Lydia Magazine (Issue 3, Summer 2015) by Lydia Magazine

lydia MAJOR Summer FASHION Emma Approved’s

ZELLA DAY

PMS? Yes!

Summer 2015

NEW

You’ll Love

Issue 3

INSIDE PG 16 Joanna Sotomura models some of the summer’s biggest trends and lets us in on her sartorial inspirations, the story behind her star turn in web series Emma Approved and what’s up next.

PMS BITES

ZELLA DAY

MEG CABOT

SCREEN QUEENS

SWEET TREATS TO CURE YOUR WORST PMS SYMPTOMS. GENIUS!

BREAKING INTO THE MUSIC BIZ WITH FIERCE TRACKS & FEMME ‘TUDE

PRINCESS MIA IS BACK IN A NEW ADULT SEQUEL TO THE POPULAR YA SERIES

ARE WOMEN’S TV ROLES REALLY AS DIVERSE AS WE THINK?

lydia

SUMMER 2015 IN EVERY ISSUE

STYLE & BEAUTY

HOME & LIFESTYLE

8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

28 THOUGHTS & ESSAYS

48 5

LETTER After a very long and very cold winter, nothing gives you that “Ahh, it’s Summer!” feeling quite like revamping your wardrobe. There are so many pretty, wearable, and flattering trends popping up this season, from classic gingham to simple ladylike shifts, and we’ve got the best of the best in this issue—and where to shop the trends (page 16)—all modeled by the gorgeous and uber-talented Joanna Sotomura of Emma Approved fame, who is definitely one to watch as she continues to carve out her space in web series and beyond.

Once you’ve got your summer style settled, you’ll need a summer soundtrack, and we’ve got it in the form of Zella Day. She’s already been making waves in the industry (that was her song you heard playing in Insurgent this past March) but her debut album Kicker (out June 2nd!) is guaranteed to send her into the stratosphere. We got to chat with Zella before the madness on Page 28. As always, we’ve also got some long form reads for you to delve into on the beach or the plane, too.

Kate Everson takes a fascinating look at women in television, and whether our celebratory attitudes over the addition of more female cast members to the small screen is premature. Are we really progressing as much as we think we are? On page 42, Dani Berkowitz takes a look at women in the superhero fandom. Why are mainstream fandom clothing options for women so limited, and our female superheroes so underrepresented, when women are buying 50% of movie tickets? We look to an independent retailer who is filling that gap. Oh, and all of you Princess Diaries fans, get ready: Princess Mia is back! We chat with YA Queen Meg Cabot before the release of the new adult sequel to the series, and get the inside scoop on what it was like for her to step back into Miss Thermopolis’s world— and all of the exciting surprises she has in store. Check it out on page 32. I hope you have an amazing summer! And be sure to share your favorites from this issue with us on Twitter @lydiamag. We’d love to hear from you!

PHOTO BY LIZ BESANSON

FAVORITES THIS ISSUE PMS BITES IS REVOLUTIONIZING PERIOD SNACKING WITH TREATS THAT CONTAIN CRAVING, BLOATING & CRAMP FIGHTING INGREDIENTS. LEARN MORE ON PAGE 24. SUMMER JOBS CAN BE A DRAG, BUT CAN THEY BE ESPECIALLY BAD WHEN YOU’RE A WOMAN? READ ABOUT A FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WITH THE SEASONAL GIG FROM HELL ON PAGE 40. FEMSPLAIN IS CHANGING WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A FEMALE SPACE ONLINE. FOUNDER AMBER GORDON SHARES MORE ABOUT THE SITE ON PAGE 44.

CONTRIBUTORS

Lauren is a Syracuse, NY native and a recent graduate of Northeastern University with a degree in music business. As much as she would love to be in LA eating burgers at In-NOut and working at a record label, she is currently spending some time at home with her dog, Princess Sparkle. When she is not job hunting, she can be found binge-watching TV shows on Netflix, posting funny gifs on Tumblr, and singing Miley Cyrus songs in the car.

Self-proclaimed purveyor of words, Ana Montoya has been smitten with the written word ever since her dad bought her very first Hello Kitty diary when she was five years old. In the years to follow, you could’ve easily found her at her school’s book fairs, writing for the campus paper, or editing the class yearbook. Today, when she’s not leading social media for a fun girls' clothing and accessories retail brand, Ana’s searching for the next interesting place to explore.

Maggie Grace is a 23 year old armed with a creative writing degree, a camera, and a tube of red lipstick at all times. Josh Ritter and Taylor Swift are her favorite musicians and she is probably the laziest outdoor enthusiast in the PNW. She will defend YA literature until the end of time, considers watching entire seasons of sitcoms in one sitting her greatest talent, and is just trying to figure out how to be Amy Poehler now that she's in the "real world".

Kate is a Chicago journalist and University of Missouri alumna. By day she is an associate editor for four HR industry magazines. By night, she reviews films, outlines fiction novels with tough female leads and dreams of being the first person to win two Oscars in the same night for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay. When her fingers aren’t getting exercise bouncing across her keyboard, she’s waiting by the mailbox for her Hogwarts letter.

Danielle Carter is a newscast producer by night, and sleepy person by day. Currently in Lexington, Kentucky, Danielle has a little bit of her heart stashed in her birthplace of Orlando, Florida, her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, her college town of Columbia, Missouri, and her host country of Belgium. When she isn’t at the TV station, she can be found in her natural habitat–out exploring Kentucky and Ohio, watching a baseball game, cooking, crafting, or watching a good action movie.

BOARD

Wish List!

Frédérique Tietcheu is my style inspiration

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I live in these!

PAOLONUTINI.COM

ALDOSHOES.COM

TOPSHOP.COM

DEMESTIKSNEWYORK.COM

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STYLE & BEAUTY I AFFORDABLE FASHION, BEAUTY SECRETS, THE LOOK YOU LOVE.

NINA BUDAY / SHUTTERSTOCK

SUMMER BEAUTY ESSENTIALS

GO DEWY This best of a BB, CC and DD cream is super moisturizing and lightweight, even with SPF 30. Comes in 10 shades to complement every skin tone. BARE MINERALS COMPLEXION RESCUE™ Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream $29.00, Sephora.com

GET THE GLOW For a summery sun-kissed look without sacrificing the health of your skin, fan favorite Hoola bronzer is like Barbados in a box. Just sweep it lightly across the forehead, chin and in the hollows of your cheeks and go! BENEFIT COSMETICS Hoola bronzer $28.00, Sephora.com PUCKER UP This five-in-one lip enhancing balm gives just the right amount of color without the caked-on feeling of lipstick. Plus it protects with SPF 15 and contains no parabens, sulfates or phthalates. BITE BEAUTY BB for Lips $24.00, Sephora.com

BEACHY KEEN Salt water waves in a bottle, because you can’t always spend the whole day at the beach. Just spray, tousle and go all day with effortless tresses. BUMBLE AND BUMBLE Surf Infusion $29.00, Sephora.com

SET IT UP The lightweight, matte finish of this mist protects the sensitive skin of your face, keeping makeup looking ‘just applied’ and fresh. It also protects against the sun’s rays with SPF 30, making it a great alternative to your traditional greasy sunscreen. COOLA Makeup Setting Spray $36.00, Sephora.com

MOISTURIZE This moisturizer utilizes seaweed to rebalance oil and combat shine for matte skin that stays flawless all summer. Use after cleansing and toning in the morning for all-day clean. THE BODY SHOP Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream $16.50, TheBodyShop.com

LUXE LASHES When the rest of your makeup is simple, your lashes can take center stage. This mascara is waterproof, so it won’t smudge, and it elongates, separates and thickens with a vitamin-rich formula that won’t irritate your eyes. BUXOM Lash Waterproof Mascara $19.00, Sephora.com PRETTY PAINTS Summer means manicures and pedicures are a weekly occurrence, so you’ll want to stock up on Zoya’s bright new summer line. The best part? All of their paints are toxin free. ZOYA nail polish in Talia $9, Zoya.com

WE STILL WRITE IN CURSIVE Interviewed by Kerri Jarema

Tahereh and Tana are best friends, and that is the beginning of this story. Armed with creativity, camaraderie, and a desire to do something new, they started We Still Write in Cursive. A lifestyle site with inspiration galore, it features everything from DIY projects to travel pics, fashion photoshoots to recipes. We spoke with the author and photographer about what inspires them, what they love most about fashion and style, and how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re learning to juggle multiple creative projects with their flourishing careers and busy schedules.

I know from your About page that you met in college and have been friends ever since, but I would love to know more about what prompted you to create the site. How did you decide that the time was right? Do you have a manifesto of sorts for Still in Cursive? And how do you decide what content fulfills that purpose?

