Final thoughts

Hello everyone!  I hope you've enjoyed reading our blog.  Now that it is coming to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on what I have learned, and what I hope you have learned.

I never read magazines or watched TV growing up, but now that I've seen the media that 13-15 year-olds are expected to read, I don't feel like I missed much.  Yes, we definitely had difficulty finding political topics to write about that were also age-appropriate, but we did find a lot of very impressive, influential female celebrities out there, many of whom are worth looking up to.  I was optimistic that, for young girls who are inclined to look further than the cover of Seventeen, there are many positive celebrity role models.  I think the media would be surprised to find that young girls are more interested in what their celeb role models have to do and say than just in the girls' boyfriends. 

Other thoughts:

• Writing style: It is easy enough to imitate the "cheesy" writing of celeb magazines.  Short and to the point is most engaging, especially when layered with photos/interactive media. 
• Content: Celebrities are very liberal, and this was a tough line to navigate (not be controversial while covering real political engagement by celebrities).  Celebs are more likely to engage in humanitarian work and social causes than actively in politics - perhaps to protect their careers?

You Know Her, You Love Her... It's JLaw!

 

At just 23-years-old, Jennifer Lawrence has a lot to be proud of.  Known best for her role as Katniss Everdeen in the popular Hunger Games series, she is the highest grossing action heroine EVER.  She also stars in Silver Linings Playbook and in Winter's Bone, her breakout performance, portraying strong female characters in both.  Her critical success cause TIME magazine to name her one of the most influential people in the world in 2013.  She has been nominated HUNDREDS of times for awards and has won many of them, including an Oscar!

Jennifer Lawrence grew up in Kentucky, where she acted locally.  Her parents and two brothers were very supportive of her acting career, and JLaw was determined to make it as an actress, so much so that she finished high school in just two years (and graduated with a near-perfect GPA!). 

Off the big screen, Jennifer Lawrence is well-loved for having very little filter on what she says (see above...), for loving food and photo-bombing other actors, for having a very friendly relationship with many fellow actors and actresses, and for her frank comments on being a celebrity and a woman in Hollywood. 

Here are some of my favorite JLaw quotes and moments! via IMDB and Buzzfeed

"There are actresses who build themselves, and then there are actresses who are built by others. I want to build myself."

"I'm really sick of all these actresses looking like birds... I'd rather look a little chubby on camera and look like a person in real life, than look great on screen and look like a scarecrow in real life."

Meet the woman behind your favorite shows, Shonda Rhimes!

 (via imdb.com)

Though Shonda Rhimes is off the screen, your favorite characters on the screen are all thanks to her!  Rhimes is the creator and executive producer of the wildly popular shows Scandal and Grey's Anatomy, both of which boast millions of followers.


As the youngest of six children growing up in Chicago, she would make up stories, and her mom, a professor, would write them down.  Her dad often told her as a child "The only limit to your success is your own imagination," to which she said in an interview with Fortune Magazine, "I actually believed that - like, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I might not be an Olympic figure skater. I'm sure there are barriers. I have just chosen not to acknowledge them."  She was named to Forbes' Most Powerful Women in Business list in 2013!

Rhimes later attended Dartmouth College, where she studied English, and directed plays.  She later earned her Masters in Fine Arts from USC's film school.  She worked on various jobs for a while before writing Crossroads, starring Britney Spears, which grossed $60 million worldwide!
Rhimes next became creator, executive producer, and head write of Grey's Anatomy, based on the fictional surgeons of a Seattle hospital.  Rhimes is quoted as saying she wanted to "make a show that I would want to watch," and that "the idea of having a show about smart women who compete against one another was interesting to me."

(via wikia) 

Most recently, Shonda Rhimes has taken over network TV with Scandal, a political thriller about "fixers" in Washington DC!  Check it out on Netflix!

(via edfortune.wordpress.com)

Rhimes has an optimistic energy and strong voice that comes across in her characters and in her shows.  When asked about balancing the Disney exec's requests for Grey's with what she wanted to write and produce, she said "That first year I was doing Grey's, I didn't know it was possible to fire the creator of a show off their own show, so I didn't behave like somebody who was afraid of being fired. If somebody gave me notes that I didn't like, I said, "I don't like it and here's why," instead of just feeling like I had to take it."  Now that is a leading lady!

Keep an eye out for Scandal to return Feb 27, and for more shows and writing from Shonda Rhimes in the future!

- MCS

Scarlett Johansson sparks a controversy!

Star actress Scarlett Johansson is well known for her roles in a diverse set of movies, from the SHIELD agent Black Widow in The Avengers, to a magician's wife in The Prestige to a zookeeper in We Bought a Zoo, as well as for her natural beauty!

     via swide
 
Given her positive public image, Scarlett has been the face for many companies, endorsing brands and products on a commercial level.  However, she has also undertaken significant charity work with the company Oxfam, an aid and development agency, for which she was a Global Ambassador.

via sofpedia

Is she still with Oxfam?  Nope! Here's where the controversy comes in...

