacy that has helped tens of thousands of people over four centuries, according to ladyelizabethhastingscharities.co.uk.
DR. BETTY SHABAZZ CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE
Raised in Detroit, she started as an education major at Tuskeegee but then moved to New York to escape Jim Crow laws. There she joined the Nation of Islam, changed her name to Betty X, and married Malcom X the same day she received her nursing license.
Around 1740 - A fearsome public executioner was born in Ireland. Betty Sugrue, a destitute farmer’s widow set off for Roscommon with her two children, one of whom died along the road. She and the surviving son scavenged and begged. Eventually he headed for America, promising to send money. After many years of sorrow and destitution, a stranger asked to stay with her. She thought it unfair he had so much money, so she took a knife and killed him. Turned out this stranger was her son. She was sentenced to hang, but, on the day of her and 25 other convicts’ execution, the hangman took ill. Seeing the sheriff still needed to put on a show for the gathered crowd, Betty offered to do the job. Lady Betty the Merciless Hangwoman of Roscommon held the job until 1802.
1738 - Betty, a biracial woman, was born into slavery, working her entire life for Martha Washington. At the age of 23, her daughter, Ona Judge, fled to New Hampshire. Though never freed, the Washington family did not want to risk public backlash in forcing Ona to return to Virginia. Betty died at Mount Vernon and exemplifies the sexual vulnerability of enslaved women.
BETTY WHITE ACTRESS, COMEDIAN
No. 11 in 1920s
Shortly after graduating high school, White transitioned from radio to television and is regarded as a pioneer.
BETTY FORD FIRST LADY
President Nixon picked Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew, and then resigned. “I was no different once I became first lady than I had been before. But, through an accident of history, I had become interesting to people.”
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1914 - Madeleine Passot was born in Paris and joined the French Resistance during World War II, using the name “Betty.” She assumed many perilous missions throughout the country to develop hideouts, drop boxes, and safe houses as well as recruiting new members. Under the name Lucienne Langlois, she was arrested in 1942 and sent to Auschwitz. A trained dentist introduced her as a nurse. She worked in appalling conditions during a typhus epidemic at the camp. She was freed by the Swedish Army in 1945 and returned to Paris.
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How popular is the name Betty? Ranking per million births according to BabyNameWizard.com.
1943 - Co-recipient of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize, Betty Williams was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After witnessing an Irish Republic Army officer’s car strike and kill three children, she obtained 6,000 signatures within two days on a petition for peace. She and Mairead Corrigan co-founded the Women for Peace (later the Community of Peace People) to promote peaceful resolutions to the troubles in Northern Ireland. She lectured widely on topics of peace, education, inter-cultural and inter-faith understanding, anti-extremism, and children’s rights.
FAVORITE FICTIONAL BETTYS A round up of the Bettys we love, some more recognizable than others
BETTY FRIEDAN THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE
In her first book, which sold more than 2 million copies in 1963, Friedan argued that women should not be satisfied with the status quo. She pushed for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Betty Crocker, created in 1921 Betty Brant, Spider-Man: Homecoming Betty Rizzo, Grease Betty Suarez, Ugly Betty Betty Rubble, The Flintstones Betty Boop, created 1930 The Bettys, Phineas and Ferb
‘Betty Spaghetti’ Horn, A League of Their Own Betty Ross/She-Hulk, Hulk Bette Kane, Titans Betty Forest/Bitter Frost, Amazing Spider-Girl Betty Cooper, Archie Betty Barret/Atomic Betty, Atomic Betty
A popular name for
BETTY BOOTHROYD SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
The only woman to have served as Speaker in the British Parliament.
ACTRESSES
Betty Grable - actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer, the U.S. Treasury Department in 1946 and 1947 listed her as the highestsalaried American woman Bette Davis - known for her forceful and intense style of acting Betty Gilpin - three-time Emmy nominee for her performance as “Liberty Belle” on GLOW Betty Gabriel - as Georgina in Get Out, she earned critical acclaim Betty Buckley - won a Tony for her performance as Grizabella in the original cast of Cats
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LAUREN BACALL ACTRESS
Born Betty Jean Perske, she played a bad-ass femme fatale with a smoky voice and signature sultry “look.”
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Almost every ad on Madeline’s phone tells her she can do 7-minute workouts and target her specific metabolism to lose 40 pounds instantly...
Chipotle and e.l.f. share values and a target audience in their attempt to entertain and seduce customers. Producing original hit tunes and immersion experiences, e.l.f. is more than a makeup company.