TAHEREH MAFI: For me, making this site was not only about bridging the gaps between my many interests, but it was also about getting me away from my desk. As an author, my job is very sedentary, and

TM: I've loved fashion forever, but growing up, I could never afford it; so I had to invent my own. I spent countless hours of my youth rummaging through thrift stores and consignment shops, only to then take those pieces home and revamp them into something new and wearable. I think it was the invented fashion of my tween years that fueled the sartorial passion of my twenties, and I still love bold choices that challenge and empower me. The right outfit is transformative. TG: I love athletic, casual, fancy leisure wear. Simple, airy, minimal, and classic. I think it comes from years and years of being in cross country and track in college and before. Sure, I love dressing up, but I love being comfortable with just a little bit of structure. It's great because I can get away with it in California. Tahereh, you wrote a really great post on getting to know your clothes, i.e. using two skirts in one look or replacing shirt buttons with statement earrings (GENIUS). Have you always dressed this way or is it something you've learned over the years? Do you have any other tips & tricks for making the most of what you own? I was actively searching for ways to get up, get out, and get moving. Our goal for this site was to tell stories in different mediums; and to push ourselves to be creative and enthusiastic about the basic textures and ingredients of life. Working in multiple creative mediums keeps us inspired. TANA GANDHI: We both love so many aspects of photography, fashion, blogging and social media. So it's been a long time coming! Last year we were at a coffee shop and we started asking ourselves, "Wouldn’t it be awesome if we did a shoot like this?" So it feels like this daydream has been slowly forming over some time. As cliché as it sounds, we scribbled down our first ideas on a paper napkin!

TM: My personal style is a constantly evolving, forever fluid thing. It changes just as I do, and the more I get to know myself, the more I understand my own tastes. I always, always hear people say things like "Oh, I could never pull that off" and I always think—why not? Style starts from inside; learn to love yourself first, and you'll always look amazing. You are both so busy with your work outside of the site, and you both do creative work for a living. How do you manage to keep burnout at bay? Do you have any tips for balancing a creative career with an equally creative hobby? TM: Make time for the things (and people!) you love. If you wait for a free moment, it'll never come.

Still in Cursive is, at the surface, a lifestyle blog, but its execution is so unique. Your fashion shoots are all conceptualized (rather than TG: This is definitely something I'm still figuring out. What's imjust street style shots) and you even create your own pieces, like the portant is to nurture the part that makes you want to create so paper dress. It is much more editorial than style blogger—why did whenever I do feel like I'm overwhelmed, I'll take a break and you decide to go this route? TM: Street style is fun because it's a snapshot of style in everyday life; but sometimes everyday life is limiting. The Still in Cursive space was always meant to be a place to explore the extraordinary, and editorial shoots give us more room to play. TG: Some of very first ideas we talked about were styled shoots. We always looked at editorial photos and asked ourselves—what would we do? What would be our take on it? Tahereh is so talented in creating something amazing out of very minimal material (like the paper dress!) so it's so inspiring to be able to document these creations. -You both have a very unique personal style and it comes across just how comfortable and confident you are in the pieces you choose for yourselves. Can you tell me more about your individual sartorial inspirations and how you developed your style? Do you have any particular rules or characteristics in pieces that you gravitate toward when building your wardrobe?

change things up. Switch my perspective. Before I know it, I'll get inspired and refreshed! What is your favorite part about working on the site? Styling? Baking? DIY? Anything that you would like to do more of? TM: I really love the styled shoots, and I'd love to build more sets and outfits. But I think we're learning and fine-tuning our interests from moment to moment. TG: I love all the parts! But of course, we're focused on some more styled shootsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;those are always so much fun.

What's coming up for Still in Cursive this year? TM: We're having conversations about collaborations and we'll be traveling a whole lot in the coming months, so there's a lot on the books this year! But we're still focused on making sure we can manage all this and our full-time jobs, so our fingers crossed we'll be able to do everything we want! TG: We definitely would like to do more editorial shoots. We have so many ideas but the challenge is to balance our workloads. So we'll keep creating and seeing what comes from it!

WHITE SHIFTS are a crisp template for any look, from ladylike to edgy LUSH dress; BCBG headband; ANNE TAYLOR clutch; STEVE MADDEN shoes

CALIFORNIA COOL Photographed by Brent Bailey 16

FLORALS arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just for spring anymore, especially with a pop of summery ocean blue TRAFALUC BY ZARA dress; Vintage bag; NINE WEST shoes

LACE accents get dressy with a crop tank, shorts and lace-up sandals LUSH top and shorts; MICHAEL KORS sunglasses; RESTRICTED sandals

ROMPERS are pretty and comfy when temperatures rise FOREVER 21 romper; C.C EXCLUSIVE hat 19

NAUTICAL STRIPES are a summer staple reimagined in a grown-up short set MINT top and shorts; RESTRICTED sandals

GET TO KNOW..

Joanna

FAVORITE SUMMER TREND Lately I have been crazy about crop tops. I think they’re the perfect alternative to a typical summer sundress. It’s such an effortless look when paired with matching shorts or a high-waisted skirt. If you just have a peak of midriff showing it can look really elegant and demure. They’re also ideal for these hot L.A. summers!

ULTIMATE BEAUTY ESSENTIAL I can’t leave the house without Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. I. I have very sensitive skin and suffer from pretty painful breakouts. This miracle cream is just light enough that it doesn't irritate my skin yet still provides amazing coverage. I really can’t give it enough praise!

STYLE INSPIRATION My style icons are Taylor Swift and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall. I want to live in their closets! I adore feminine skirts and fitted dresses just as much as I love my denim overalls and baggy sweaters. I’m all over the place fashion-wise but it’s much more fun that way!

When did you first start acting? Was it something you've always wanted to do? I first started acting in the seventh grade. I had just transferred to a new school and found it nearly impossible to make friends. I was really shy and incredibly hard on myself. I can laugh about it now but back then I would eat lunch in a bathroom stall to avoid having to find a seat in the cafeteria. My father signed me up for some theatre courses hoping it would force me to socialize and it worked! I fell in love with the stage and especially Shakespeare. I later graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BFA and I was cast in my first feature film Madison County... and the rest is history.

fans have been so supportive, creative and encouraging! And of course, I loved working with our cast and crew, especially Brent Bailey. We had so much fun on and off screen and I am thrilled that I got to share this experience with him. He is truly my real life Mr. Knightley. The cast of Emma Approved was so diverse and that inclusiveness felt so effortless while watching. Did you feel any particular pressure at recreating Emma as an Asian American woman? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to take on this role. Emma is such an iconic Austen heroine and I didn’t know how the fans would react to an Asian American playing her. Far too often, Asian women are portrayed as naive, timid or overly sexualized karate fighting girls. It was so rewarding to throw those stereotypes out the window and just play a woman who is strong and flawed and human. And the fact that I could play her for a full year was another amazing bonus!

What were the most rewarding and challenging parts of playing a classic character like Emma? Honestly, the most challenging part of playing Emma was memorizing all those lines in such a short amount of time. We shot about 60-80 pages over the course of two days and at most had five days to learn the script. Somehow we always got it done! Emma goes through a pretty intense journey; what did you learn from playing her? The most rewarding part of working on Em- When I first got the part, I was so nervous ma Approved was interacting with the fans. and scared and felt like I had bitten off more I’ve never been a part of a project where the than I could chew. I kept thinking that they

made a mistake in casting me and that I wasn’t strong enough to play her. Emma has given me more than I could have ever imagined. She showed me that strength isn’t just refusing to back down. It’s taking responsibility for your actions, good or bad. I learned that I am capable of so much more then I give myself credit for. I learned how true friends will stay by your side even in your most unlovable hours. And I learned to laugh at myself with my whole body and love myself with my whole heart. I have grown into a much stronger and happier person because of this show. Emma Woodhouse really has made my life better! What’s coming up next for you? Any new projects we should know about? I will be appearing in Wong Fu Productions first feature film, Everything Before Us, out June 3rd. I’m so proud of it! I'm guest-starring in Bernie Su's new series for StyleHaul called Vanity, out June 11. I'm shooting new shows for ISAtv and for one of them I'll be co-hosting with my friend Stephen Chang from Emma Approved. And I'll be speaking on a panel at this years Comic-Con! Last year was such an incredible rollercoaster, I can’t wait to see what this one has in store!

