Daily Archives: February 25, 2020

A new initiative at the University of New Haven, the Womens Leadership Council brings female students and prominent women leaders together for mentorship and networking opportunities, as well as for inspiration and empowerment.

February 24, 2020

By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

When Rachana Pillai 20 MBA attended a recent "Women as Leaders" panel discussion and networking event, she was moved by the conversation about balancing work and personal lives, as well as the message of empowerment.

"Women in leadership know that it is essential to help other women," she said. "When you learn from other women, they can encourage you and give you the strength and inspiration to achieve your goals."

Hosted by the Universitys Womens Leadership Council (WLC), a group that provides inspiration, guidance, and opportunity for women at the University, the event brought together students, faculty members, and leaders such as Josephine Moran 01 M.S., 19 EMBA, a member of the Universitys Board of Governors and an executive vice president at Provident Bank.

The WLC was first conceived when Moran became chairperson of the Universitys College of Business Advisory Board in 2018. Committed to the engagement, growth, and development of women, the WLC aims to help women to reach their full potential.

"Mentorship has had a tremendous impact on me," said Moran. "Without the belief and encouragement I had earlier in my career from both male and female mentors, I would not be where I am in my career. I would like the council to do the same for current students."

The University has hosted a Womens Leadership Conference for the past five years, and the hope is that the new Womens Leadership Council will be a female student-focused program that will host even more events geared toward networking and empowerment.

"The Women's Leadership Council is an exciting new initiative, building on five years of success with the Women's Leadership Conference," said Nancy Savage, Ph.D., the conferences steering committee chair and associate dean of the University's Tagliatela College of Engineering. "I look forward to working with the Council membership in creating meaningful opportunities for our women students and alumnae to connect."

Endeavoring to encourage women to become inspirational, transformational leaders in their communities while fostering a robust learning environment and connections with one another the WLC leadership committee includes more than 20 professional women, who represent diverse backgrounds, industries, and areas of expertise.

"I expect the WLC to empower women at the University to be confident changemakers," said Khadija Al Arkoubi, Ph.D., an associate professor of management. "It will hopefully boost their confidence and self-efficacy as well as create opportunities that support their quest for personal and career growth."

Courtney Smith 20, a business management major who also attended the "Women as Leaders" event, is grateful that the WLC will continue to provide these meaningful opportunities for students.

"A Women's Leadership Council is important to have at the University because it allows upcoming female leaders to see examples of women who have already become leaders in their fields," she said. "It's important for future female leaders to have role models who they can emulate to increase their chances of becoming leaders, themselves, one day."

The WCLs next event will be on Wednesday, March 4, from 4:30-7 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in Bartels Hall on the Universitys main campus. Entitled "Strategies to Survive Student Debt," it will focus on assisting students with understanding credit and paying off student debt. The first in a series focused on student financial wellness, the event is part of the Universitys celebration of womens history month.

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Women's Leadership Council Endeavors to Prepare the Next Generation of Leaders - University of New Haven News

Remaining True to its Core Brand Values, Mineral Fusion is Empowering Women to Achieve Economic and Financial Independence

SAN FRANCISCO NORTH BAY, Calif., Feb. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mineral Fusion, the #1 selling EWG VERIFIED natural cosmetics line, announces today its official partnership with Dress for Success. Dress for Success is an international nonprofit organization empowering women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and life. Remaining true to its commitment that beauty is giving back, Mineral Fusion, a wholly-owned subsidiary of global natural beauty company BWX Limited, will support Dress for Success through online donations and campaigns, annual clothing drives, and volunteer outreach with the entire BWX team.

We are thrilled to work with Dress for Success and demonstrate that true beauty is about generosity and inclusiveness. Womens empowerment has been a core value at Mineral Fusion since the brand creation, and part of our mission at BWX. Our collaboration with Dress for Success and our outreach efforts aim at enhancing their confidence and empowering them to achieve their personal and professional goals, said Virginie Descamps, Group Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of BWX, a global, natural beauty company. In 2017, Mineral Fusion joined BWXs portfolio, which includes Sukin, Andalou, Nourished Life, and Uspa.

Dress for Success offers long-lasting solutions that enable women to break the cycle of poverty, leading a global movement for change, empowering women to obtain safer and better futures. The Dress for Success program provides women with professional attire to secure employment, but the impact goes beyond a new outfit. In addition to physically equipping women with apparel and accessories, the Dress for Success programs furnish women with confidence and the knowledge that she can actively define her life, the direction she takes, and what success means to her. Since 1997, Dress for Success has impacted the lives of more than one million women.