A study found male CEOs with deeper voices manage larger companies, make more money, and stay in their jobs for longer. There weren’t enough female CEOs for a sample to study.
WHAT’S THE POINT Madeline squeezes in a few final matters
As a mom, that feels like all I’m doing is attracting more housework and problem-solving.
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Women will never be as good at being men as men are, so women are at a disadvantage if male behavior is the norm. A CEO recently posted a picture of herself with the word “female” crossed out to declare that she was done with cutesy “girl boss” and “shepreneur” tags because all it does is allow investors to see companies founded by women in a separate class. Thousands of comments debated whether getting rid of the tag actually decreases the bias against female traits. Maybe it’s easier for white women. Being a Black-owned business is an important tag when potential customers are looking to show support. Until it’s no longer a novelty, labels can be inspiring. Unconscious bias can’t begin to be addressed without acknowledging racism, sexism, and past grievances. Hearing it’s [Whatever] Month does make me want to roll my eyes, but those months are times to learn more. Similar to the way some people need to know they are better than fastfood workers because fastfood workers don’t make a living wage, some people need to know their status is secure because they are male. I think the goal is to create a society where everyone is secure as themselves.
Sometimes I confuse motivational posts from tough guys trying to sound like bosses with posts from “bitch” handles Ma Kyal Sin, 19, died defying security forces in Myanmar. Madeline ran out of space to explain all the ways women took a stand and tried to bring change around the world in 2020.
BUT BE FEMININE? At some point I realized pretty people can get away with anything, but watching montages of DIY hair transformations is the epitome of that. You have neon green hair? You chopped tiny bangs? Now you shaved it all off? Sure, you’re fair skinned with big eyes and symmetrical features. You can do that. Or maybe it’s just that they are so enthusiastically committed to those tiny bangs. Authenticity also makes everything more forgivable. Women who are breaking norms seem to always retain some standard feminine quality. On Page 8, it’s Jes Baker’s hair and makeup. Rosie the Riveter has huge eyelashes. Professional female athletes seem to have runway-ready bodies. How do we get to a point of raising girls (and boys) who are comfortable with themselves just as they are? How do we get them to prioritize the way they treat other people and take pride in that? —MV
In March 2014, after Target seemed to use the same clipping path on a number of images, people decided one model’s arms were too long.
Pregnant comics are a blessing.
PHOTOSHOP IS NOT THE ENEMY
This hed/photo combo is ridiculous.
My first year in New York, I interned a lot of places. Company-wide lunches for HFMUS interns introduced different parts of the publishing process. When the photo studio showed changes they made to a well story in ELLE, one table was horrified. “They only do that to the cover, right?” I laughed out loud. At InStyle, we made so many Imaging requests. Celebrities looked so greasy and terrible in tiny party photos. But everything—everything—needs to be at least color-corrected. Legislation to ban Photoshop is pointless.
March 23, 2021 • Art
These skinny thighs are an attempt at realistic beauty standards
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GOING ON A TANGENT It’s hard to avoid misogyny when researching comic book Bettys Only Betty Banner ended up on the list of Women in Refrigerators, but the search for character pictures took Madeline down a rabbit hole of all the ways comic fans can exemplify sexism and racism.
How many Bettys could Jennifer Connelly have played? Jenny, not Betty, in The Rocketeer (1991) Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind (2001) Betty Banner in Hulk (2003)
31
Reading Connelly is married to Bettany, he suddenly seemed way too old to be playing house with Elizabeth Olsen. He can keep getting cast forever but will 31 prove to be a cut off for actresses?
WHY ʻJENNY’? The Rocketeer is an adventure story set in pulp fiction-styled 1930s about a down-on-hisluck pilot named Cliff Secord who finds a mysterious rocket pack. Dave Stevens, the creator, said, “All my vague cartoon ambitions suddenly fused into one crystal clear goal: to draw dramatic, emotionally-charged, energized scenes of power, grandeur, and intensity.” As a longtime admirer of Bettie Page, he made her Cliff’s girlfriend. Disney, however, could not have Bettie Page in the movie version. Instead, Cliff’s girlfriend would not evoke fetish imagery.
Betty, Ned, and MJ in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the treatment excited fans give Ned and Betty, and Betty Brant’s What If treatment as Spider-Woman
BACK ON TOP Bettie Page slipped into obscurity as a born again Christian after a decade as a successful pin-up model in the ’50s. Renewed interest in her with the popularity of The Rocketeer brought her out of hiding in the ’80s. She was practically penniless, so, when Dave Stevens befriended her, he helped her reclaim her wealth through financial compensation for her from the use of her likeness.