TROPICAL PRINT ROMPERS are the best combination of laid-back and city chic FOREIGN EXCHANGE romper; Vintage hat; MICHAEL KORS sunglasses; TAHARI shoes

SHOP THE TRENDS

7 8 6

1. RESTRICTED Wanda Sandal $44.95, DSW.com; 2. RIVER ISLAND Purple Tropical Print Romper $40.00, US.RiverIsland.com; 3. TARGET Striped Floppy Hat $14.99, Target.com; 4. ANN TAYLOR Signature Swimsuit Pouch $65.00, AnnTaylor.com; 5. MINT Marina Crop Top and Marina Stripe Short $74.00 each, MintClothingCompany.com; 6. FOREVER 21 Straw Grosgrain-Ribbon Boater $12.90, Forever21.com 7. CLOSET Skater Dress in Contrast Floral Print $95.00, ASOS.com 8. STEVE MADDEN Sandrina in Natural Leather $109.95, SteveMadden.com

HOME & LIFESTYLE I HOME, FOOD, HEALTH. GET THE GOOD LIFE.

PMS Bites: Nothing She Can’t Chew

Written by Kate Everson

Eat right. Stay away from caffeine. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Re- seek the help she needed. peat. “What I realized was that people, once they see you’re passionate This cycle is the typical advice given to the 90 percent of women about what you’re doing, are willing to help,” Green said. “My fawhose ovaries start reenacting scenes from Fight Club each month vorite question that I’ve been asking and that has been asked of me right before their periods, but sometimes premenstrual syndrome is ‘How can I help?’ And that’s what intentionally putting yourself symptoms team up with junk food cravings that make it impossible out there does.” to complete even the first task, let alone the rest. Green learned that putting herself at the mercy of like-minded A year ago, Bostonian Tania Green found a way to kick those kinds people resulted in getting tidbits of advice she likely wouldn’t reof cravings by concocting truffle-like chocolates containing organ- ceive otherwise. Not only did she have to humble herself to look ic, vegan ingredients and herbs such as dandelion root, Siberian for help, but also consciously decide to surround herself with those ginseng, and chamomile that are known to help with bloating, who would support her. cramping and other PMS symptoms. Some friendships had to fall by the wayside, while others had to be But it wasn’t a secret she wanted to keep to herself. Green wanted put on hold temporarily. “Sometimes you can’t answer a text right to share it with the rest of the world, and to do so she used her en- away or celebrate a birthday the same way because you have a 7 trepreneurial skills to develop a company that would aim to be a.m. meeting the next day,” she said. more than just another independent confectioner. In February, she These sacrifices are just the beginning for a budding entrepreneur. introduced her business, PMS Bites, to Kickstarter, where freeDeborah Attewell, president of the El Paso chapter of business lance funders pledged $5,400 out of Green’s $5,000 goal in under network Femfessionals, said many of the struggles women face 12 hours. when starting their own business relate to stereotypes surround“For me, this has always been bigger than the bites,” she said. “Do I ing the entire gender. love my product and believe in it? Yes, absolutely. But I think prodEverything associated with “professional”—stoicism, for example— ucts and business are a gateway to changing the world.” is also considered distinctly masculine. Meanwhile, women are Green didn’t just stop at developing three types of chocolates— considered overly emotional, catty and hyper-competitive, three Plain Crazy, Coco-Nutty and All Kinds of Nuts—to satisfy her traits that aren’t welcome in the boardroom or investor’s meetings. monthly cravings. She also created a subscription program that To overcome these stereotypes, sometimes women have to forfeit delivers bites to her customers when they need them most. their femininity entirely. Attewell said depending on her audience, “We’re always on the go, always taught to be strong, confident she has to dress in more gender-neutral clothing, keep a serious women to the point where we’re not acknowledging that some tone and hold back her smiles to keep from seeming overly emodays we might feel a little sad or a little crampy,” she said. “We’re tional—a trait that’s been relegated as disadvantageous in busitaught to suck it up. But acknowledging it and taking steps to over- ness. come it is the best solution.” “Sometimes it feels as though when I show that (feminine) side of But sitting down to a bag of Ghirardelli squares isn’t going to help myself people think, ‘Oh look at how cute she is, trying to run a in the long run, which is why Green makes sure her snacks don’t business,’” Attewell said. “In my mind I'm screaming, "No! I have a sacrifice nutrition for crave-reduction. Vegan and organic ingredi- degree and experience, and I am no different than the man who ents such as almond butter and coconut oil cuts down on unhealthy spoke before me who is trying to do the exact same thing!’” fat. Dates, pecans and oats help deliver a punch of energy. That’s why Attewell said one of the best things a female entrepreAlthough Green said that making the bites is the biggest challenge neur can do is to seek out other professional women from all backof her business so far, she has baking in her blood. Her great- grounds and at all levels of their careers for support. grandmother, whom she used to call Nonni Cakey, used to make Not only did Green do this between the inception and production sweat treats from scratch—so well, Green said that she could have of her company, but she has already started to return the favor, easily opened her own bakery. even before the bites start rolling out of the kitchen and into subNow Green is taking up the mantle by rolling up her sleeves. As scribers’ mailboxes. Other women have already reached out to her much as the product inspired the company itself, the process of about their own dreams of creating organic and gluten free prodmaking it a reality took more than the energy found in a handful of ucts. her own baked goods. “I say ‘Go do it. What’s stopping you?’” she said. “To help women Green made the decision to go into business in August, and be- take the risk and step outside of their comfort zone—I’m not the tween then and the Kickstarter launch, made decisions, connec- only one doing it, but if I can be a living example of it, great. Mission tions and sacrifices to secure her entrepreneurial dream. Because accomplished.” of her day job, nights were filled with seeking out meet-ups where she would pick the brains of those who had come before her and

PLANNING FOR HAPPINESS Interviewed by Ana Montoya Whether you have a trusted paper planner to help organize your life or you rely on a mobile app to keep your schedule in check, we bet you never thought about using a planner to actually prioritize your happiness over productivity. This is exactly what Mo Seetubtim, founder of The Happiness Planner, set out to do. We had a chance to speak to Mo about how The Happiness Planner can transform your multitasking, on-the-go lifestyle into one where you still find the time to self-reflect and live mindfully. How did you become interested in focusing your career around self- I'm also a lifelong learner at heart and believe that people can achieve what they set their mind to achieve, but somehow not eveimprovement and purposeful living? ryone believes this. Most people still have a limiting self-belief. So I I was always interested in psychology but it all started back in high started off by inspiring my friends and I got a sense of fulfilment school. After talking to my friends about their ambitions and aspiout of it. Now I want to inspire people on a global scale. rations, I realized that most of them weren't truly passionate about what they wanted to pursue as a career. They just wanted a good What sparked your desire to create The Happiness Planner? job with a decent salaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that's it. They weren't really interested in My blog has been attracting quite a lot of readers. And when peolooking deep into their passion and turning it into a career. I felt ple subscribe to my newsletter, I ask them what I should write really frustrated and was determined to one day inspire people to about. Most of the answers relate to self-development, positivity, change their mindset about their careers. happiness, and emotional intelligence. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written a few blog posts

about how to become positive and train your mind to be strong, but reading an article is not the same as practicing something every day. Your mind has muscles and only through practicing something over and over does it remember the patterns and process. It’s the same with positive thinking. At first it's hard and can be very frustrating to adopt a new mindset and make it a habit. But if one practices it everyday, reminds themselves to live in the moment, and thinks positively even in negative circumstances, they will eventually adopt a new mindset and become positive, mindful, and resilient.

and self-improvement above all else. It’s definitely a planner for those who want to continuously grow, learn, improve, and feel happier. Why happiness over productivity? Because at the end of the day, no matter what we do, no matter what we try to achieve in life, we want to feel joy and be happy. People focus on increasing their productivity because they want to achieve their goals and become successful. However, the end goal of that is also fulfilment and happiness. People want to be productive because somehow they believe the result of what they achieve will make them feel happy and fulfilled. Sometimes we get so caught up in work and in being productive that we forget what truly matters, like relationships, family, hobbies, health, wellbeing, and our own spiritual self and mind.

I also see that most people still use paper planners even though there are mobile phones and apps. Especially at work, people still use paper notebooks to take notes and for their to-do lists. So I did a bit more research and realized that there's nothing like The Happiness Planner in the market at the moment, as most planners focus on productivity and work goals rather than personal happi- How will it help busy women prioritize their often stressful lives? ness and fulfilment. So this is The Happiness Roadmap sechow the idea of The Happiness tion in the beginning of the Planner came about. planner can help remind onthe-go women about what they should prioritize as they plan their days and weeks. The daily and weekly reflection can also help put them into a positive frame of mind and shift their focus back to their health, energy, and feelings above all else.

How does it differ from your typical planner? The Happiness Planner is a combination of a happiness journal and a typical planner. With a little self-discovery section in the beginning, people will start this planner thinking about all the things that make them happy and unhappy, who they want to spend more time with, the things that they are grateful for, what they have achieved, and what they want to achieve. The goal is for them to integrate these things into their daily life over the next 100 days in order to maximize their happiness level.

In this digital age in which we're constantly glued to our phones, why should someone opt for The Happiness Planner instead of using a mobile app?