     The Israeli company SodaStream, a home system that carbonates water, a healthy alternative to addictive sodas, has hired Johansson to promote SodaStream.  Johansson, Jewish on her mother's side, took the opportunity.  (See the SuperBowl commercial that never aired because it put down Pepsi, who was sponsoring the halftime show!)  Yet, despite her good intentions, it was discovered that SodaStream has operations in the heavily disputed West Bank, an area over which the Israelis and Palestinians fight for control.  Though the SodaStream CEO and Johansson both see this as a bridge-building opportunity between the two groups, human rights organizations say SodaStream undertakes unlawful practices and has displaced Palestinians in the area.  The criticism Johansson faced from Oxfam caused her to resign as Ambassador earlier this year.

Want more Scarlett Johansson trivia?!? Read on!
1) She has a twin brother named Hunter.
2) She is political involved and campaigned for John Kerry and Barack Obama.
3) She was born and raised in the Bronx.  Her mom is Jewish and her father is Danish
4) She was briefly married to Ryan Reynolds.
5) She has received four Golden Globes nominations, but has yet to win.

Kerry Washington is a political force on and off the screen!

 

via lamag.com

   
     On and off the screen, Kerry Washington has taken Hollywood and politics by storm!  Most famous for portraying the brilliant Olivia Pope in Scandal on ABC, Washington is something of a real-world "Livvie" herself.  She was born and raised in the Bronx, and her intelligence lead her to George Washington University in D.C., where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, the highest academic honor.  On screen, she uses her brain as Ms. Pope, the political "fixer," a lawyer and consultant who runs her own company cleaning up politician's messes in Washington D.C.  Check her out when Scandal returns on Thursday, Feb. 27!
    Washington is also known for her support of President Obama.  She worked as a volunteer on his reelection campaign, focusing on mobilizing youth to engage politically.  She gave a passionate speech at the Democratic National Convention, and also starred in an ad alongside celebs Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria that accused nominee Mitt Romney for not paying attention to women's issues.  This leading lady is a force to be reckoned with, on and off the screen!

More trivia! 

Kerry Washington:

1) was also accepted to Ivy League schools Dartmouth College and Yale University, but declined.

2) is of Jamaican descent (her mom's side!)

3) attended private girls' high school in NYC, the Spence School.

4) is married to Nnamdi Asomugha, an NFL cornerback.

5) is expecting her first child with Asomugha in the spring!

via IMDB

Angelina Jolie's incredible humanitarian work!

 

image via blogspot

  
     Few actors have accomplished as much off the screen as on the screen as Angelina Jolie.  The highest paid actress, as well as one of the most beautiful women in the world, Jolie has had a remarkable acting career.  She began acting alongside her father (Jon Voight) as a child, but her own career took off with roles in Hackers (1995) and Girl, Interrupted (1999).  She achieved worldwide fame and recognition in the 2000's with lead roles in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Salt, and Changeling, among many others.
     Jolie has emerged from a troubled past as a strong leader and role model for women everywhere.  A mother of six children, three of whom were adopted internationally, she has become deeply involved in international humanitarian projects, with a particular focus on women and children.  When filming Lara Croft, Tomb Raider in 2001 in Cambodia, she became very aware of the detrimental effect of war on the Cambodian people, and began visiting refugee camps and working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  Her efforts focus around spreading awareness, for bringing back into the spotlight the "forgotten emergencies" that media has shifted away from.
     Back in the United States, she has worked tirelessly to lobby politicians in Washington to work harder towards combating sexual violence, and has spearheaded multiple initiatives aimed at providing children caught in war zones, or affected by disaster, with continuing education.  Jolie has won multiple awards for her humanitarian efforts, and is as decorated for her work off the screen as for her work on the screen!

New #aeriereal campaign is a big step in the right direction!

 

via buzzfeed

Aerie, the lingerie brand of American Eagle Outfitters, has a new campaign featuring un-photoshopped models.  This is a bold and necessary step taken by a popular brand!  Check out the Buzzfeed article here.

Happy 50th to Michelle Obama!

 

(via eurweb.com) 

Happy 50th birthday to the brilliant and hilarious First Lady!  A Princeton and Harvard Law grad, she has advocated for LGBT rights, lead the "Let's Move" initiative to combat obesity, promoted arts education, and supported and advocated on behalf of military families.  A role model to women everywhere, she is confident and poised, but never misses an opportunity to bust a move. (Evolution of Mom Dancing w/ Michelle Obama & Jimmy Fallon) (Michelle Obama dances 'The Dougie') (Michelle Obama dances with Ellen DeGeneres)
Happy birthday to this leading lady!  Now, if only Beyonce would sing at my birthday party...