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Art Department Weekly • March 23, 2021
CALL IT ENTHUSIASM? Four years ago, after it was announced Angourie Rice, a blonde, would be in Spider-Man: Homecoming, fans assumed she would be Gwen Stacy. (Her costume includes a black headband like Gwen.) Articles still use her photo, not Zendaya’s, when running down who Peter has dated onscreen. There are theories that she could still become Spider-Gwen, ignoring the history that Betty Brant was once Spider-Girl. All of this adds up to the rule that female characters are only here for the pleasure of heros and white cisgender male audience members. I mean, even Aunt May is sexy now.
BREATH of FRESH AIR
March 23, 2021 • Art
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KEEPING AN EYE ON THE SKY FOR POOL WEATHER
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March 23, 2021 • Art
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needs intensity
In the dynamic version, needs overlap instead of expecting you to climb one tier at a time
Self-fulfillment Selfneeds actualization: achieving one’s full potential, including creative activities Esteem: prestige and accomplishment
personal development
Psychological needs
Belongingness and love: intimate relationships, friends Safety: physical security Physiological: food, water, warmth, rest
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Physiological needs
Esteem
Safety needs
Self-actualization
Love/belonging
ALL AT THE SAME TIME Basic needs
For almost the whole year in quarantine, I think, I’ve been seeing reminders from well-intentioned people that this is a pandemic and we are all operating at the bottom of the pyramid. It’s supposed to be a reminder to forgive yourself for not being as productive as Shakespeare or Isaac Newton were during their respective pandemics, but it also kind of dumbs down the fact that you can need to figure out how to get groceries and also need to write the next great American novel at the same time. Abraham Maslow proposed the idea of a hierarchy of needs but did not actually portray them in the shape of a pyramid. His idea is that individuals’ most basic needs must be met before they become motivated to achieve higher-level needs, but that’s why I like the dynamic model more. It gives everyone permission to not climb a linear path to transcendence. Posting the pyramid is a great reminder to acknowledge feeling anxious or tense and that a hot meal and shower could be the solution. But I want everyone to have permission to strive for constant betterment because humans are complex and can run parallel processes at the same time. You can need to see friends more than you need to eat. —MV
Happy first anniversary of lockdown!
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Art Department Weekly • March 23, 2021
AGE OF HEROES Luis rediscovers the joy of basketball
I “It’s the hat,” Serviceplan Hamburg München, Germany for Hut Weber
I’ve been very vocal this year about my dislike of NBA2K21. Over the past five years, my most played game was always NBA 2K. That changed with the ’21 release. First, they changed the shooting mechanics in game. They took a function no one really complained about and wanted everyone to learn a new method of shooting. Then they buffed the AI on the CPU making it even harder to defeat your virtual opponents. After that they completely turned their back on current gen users to focus almost solely on the next gen consoles. Those of us without a next gen console had to look on while a whole new city playable area was built for PS5 and XboxS users. Lastly, the proliferation of weekly releases made the game more pay to play than ever. The barrier for casual players was simply too high.
For months, I’ve avoided the game. Then they released their Season 5 trailer... “The Age of Heroes.” The new season would be based on heroic card versions of some of the best past and present players in the NBA. As a lifelong comic book fan, this catered to me. Over the past month I’ve played more 2K than I have since its release. The shooting has been retooled to match previous versions. The CPU not as buff. There are still problems with too many premium cards released, but they made quite a few hero cards available for a casual grind. That plus the hero cards like Galaxy Opal Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich coach cards! All in all, for the first time this season, content and gameplay have meshed and I’m actually enjoying this game. I hope Season 6 is just as good.
SEEMS ACCURATE The other day the New York Times had a story where they were talking to a bunch of 15- and 16-year-olds about the volunteer work they were doing during the pandemic. And they all looked so old. Like beat down and joyless old. Like “ugh, being middle aged sucks” kind of old. It made this artist’s progress photos that go from a baby to Morgan Freeman feel even more like it needed to be included in a pandemic anniversary issue.
March 23, 2021 • Art
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FIVE THINGS BETTY PRETENDS TO CUT KAL’S HAIR. AT SOME POINT WE’LL DO IT FOR REAL
TAKING TURNS After Betty brushed and pretended to cut Kal’s hair, he wanted a turn. She wouldn’t really let him near her, though.
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