HAPPINESS PLANNER CREATOR MO SEETUBTIM

In order to improve ourselves, we need to track progress and selfreflect. This is why The Happiness Planner has 100 days—it's the perfect length to make change, to track progress, and to see ourselves improve. When you go onto the next planner and answer questions in the first section, you will see how you have developed and grown over the past 100 days.

There's something special about writing and carrying a beautiful planner that you can flick through back and forth as you go along and that you can keep on the shelves as a record for yourself.

Your motivational blog, BrandMentalist, spreads positivity with the art of passionate living. Was The Happiness Planner intended to be a physical reminder of why it's so important to self reflect?

In a way, yes. There should be something that is there to inspire you and remind you everyday to be mindful, think positively, and reflect if you aren't already doing so. The Happiness Planner is a As our days go by, our interests may change, our priorities may little bit like a personal life coach and a source of positive inspirachange, and the people in our life may change. Therefore it’s im- tion. portant to set new goals every three months in order to refresh, reflect, and feel thankful for the things we have in life and those Is the planner only available online or is it also available in any shops? who have helped us in any way. It’s really a unique planner because it focuses on your happiness At the moment it is only available online and a couple of stores in Canada and Australia. We hope to expand to US stores soon!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT I MUSIC, BOOKS, FILM, TV AND ONES TO WATCH.

THE METEORIC RISE OF ZELLA DAY

Written by Lauren Mahaffy

Growing up in the scenic mountain town of Pinetop, Arizona completely real.” (population: 7,000), Zella Day was constantly surrounded not only In her quest for authenticity in the music industry, Day has made by the beauty of nature, but music, too. some solid career choices. From her extremely popular cover of The “I started playing music at the age of nine when my parents owned White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” which she calls a “happy acciMor Mor Coffee House,” she explains. “It was the only live music dent,” to the inclusion of her track, “Sacrifice,” on the revenue in town so it was where all of the musicians gathered. I was cent Insurgent soundtrack, Day has been constantly building up her always a singer but started playing guitar due to the influence I had sound and style for what lies ahead. from the people around me.” As for her break-out involvement with the blockbuster movie? With the foundation of those informal lessons behind her, Day Good luck and Day’s distinct sound helped spawn that opportunity. eventually went to Los Angeles, a move that allowed her to connect “I was presented with the project through mutual friends. One of with other likeminded musicians, including Garrett Borns aka the closest people in my life is friends with Shai (actress Shailene BØRNS, with whom she has collaborated on an acoustic version of Woodley, who stars in the films) and [they] showed her my music a his single, “Electric Love.” That track was a huge hit with listeners, year ago, about the time when the Insurgent soundtrack was being and the best friends have since become intrinsically linked in the configured,” Day remembers. “Fast forward a year later [and] the industry. director contacted me for a song. I was so honored by the fact that “Garrett and I are roommates so we don’t have any choice but to they wanted my voice to be a part of their film.” influence each other,” she says. “We both have a deep respect for With exposure like that, there is no doubt that new fans latched on what the other is currently creating in the world.” to Day’s music just in time for the release of her debut full length Aside from collaborating and bonding with other artists, Day has album, Kicker, coming June 2nd. been busy cultivating and perfecting her own personal sound and “I don’t have any regrets about this album or things I wish I would style. Her first self-titled EP, released in the fall of 2014, is a collechave done better,” Day insists. “I’m ready to release this one in to tion of tracks that are reminiscent of music from the free-spirited the world—it’s time. Kicker embodies exactly where I am in my life 60s and 70s, but with a modern twist. without holding back any personal information. I can’t exactly pin“That era is so special to me because it was a time in which music point what my creative process looks like because throughout the had nothing to hide behind. The music breaking through at that span of the two years it took to write this album I was all over the time was legendary, setting a standard for us all,” she says. “[It was] place. Luckily the songs sound put together.” before the internet.” In addition to old fan favorites, including “East of Eden” and Despite her affinity for what came before, Day describes her own “Hypnotic,” Kicker also contains some of Day’s best new work to musical style as simply “Zella Day,” a sound that is entirely her own. date. “I want people to hear a strong, self-assured voice when they listen [to my records] so that people believe what I’m saying,” she says. “Believing in an artist’s words is an imperative factor for [determin ing] the longevity they will have in your life.”

Her storytelling skills are displayed on tracks like the psychedelic opener, “Jerome,” and the anthemic “Mustang Kids,” and her words create a sense of escapism as the listener delves deeper into the album. Through her music, Day allows listeners to see the more vulnerable side of her personality.

Another factor that builds upon Day’s authenticity is her unique visual style, displayed in both her music videos and her DayXDay One of the highlights on the album is “Jameson,” a raw, strippedvideo journal entries. down track that shows Day at her most emotional state. This willingness to open up and be genuine is what has makes Kicker such “The visuals are ‘number two’ on my list with music as ‘number an impressive debut. one’,” she says. “I have a vision for every piece that translates what Zella Day looks and sounds like.” In a world of questionable personas, Day is as real as they come, and Kicker proves it. And while it may be difficult breaking into the While her official music videos, such as the trippy, Westernmusic industry, especially as a young woman, Day is taking it all in themed, “Hypnotic,” are strategically planned out, her DayXDay stride, armed with a fighting spirit, an individual style and a musical videos are a much more organic and intimate way of connecting voice all her own. with fans. “The industry is a different place for women. I’ve had to come to “My initiative behind the DayXDay videos was to further the conterms with the fact that a lot of times people don’t want to take me nection with whomever is listening to my music. I want people to seriously because I am a young woman singing pop music. I’d like to know who I am behind the music videos,” she explains. “I make the think that the world is free from stereotypical judgment, but in this DayXDays with one of my best friends, Giannenio Salucci, which is industry it’s not the case. You have to be confident in what you are optimal for me because I feel really comfortable directing and also bringing to the table despite riticism. What people tend to forget is being myself in front of camera. The audio you hear on the videos that music truly is a level playing field—it doesn’t matter who you are recorded on my iPhone, so there’s nothing going on that isn’t are or where you come from…the best song wins.”

PHOTO BY RAUL ROMO

UP NEXT: Dana Williams Throughout the past year, America has been slowly introduced to singersongwriter Dana Williams. Between the release of her debut EP, The Lonely One, in early 2014, to her stint on ABC’s reality competition, Rising Star, to her appearance in a moving Apple commercial, Williams has been quietly leaving a trail of her beautiful music for everyone to hear. With a new EP on the way, Williams is poised to become one of the next new artists to watch. -Interviewed by Lauren Mahaffy Your father was a talented guitarist who played with some of the most respected names in music, including Michael Jackson and Madonna. How did his influence shape your childhood and your love for music? It inspired me to make music at an early age. I always knew I was going to be involved in creating music in some way. I didn't know whether or not I was going to be a singer or a song writer or a guitar player, but, I knew music was my calling. Growing up in a musical family made for an interesting upbringing because I was unfamiliar with 9 to 5s and was able to experience the highs and lows of being a musician. Which just comes with the territory of being an artist. It was nice because I was able to dip my toe in the business from time to time and decide whether or not it was something I really wanted out of life. How would you describe your music to people who haven't heard it?

Ethereal Soul Folk The first time we were introduced to you was when you placed fourth on the ABC singing competition, Rising Star. What was this experience like for you and did any of the judges give you any career/life advice during or after the show? Kesha taught me to keep at it and to never let rejection get in the way of success and that rejection should make me want it even more. The experience overall was wonderful though stressful. It showed me the amount of focus I needed to maintain in order to reach my goal as an artist. Although you were on a national competi-

tion, your appearance in an Apple commercial has given you even more positive attention and new fans. What is it like being a part of one of the most touching commercials in recent years?

Because I tackle loss and love in my first EP I think most people can relate to the subject matter. I'd like my fans to take away from it, that everyone experiences loss and it's important to realize that you're not alone even when you feel like you are. My music is a It was really exciting to be a part of. I didn't place where people can go to feel comfort realize that people could respond so strong- within the difficulties of life. ly to a commercial! It was really awesome to be showcased to well. I was singing a George Which artists do you look up to? Gershwin song which is really something I love doing, so it was incredible to gain noto- Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carole King, riety for doing something I love! Norah Jones and Nina Simone. All of these women didn't let anything hold them back You also recently had one of your songs fea- from following their dreams. tured in the Academy Award-nominated film, Whiplash. How did that opportunity come You have covered many songs with Leighton about? Meester in both your live shows and on YouTube. How did this collaboration begin? Well to be honest it was a bit of a fluke. Damien Chazelle asked a few favors of me one I have known Leighton for a long time. We summer, so in return he offered to play attended middle school together in New drums in my band for a while. We met York City. She and my sister Davida kept in through an old friend, Maxwell Drummey touch (they were in the same year at school) who was producing my first EP at the time. It After I graduated from college I decided to was a nice exchange and at that point I don't pursue music full time. It wasn’t until then think Whiplash had even been filmed yet. that we realized we have similar throwback Needless to say, Damien was one of the best sensibilities and decided it would be fun to drummers I have had the pleasure of playing sing some duets together. It's been really so with. When the time came to put music in much fun performing with her at live shows the movie, he called me up and said, ‘Hey and for YouTube! Dana, I really like your music, do you mind if I put your song 'Keep Me Waiting' in my What are your main inspirations when it movie?’ and I said, ‘No not at all, go for it.’ comes to writing your music? What is your And there you have it. I am so impressed by creative process like? the success of the movie and what an amazing director and screenwriter my mysteri- My main inspiration comes from daily life. ously quiet drummer turned out to be! Things that affect me when I read, people I meet and interact with. My process is pretty The songs on The Lonely One EP tackle the loose at the moment. I sit in my room and subject of love. Is this something that you start with a riff on the guitar and then I build actively seek to discuss in your music? How a melody over it. I have learned that forcing do you want your music to feel? it usually strangles my creative process so if I get stuck I take a break or start working on I don't think I seek subject matter. I think a new idea. Eventually I stick with something subject matter usually seeks the artist. As an I love and a neat song comes out of it. artist you write about what you know. So, I tend to just write about things that are going What are your future plans for the rest of on in my life at the time and that are im- 2015? Any tours, new music, etc? portant to me. I know that my music can be pretty melancholic, which I enjoy, since I As of now I am currently working on my grew up listening to Billie Holiday and her second EP! It's almost done so I hope it will melancholy feel can actually be pretty en- be out soon! I think it is a bit warmer that my joyable to listen to. I hope my music feels debut EP. I'm really excited. calming, soothing and enjoyable. Any advice for other young creatives? Besides yourself, who do you write your music for? What do you want your fans to take My advice for young women would be to away from it? follow your dreams and to love yourself.

QUEEN CABOT

窶的nterviewed by Kerri Jarema

The Princess Diaries series was one of the first in, Ling Su, and even frenemy Lana Weinberger are all mentioned colossal YA success stories. Before the likes of John Green became crossover hits, when the young adult section of the book store was widely ignored by the masses, there was Mia Thermopolis, a nerdy girl from New York City who, at 14-years-old, found out she was born a princess.

within the first few pages. Cabot’s excitement for the continuation of the series shines through as she tackles the fickle beast of nostalgia, keeping the perfect balance between telling a new story and recapturing the spirit of what made Mia such a fan favorite in the first place.

So, how much has Mia herself changed since we last saw her? “I can't believe it's been 7 years since the last book—and fifteen Readers will be pleased to know that she is still our beloved, beleayears since the first book was published! A lot has changed since guered princess, only a bit older, a bit wiser. then, but not enthusiasm for stories about average girls who find “Well, at 26, Mia definitely isn't a teenager anymore,” Cabot says. empowerment by suddenly becoming royalty!” Cabot says. “She has her own apartment, career goals, and romantic troubles And it’s clear that fans of the series feel the same way. (and triumphs!) just like most girls (and guys) her age, only with a “Readers have continued to ask how Mia is doing even after all tiara thrown in. Making sure that readers would recognize her as these years,” Cabot says. “And I sort of couldn’t resist wondering the same girl she was 7 years ago, but also make her seem 7 years myself with the 15th anniversary of the first book occurring this older, was a challenge, but one I thoroughly enjoyed.” year…so voila! This is what happened. Not just one book, but two!” But did Cabot feel any pressure at living up to the expectations of One of those two books is Royal Wedding, an adult sequel to the loyal fans, those readers who have grown up right alongside Mia? series, in which Mia has just turned 26-years-old, is newly engaged “I didn't have any reservations because Mia has transitioned into to long-time love Michael Moscovitz and is dealing with her usual adulthood like any millennial and shares many of their same conplethora of drama. The biggest one of all? It is revealed that Mia cerns. She wants to know what her place is in this world, and how has a half-sister, hidden from her and the family by her father for she can leave it a better place than she found it,” she says. “The the past 12 years, leading to Cabot’s second new book, From the only difference is that she’s thwarted at almost every turn by an Notebooks of Middle School Princess, the first in a new middle antiquated parliament, and her insane family, and has to do it all grade series.

“Mia has transitioned into adulthood like any millennial and shares many of their same concerns. She wants to know what her place is in this world, and how she can leave it a better place than she found it.” “Notebooks is a very special book for me, not only because it allowed me to follow a dream I’ve had since I was a kid—no, not of turning out to be a princess myself, but of illustrating one of my own books! I was an art major in college,” Cabot says. “But also because it introduces a new character to the royal family of Genovia: Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison, Princess Mia’s half -sister, who has been living for the past twelve years in New Jersey, totally unaware of her royal heritage. This is a fun new book for younger readers, aged 8 and up, with illustrations—did I mention the illustrations? By me!”

while being hounded by paparazzi, picked apart on social media, stalked by weirdos, and getting married on live television in front of a billion people!” So, with a new job, a new fiancé, a new little sister and a couple of other big (and we mean, really, really big) surprises in store for Mia, will there be another installment in the tales of her adult life? “There will definitely be a second book in the Middle School Princess series. With illustrations! As for continuing Michael and Mia's story, we’ll see. I’m thinking the signs are pointing to yes!” Cabot says.

Both books will follow the diary entry format of the original series As for revisiting other fan favorites like Sam and David from Cabwhich is just one way that Cabot has catered to the nostalgic set. ot’s All-American Girl duology, she’s staying mum. Though she is “Mia still writes in her diary, or “journals,” as she now calls it, under quick to point out that she has another adult sequel to her The doctor’s orders, for stress relief,” Cabot says. “And the family tradiMediator series, also originally YA, coming out in February 2016. tion continues with her little sister, Olivia, who has inherited her In the meantime, though, Cabot is celebrating Mia and Michael’s love of writing, but also a love of doodling, which readers might be nuptials the best way she knows how. surprised to learn comes from their grandmother.” “I'll be on a book tour this summer. I can't wait to meet readers at Their Grandmére, is of course a presence in Royal Wedding, as are signings all around the country and the world, since I’ll be in Brazil, most of your favorites from Mia’s teenage years; Michael, her best as well [and] I’ll have lots of new projects keeping me busy [so] stay friends Lily and Tina, her mother, her little half brother Rocky, Pertuned! I’m sure you’ll be able to find me. I’ll be the one in the tiara.”

her formidable Grandmére, being hounded by the paparazzi, and frequently slipping up in her attempts to become the sort of princess the people of Genovia could be proud of. Now, 7 years after the last book was published, and 15 years after we were first introduced to her, Princess Mia is back. We meet the princess again as she is about to turn 26-years-old, and while much has changed, even more has stayed the same. While Mia has since graduated from college and founded a center for teens in her late stepfather’s name (RIP Mr. Gianini), she is also, in many ways, right where we left her. Within the first 50 pages readers will have heard from all of their old favorites: Mia is still dating Michael Moscovitz (now the millionaire owner of Pavlov Surgical and part-time creator of weird emoji) and she is still best friends with his sister Lily (who is now studying to be a lawyer, where she can put her supreme debating skills to good use) and Tina Hakim-Baba (reeling from her break-up with violin virtuoso and mouth-breather Boris Pelkowski, now an internationally famous pop star known as Boris P., as she studies medicine.) Mia’s mom and little half-brother Rocky, Perin, Ling Su, and even former frenemy Lana Weinberger (now married and hoping to place her infant daughter in a beauty pageant, natch) are all here, too, a little older, but only slightly wiser. Mia is still no stranger to the mayhem that made her so loveable when she first appeared on our bookshelves all those years ago. The latest installment opens with Mia’s father being arrested for speeding in a racecar down a public highway. He is also crumbling under the pressure of a contentious reelection campaign, making him a constant combination of drunk or incommunicative with Mia and the rest of the family.

ROYAL WEDDING

Chances are, if you were a girl between the ages of 12 and 16 in the early 2000’s, you were reading Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series. Her plucky, nerdy, feminist-before-wecalled-it-feminist Mia Thermopolis was a veritable icon for the young and slightly clueless; after all, who’s never daydreamed about finding out she was a princess and being whisked off to a world of luxury, fame and fortune? Of course, in Mia’s case, this revelation led to equal parts fame, fortune, angst, mishaps and hijinks. For nine years, through 11 full-length novels and multiple novellas, Cabot brought us Mia’s inner machinations through diary entries; we grew up along with her as she fell into and out of and back into love for the first time, dated a couple of jerks, fought with her best friend, played mediator between her divorced parents, saw her mother remarry and give birth to a half-brother, and tried desperately to pass math, all while taking princess lessons from

Meanwhile, Mia is being protested for her handling of a Qalifi refugee crisis in Genovia, and is stuck living in the consulate under near constant security due to the attentions of a crazed, anti-feminist, violent internet stalker going by ‘RoyalRabbleRouser’ who is threating her life. Whew, talk about some very modern, very grown up problems. Oh, and did we mention that Michael soon proposes and, shortly thereafter, Mia finds out she has a long lost half-sister who her father has been hiding from her and the rest of the family for 12 years—and that’s not even all of the major surprises the princess (and readers) have in store.

As a consequence, the plot sometimes feels rushed with an overload of twists and developments, and some characters hold up better than others (Michael comes across as something of a horny cornball and his incredibly calm and mostly unemotional reactions to everything from paparazzi being camped out at his apartment to the unsanctioned announcement of his engagement to Mia is unrealistic, and does little to remind readers of the charming boy of books past). Overall, though, Cabot knew what she was doing when she revisited Mia’s world, and she knew what she was up against; the nostalgia of the series is still strong, and adult readers were expecting to see characters that they recognized in situations that are just as zany, and moments that are just as laugh inducing (Mia recounting the horrible nicknames the press have had for her including “He-Won’t-Buy-The-Cow-WhenHe-Can-Get-The-Milk-For-Free-a-Mia” is just one example) as they remembered, and loyal fans won’t be disappointed. –KERRI JAREMA

IT’s YA SEASON Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart? Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared. Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling. Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together? Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.

A luminous young adult debut that evokes the emotions of Judy Blume for a whole new generation (and readers looking for more than a little summer time nostalgia) Between Us and the Moon follows Sarah, who has lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett ever since she was born. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew who sees her as the girl she wants to be: a girl who’s older than she is, a girl like Scarlett. Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. But by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself. Fans of Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty series and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall hard for this pitch perfect beach read about how life and love are impossible to predict.

Intrigue abounds in this highly anticipated sequel to last year’s The Kiss of Deception. Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia's erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen. Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny. A YA fantasy with the heart of a dark romance, this book will be a sure page turner for your summer vacation.

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LIONSGATEPUBLICITY.COM

TURN ON, TUNE IN & DROP THE STEREOTYPES Written by Kate Everson

DISNEYABCPRESS.COM

In the first of Mad Men’s final episodes, two advertisers board an two dynamic businesswomen who have different backgrounds, elevator after being subjugated to sexist comments by a client. values and experiences—and, most importantly, have the ability They cut the tension with knife-sharp dialogue. and opportunity to interact with each other. ABC’s Scandal and CBS’ Madam Secretary, as well as Netflix’s ultra-femme Orange is Peggy: I know, they were awful. But at least we got a yes. Would you the New Black, have become go-to examples of female representahave rather had a friendly no? tion in television. Joan: I don't expect you to understand. Peggy: Joan, you've never experienced that before? Unfortunately, the numbers tell a story of decline. In 2014, women Joan: Have you, Peggy? made up only 42 percent of speaking characters and 42 percent of major characters, a one percent decrease from the year before, In less than a minute of screen time, AMC’s period drama presents

to San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Hulu isn’t the only site interested in diverse roles for women. Since Television and Film’s annual “Boxed In” study. the advent of streaming, more programming features women—not just white, middle-class female professionals. The most notable: But as much as the quantity of women has decreased and remains Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, which features an almost entireunequal to that of men, the characters they play have become ly female cast that’s racially, sexually and socio-economically dimore noticed by viewers. Mad Men’s Peggy and Joan join Scandal’s verse. Olivia Pope, and Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope as fan favorites and beacons of female empowerment. “I don’t think you can make an argument that we’ve regressed,” Lotz said. “Some genres are shockingly retrograde, like reality, but But even though more women are getting top roles in high-profile I’d say scripted is as rich and richer than ever in terms of depictions series, they’re not branching out from a smattering of archetypes. of complicated women leading complicated lives.” Amanda Lotz, author of Redesigning Women: Television After the Lotz said even though complex women might not always be the Network Era, said that in the new post-network world that inposter femmes for feminism—for example, House of Cards’ Claire cludes more women, it’s also limited its scope to professional, Underwood, whose main motivation is to advance her husband in white, straight and unmarried characters. hopes of one day him returning the favor—they’re more interestOutliers include Friday Night Lights and the new Madam Secretar- ing to watch and meaningful to viewers. y’s healthy marriages, Scandal’s Pope and The Good Wife’s KalinHighfill said one of the biggest problems she’s seen is the idea that da, an Indian bisexual woman. women can be a professional and a mom, but can only be good at “Yes, it is a wee bit better, and that is important to acknowledge,” one of them, and more times than not, the former. Lotz said. “But there is still not enough diversity of women and The Mysteries of Laura was advertised as the story of a very good stories about the varied lives we lead.” detective whose only unsolved case is how to raise her children at Although dramas have pushed more women into the professional the same time. The two female leads on ABC’s Nashville both arena, primetime network comedy increasingly rely on them as struggle with motherhood roles as their careers thrive. Even The denigrated mothers and girlfriends. Good Wife’s Alicia Florrick has a hard time keeping her son and daughter under control. “To be fair, you have to have a sense of humor,” said Samantha Highfill, a TV correspondent for Entertainment Weekly. When Shonda Rhimes, showrunner of some of primetime’s most “Sometimes they’re purposefully dramatizing a stereotype that’s female-led shows like Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, ridiculous and over the top, but there are those instances where was honored at the Human Rights Campaign Gala, she delivered a the women are there to be the butt of the joke.” speech in which she exhibited disdain for the term “diversity.” Take Two and a Half Men as an example. Before it ended last year, Chuck Lorre’s 12-season series was repeatedly the most-watched sitcom and featured women as either humorless and domineering (Charlie and Alan’s mother, Alan’s ex-wife and housekeeper Berta) or parasitic sleeping partners.

"I have a different word,” she said. “’Normalizing.’ I’m normalizing TV.”

Although Rhimes’ sentiment can’t be argued—placing women, minorities, LGBT and other non-white-male characters in main positions should not be considered “abnormal”—it also runs into a The top watched series in 2014, The Big Bang Theory, originally problem that Lotz said is a tough measure: Accuracy. only featured pretty but dull Penny, then added an intelligent but She explained that an accurate depiction of most people’s lives purposefully unappealing Amy Farrah Fowler. The women of Modwouldn’t make for a riveting drama or sidesplitting sitcom. Instead, ern Family are all stay-at-home moms, and despite being the titular showrunners should observe the trends and themes of what’s popcharacter, Jess on New Girl is one of only two females in an ensemular and adapt. ble of mostly male costars. There’s already evidence of this happening. Promotions for Fear Like with drama, there are outliers. the Walking Dead, AMC’s spinoff of its zombie drama, hints toParks and Recreation and 30 Rock had women at the helm, both in ward a woman leading the survivors. CBS added (yet another) CSI front of and behind the camera, and the characters they played spinoff, this one featuring Patricia Arquette as the head of a cyber never fulfilled just one TV trope. Mindy Kaling led her Fox sitcom, crime investigation team. CBS’ Supergirl also promises to feature a The Mindy Project, as an accomplished Ob/Gyn who faces issues woman in a title role that shifts between superhero and sitcom that both involve and go beyond dating. lead. “Kaling is a fantastic example of a strong woman who creates an “Television caters to multiple audiences, and because we mostly interesting character in the way she uses both men and women,” watch what suits our tastes, we now mostly see the world as we Highfill said. “She writes it fairly.” imagine it reflected back,” Lotz said. “That does mean that some misogynist can’t watch nothing but misogynist programming, but it The Mindy Project was cancelled in May, but was picked up by also means I can live in a world where those misogynist attitudes Hulu as a web-only show less than a week later. are readily criticized.”

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ESSAY: CRUEL, CRUEL SUMMER

Written by Maggie Grace

I don’t know about you, but there are two things that inspire me to wake up in the morning: the thought of a new episode of The Mindy Project on Hulu and the thought that I am the leading woman of my own story. I want to be an entrepreneur, I want to live in a single story yellow house two blocks from my favorite pubs and coffee shop, I want to find and master using the perfect black eye-liner, I want a dog who likes to cuddle, I want to be able to eat unlimited carbohydrates and I want a rack of my favorite red wine that is always stocked.

actually given a customer the wrong food or messed up their order, but they fired me nonetheless. I loved serving customers and I wanted to be the perfect counter girl so badly that the part of my brain that told me I was being harassed turned off. Every single thing I seemed to do got a dirty look from the owner of the restaurant.

I remember looking at my reflection in the mirror after I was fired, seeing a curled hair fall in front of my mascara streaked eyes and observing my pink polka dot shirt I had only bought because my I am a young woman who at 22 has a fairly solid vision of her dream manager complimented me whenever I wore pink. life. I always said that when I finally knew what I wanted, I would do It took me months to realize that the pride I felt in serving customanything to get there. Growing up, I watched my mom fight for ers with a smile and joy had given way to snapping at them because equal pay and respect in an industry ruled by men. She reminded I had been so scared of messing up in front of a manager. It took me me that women had to work twice as hard and be twice as tough to months to even see that bursting into tears every night after finishget the respect a man might in the same job. I was raised to believe ing a shift because of the pressure to be a perfect employee was no that to get anything I wanted, I had to earn it through hard, soulway to live; that no job should make you terrified of walking sucking work. through the door. For five weeks, I felt weak for feeling like I couldLast summer, I finally started gaining the opportunities I’d spent n’t handle it and I convinced myself that jobs were just supposed to years working towards. I was 22, and had booked my first weddings suck. as a professional photographer all on my own. I applied for a third The truth is, when the rest of my friends were out rafting or swimjob at a pizza shop downtown; It was the place where men came ming at the river, I felt a certain amount of pride knowing I was after floating the river or hiking a mountain, usually with bearded working. I felt like I was ahead of them and like I was proving myself. guys who looked like they belonged in LL Bean. I was exhausted almost all the time, saw my friends every couple of The girls who worked the counter were notorious for looking like weeks, and saw my boyfriend when he was already asleep—but it they shared closets with Jessica Day. At first, working three jobs felt like working this hard was how I needed to earn self-respect felt like I was living the dream and doing what I was “supposed” to. I and happiness. I couldn’t be happy if I was just sitting at home was driving every other weekend to a different wedding venue, watching Netflix all day when I could be working. I was desperate to going to work as a barista by 4:30am, and working eight hour clos- show myself and everyone around me that I deserved my happiness ing shifts at the pizza shop. I dedicated hours to picking out the because I’d run myself into the ground with my hard work. To me, “cutest-but-I’m-not-trying-too-hard-to-look-cute” outfits and the two were one and the same. smiled at customers while holding trash bags leaking pizza grease I still stand by the unfair and cruel reality that women in the workand beer. force have to work harder than men to gain equal respect. But that However, as you can expect, the high of busting my butt beyond 70 pressure not to be seen as “lazy” or “useless” sometimes damages hours a week didn’t last. My bosses at the pizza shop started forget- us more than we think. We feel a tremendous amount of stress to ting to give me my requested days off that I’d told them I needed do it all and do it all with a smile. No one knew why I was working when they hired me. They also started inquiring about my other job the equivalent of three jobs for as long as I did; including me. I lisas a barista and if I had thought more about quitting. Slowly, they tened to some voice inside of me that said if I wasn’t suffering, I started correcting errors in my clothing choices and how I’d done wasn’t doing enough. my hair that day, telling me my skirt was too long or my hair made I think we need to remind ourselves that the answer to gaining reme looked younger. The hours I spent on my appearance to please spect isn’t through how much crap we can tolerate, but in how we my bosses felt necessary to keep my job. When I got complimented, value and respect ourselves. We all know women deserve better I felt like I was doing something right. It made sense at the time that than objectification, sexual harassment, and feeling demeaned, but this was a pizza shop that catered to a specific demographic, and I putting up with it until we get to the top isn’t the means of gaining was simply trying to help fit in with that demographic. equality. It didn’t occur to me until later that what was really happening was We need to put ourselves first and respect our work. We are entithat I was being objectified. There was only one male who worked tled to success just as much as we are entitled to sit back with a at the counter and he was never scrutinized for wearing jeans or beer. We have to value ourselves and we need to value the contribeing a bit scruffy. He could look sloppy, but when the girls did, they butions we can make in the workforce. We can take all the time we were told with a condescending smile that looking nice was part of need to get where we want in life and we are allowed to do it at our the job requirement. own pace. We need to tell ourselves that we are allowed to be After just five weeks of working at the pizza shop and quitting my selfish, , and we are entitled to define success by our own terms. second job as a barista at their urgency, I was “let go”. Never had I Perfect wardrobe, or not.

FEMME FANDOM -Written by Danielle Carter

Superheroes are known for having alter egos. Iron Man has “billionaire philanthropist playboy” Tony Stark, The Incredible Hulk has mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner, and the list goes on. I love superheroes because of their alter egos. Who wouldn’t love to have a crazy-awesome version of themselves that can save the world? But my love for superheroes and alter egos has led to some frustration over the years.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HER UNIVERSE

Alter ego: a different version of yourself, or a close friend who thinks or feels similarly to the way you think or feel.

About a year ago, I wrote an article for Lydia Magazine online Is there a big market for fantasy-themed products for women? about how upset I was that Under Armour wasn’t giving equal repHow many products are out there for women/featuring female resentation to the women’s section of their Alter Ego line. characters? What is the success rate for companies marketing fanIf you haven’t heard of Under Armour’s Alter Ego line, it’s a division tasy products for women? of the sportswear brand dedicated to Marvel and DC Comics suAs soon as I started searching for statistics on ticket sales for fantaperheroes. The company debuted the line last year, much to my sy/sci-fi movies, I found great information from the MPAA. Every excitement. year, the MPAA releases a lengthy list of statistics that includes However, as I explained in my previous article, I was very disap- racial, age, and gender breakdowns in movie audiences from the pointed with the limited selection in the women’s department. previous year. While it’s convoluted, a few statistics from 2013 I posted on the Under Armour Facebook page to ask if the women’s stand out in particular. line would be expanded. A representative commented back to tell Movie Ticket Purchases: This number is split right down the middle. me it would be expanded that summer. While I did notice a few new Half of ticket buyers are women, the other half are men. products later that season, they merely replaced other, older prodTop Five Highest-Grossing Movies: 2013 was the year of two superucts in the women’s line. hero movies, Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel. Both were in the Top 5, Fast forward to about a year later and I went on the Alter Ego web- with Iron Man 3 earning the #1 spot and Man of Steel #4. site only to find a measly five shirts left in the women’s section. Gender Split on Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel: For Iron Man 3’s viewAnd this time, when I posted on Under Armour’s Facebook page, ership, 58% were male and 42% were female. As for Man of Steel, the company remained silent. the split was 60%/40%. After this discovery and subsequent silence, I wanted answers.

With this information in hand, it can be argued that since such a Just how many women go to see superhero/fantasy-themed mov- large percentage of superhero/action movie viewers are female, consumer products should reflect that. ies when they’re in theaters?

However, I found that online stores don’t live up to these statistics. model, she provided some hope. My phone call with Eckstein only After doing a quick scan of three major retailers that sell superhero lasted about 20 minutes but it only took me one minute to realize products, I found few geared towards women. that she’s one of the most passionate people I’ve ever spoken to about the fangirl community. Disney’s website made my job easy. Since items are counted and listed at the top of the page, I quickly saw that out of 193 Avengers She says she created Her Universe along with her husband when products only 19 were listed under the heading for Black Widow. she did exactly what I did: went online searching for Star Wars gear Scarlet Witch didn’t even have her own category or products. for women and came up empty-handed. Once she partnered her website with the Araca group, she went to Lucas Films and applied On the Marvel website, Black Widow had 32 products, while Capfor a license to sell Star Wars products. tain America had 132 items and Iron Man had 119 products. Eckstein told me that at first, she was nervous to start the compaI found the biggest disparity by far with Hasbro. Similar to the webny. While she had an overwhelming amount of support, she said sites for Marvel and Disney, Hasbro had a category for each male some people laughed in her face when she brought up the idea for superhero character, but none for any female characters. Only Her Universe. But, she said, the company’s sales speak for themabout 31 of their staggering 881 Marvel toys featured female charselves. acters (Full Disclosure: I had to count these myself so my numbers could be slightly off). “The growth [of Her Universe] has always doubled year after year, sometimes more. When we first started, we were only selling So with all these questions, and massive amounts of frustration online and at conventions for the first two years...now, we’re a pointed at the bigger corporations, what have they done in reprofitable multi-million dollar company.” sponse? She says the success of companies like hers have Disney both takI can only find one official response from Disney, and it was made ing notice of their female fan base, and making an effort to accomto Vanity Fair. modate. Eckstein told me she was getting ready at that moment, to “Black Widow is a staple in the Marvel Universe with a robust con- meet with Disney buyers to talk about how to provide for their sumer products program. Tied to the release of Avengers: Age of booming female fan base. Ultron, Marvel has over 60 Black Widow SKUS across diverse cate“We’re opening up peoples’ eyes with these products,” she says. “A gories such as Hot Wheels, action figures, video games, t-shirts, woman going into a store like Hot Topic, or the Disney theme parks costumes and collectibles, with even more products available for can buy a dress made for her. By speaking with our dollars we’re back to school and Halloween.” changing minds and perceptions. And without saying too much, I That's the official answer. But here's the more interesting answer can say that change is happening. Marvel and Disney have so many from a former Marvel employee who spoke to The Mary Sue about exciting things for women in development for this year and years the issue. beyond.” “While working at Marvel post-acquisition, I saw a deck circulated by Disney’s Brand Marketing team. I’m prohibited from sharing the slides, but the takeaway is that, unlike the actual demos, the desired demographics had no females in it whatsoever. I asked my supervisor why that was. Ever the pragmatist, he said, “That’s not why Disney bought us. They already have the girls’ market on lockdown.”

In addition to speaking with their wallets, Eckstein says fans need to speak with social media. Given recent events, it isn’t surprising that social media campaigns are making a difference.

Joss Whedon quit Twitter shortly after scores of people blasted him for the way he handled Black Widow’s character development in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Mark Ruffalo garnered praise online Bottom line? Disney has little girls covered with their Disney Prinafter tweeting at Marvel, pleading with them to make Black Widow cess line so why bother with a niche market? Of course, we know products for his daughters and nieces. that this is not the case. Lastly, one cool dad went viral after he made his daughter a cosAfter looking at my research, I still had one question left. Where tume so she could look like the female lead character Honey Lemon were women and girls finding clothing, accessories, and toys within from Big Hero 6. the fantasy genre? I knew such products existed, I just wasn’t sure who was selling them if they weren’t coming from major retailers. So what did I learn from my research and my interview with Ashley Eckstein? I learned that in order to show big retailers that female A quick search turned up Her Universe, which specializes in fantasy fantasy fans exist, we need to buy the products available now, and clothing and accessories for women and girls. Founded five years sound off on social media. ago by actress Ashley Eckstein, who voiced Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the company sells everything from So I’m asking you, fellow fangirls, to post a picture wearing your Avengers to Star Wars and Dr. Who themed gear. favorite superhero/fantasy gear (whether you bought it somewhere or made it yourself) and use the hashtag #FemmeAlterEgo. I spoke with Eckstein over the phone and not only did she provide Let’s show them our superhero sides. me with eye-opening information on the success of her business

GIRL LIKE US

Amber Gordon, 25 New York, New York Founder of Femsplain

what was spent to attend. I really didn’t have the money and my loans fell through, so instead of trying to reapply and dig myself into more debt, I made a huge decision to leave and try to get hired fulltime at a company.

Now don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t work for everyone. Even though I worked super hard, I’m also incredibly lucky that opportunity found me when it did. I had self-taught myself the skills I needed to get hired as a front end web developer. My career path is very confusing but it went something like: php developer > social media manager > QA Engineer > community manager > creative strategist > founder. I never saw my career as a linear path, I just Femsplain publishes contributions from anyone female identified, knew I wanted to work with computers… whatever the job would covering all manner of topics from surving sexual violence to get- be. ting out of the bed with depression, eating disorders, career, relaTumblr was truly a fantastic and tionships, and much more—creating a web experience that is all at educational experience. I only worked there for a year and a half, once moving, informative and fun; and one that is making a huge but in that short time I learned so much about sales and advertising, impact on how the female-identified spend their time on the intertwo things I didn’t have much knowledge prior. I was hired because net. So much so, in fact, that Femsplain was able to raise $30,000 at my previous job at Gotham, I’d created the voice and managed via their Kickstarter campaign; despite the anti-feminist trolls who the community of Denny’s Diner on Tumblr. Denny’s came to be have tried to attack and bring down the site multiple times since its one of the top community engagement Tumblrs on the platform inception. because of its unique usage and its quirky/relatable voice is someGordon shares more about her unique career path, how she stays thing most brands weren’t doing at the time. I also think I was hired inspired and the way she manages to get everything done. at Tumblr because of my deep knowledge of the community and how to discover and take part in trends that were happening. I studied at an art school in Boston for Interactive Media and Design (but only briefly). I ended up dropping out I always felt like I was equal to my co-workers at Tumblr, but at after only one semester because I felt I wasn’t learning enough for previous jobs in tech where I was on the engineering team, I always Femsplain hit the internet like a femme positive wrecking ball in October 2014 when founder Amber Gordon first brought her personal project to the masses. A former employee of Tumblr, Gordon created Femsplain with one mission in mind: to change the dialogue of what it’s like to be a woman –– and in doing so, make our world a better place.

felt less appreciated than my male co-workers. I was talked down on a lot and my ideas were hardly ever taken seriously. It felt really hostile, and if I didn’t find my passion for community I probably never have left and might have just dealt with it. We shouldn’t have to just “deal with it”.

make more time for this project. If that means less Netflix, so be it. If that means less face to face time with friends, maybe that’s what you need to do. Make sure you’re comfortable and ready for this commitment. Otherwise it’s going to be hard to succeed.

My previous experiences have 100% helped me with what we’re doing now. Again, I knew nothing about native advertising but what I did learn at Tumblr will definitely help me with my decisions in the future.

Tumblr was a place that I loved working. I loved the people I worked with, the company culture, the platform, the community. I loved everything. But I also really loved what I was building. I knew I was going to have to quit eventually, but it was just a matter of when.

Quitting my job was really, really hard.

Femsplain just kind of happened very And I was finding every day that there was going to be no right time for me to leave. It came down to a single day that I felt so emotionally and physically exhausted because I was overworking myself. I was getting behind on my work and didn’t feel like I was putting in the quality or effort I should be. One thing about me is I always need to feel like I’m doing my best at my job, and I wasn’t at the time. So I wrote a very long and emotional email to my boss and decided that was it. I had been planning to leave for weeks but when it came down to the decision, it was very on a whim and in the moment. In addition, our mission is to reshape the way women are discussed through discussion. We aim to amplify a diverse range of voices and I knew that when I made this decision my family and friends would welcome anyone to support us! support me through it. I definitely had a hard time telling my mom, because like a mom, she worries about me all the time. I’ve been We first started talking to people on our contact saving up for a while now so money wasn’t an issue, mostly just list who we thought would be interested in getting the word out health insurance, for which I’m now covered. Thanks Obama! and covering it. Mainly I reached out to 100 of my closest Internet friends over email and Twitter DM, letting them know that we Even though I left somewhat spontaneously, I still had a plan on would be launching a campaign soon and if they would be interest- how I would survive afterwards. I pay for all my bills and that’s imed knowing more once we launched. When the day came to launch, portant which is why I didn’t leave Tumblr sooner. I stayed and we had some media coverage which really helped get eyes on the saved as long as I possibly could, and that’s what anyone thinking campaign from people we didn’t know. From there we used social about leaving should do, too. quickly. My friends and I had been talking about how we wanted to build a community where other people would feel comfortable telling their stories for almost a year. One day I was feeling particularly uninspired at my job and just decided to build it. I had no idea what it would be or what it would grow to be, but I just knew I had to do it. We bought the domain name on October 6, 2014 and launched the website on October 27, with about 20 pieces from our close female friends.

media to keep the momentum going, which thankfully paid off in the end!

I wish I could say it was super easy and I just laid out a strict schedule for myself to work on Femsplain and my real job at the same time, but honestly that was far from the case. I was working from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days at Tumblr and then from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at home and all day on weekends. I really didn’t have a social life except for occasionally going to friends’ birthday parties for a few hours. You’re probably thinking “You’re crazy,” and yeah I was. I get in these modes where when I have my mind set to something, I go all in. It’s probably not the most smart, healthy thing to do, but hey we’re doing some amazing things and the messages I get from people saying how positive Femsplain has impacted them makes all those days/nights without sleep worth it. I mean eventually it got to be too much and I had to quit my job (and it was really, really hard for me to make that decision.) My advice for anyone wanting to pursue multiple passion projects is to make sure your side project isn’t going to get in the way of your life as it is now. If you do want your passion project to become a bigger part of your life, before you dive in, stop and figure out a plan for yourself to transition. Ask yourself what you can do without to

I’ve learned so many things from the Femsplain staff! Everyone is kind and really wants to help build Femsplain into something more than “just a blog.” Empathetic is a word I find myself often describing everyone. We’re very aware of each-others’ feelings and if one of us seems off, we always talk about what’s going on. We’re very open with each other and transparent. I’m very close with Gabriela Barkho, who’s our founding editor and basically my right hand lady. She’s not only my business partner but someone who I call a good friend. Well, we’re in the process of hiring our very first intern! Other than that, we’re focused on growth and working to bring more eyes to the amazing content we publish. We’re trying to continue hosting monthly workshops and plan our quarterly events. We also need to wrap up our Kickstarter campaign and send out all the rewards! It’s all really exciting and I’m so eager to see what the future brings.

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