Mineral Fusions longstanding commitment to empowering women made it a natural fit for Dress for Success, said Jenny Lai, Vice President of Development at Dress for Success. By rallying the support of partners with like-minded missions, Dress for Success is better equipped to achieve monumental milestones and impact many women around the globe. Every partner Dress for Success onboards is another milestone for the nonprofit, and we look forward to working with Mineral Fusion to drive impact on our organization and the women were helping.

Mineral Fusion plans to work with Dress for Success in many ways, including :

ABOUT MINERAL FUSIONMineral Fusion began as a mineral cosmetics brand in 2007 focused on developing products that are a fusion of beauty and skin care that focus on correcting flaws, not just covering them up. Since its launch, Mineral Fusion has grown to become the #1 cosmetic brand at natural retailers. The brand is centered around providing clean cosmetics products that dont compromise on the quality, reliability, exceptional wear, and confidence-boosting performance that consumers know and love. The Mineral Fusion portfolio of products are safe and gentle for all skin types, hypoallergenic and free of gluten, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, talc and are primarily vegan. In addition to having the most EWG VERIFIED products of any beauty brand, Mineral Fusion is also Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty free. Mineral Fusion is available nationwide at Target stores and Target.com, Whole Foods Market and fine natural health and beauty stores. Mineral Fusion was acquired by BWX Limited, a global natural beauty company, in 2017.

For more information about Mineral Fusion, visit http://www.mineralfusion.com,Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mineralfusion/,Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MineralFusion, andTwitter at https://twitter.com/mineralfusion.

About Dress for Success Dress for Success is a global nonprofit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help them thrive in work and life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to nearly 150 cities in 25 countries. To date, the organization has helped more than one million women work towards financial independence.

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Whether they are job seekers, women already on a career trajectory or ready to enter leadership positions in the communities where they live, learn and work, Dress for Success provides a continuum of programs and services to help women achieve self-defined success at every phase of their journey.

Visit http://www.dressforsuccess.org to learn more.

ABOUT BWXBWX is a global, natural beauty company with a portfolio of leading natural brands in Australia, USA, Canada, UK, China, and select other international markets. Founded and headquartered in Australia, BWXs expertise is in innovation, product development, manufacturing and marketing natural products. BWXs family of natural brands provides consumers with a natural choice for personal care without compromising on performance. BWX inspires the advancement of plant and mineral based science without causing unnecessary harm to the planet. It also says NO to testing its products on animals and believes in giving. The company is actively involved in giving back to causes relating to the environment, social responsibility and empowering women.

Contact: Mineral Fusion PR

Molly Antos

T: (847) 848-2090

mineralfusion-pr@dadascope.com

Photosaccompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72e56731-70ed-4c6c-8a9c-6c71149a9da1

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec097047-dfbf-4f83-91a5-bd43df7c1ff8

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Mineral Fusion Announces a Philanthropic Partnership With Dress for Success, Making Beauty Healthy for All Women - Yahoo Finance

On Saturday, Feb. 22, the University of Arizona Health Sciences Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted its second annual LGBTQ+ National Symposium and Community Health Fair at the UAHS Wellness Walkway on the health sciences campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event was created to show the importance of inclusivity in health treatment, particularly to people on the health sciences campus.

How can you fully treat a person properly if you dont have their full identity of who they are and they dont feel comfortable sharing their full identity of who they are with you? said Lydia Kennedy, senior director of UAHS Office of Diversity and Inclusion, who called the event her brainchild.

When asked who the symposium was for, Kennedy responded quickly with everyone, explaining the importance of educating people on inclusive healthcare through a personal anecdote.

I just went to a first primary visit with a primary care physician, Kennedy said. I go into the room and then she starts asking me all these questions of gender identity, sexual orientation and then her comment proceeds to be: These questions are ridiculous. I hate asking people these questions. Im sorry I have to ask you these. And this is Feb. 21, 2020, and she was clear about her feelings toward those questions.

Violet Siwik, co-chair of the UAHS LGBTQ+ Interest Group, which hosted the event, also spoke to providing an inclusive environment in health care.

We impose so many of our beliefs of sexuality, she said. This [event] is something everyone should have exposure to.

Kennedy said the symposium was designed to be inclusive with presentations from many experts on different aspects of inclusive health care, including a keynote speech called Supportive Environment for Those Providing Care from Dr. Gabriel Sarah, an associate clinical professor in the University of California, San Franciscos Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care.

Other presentations included Re-Membering Indigenous Two-Spirits by Nicholas Wilson from UA Native American Student Affairs and an LGBTQ+ youth panel to discuss some experiences of members of the community and how to be supportive.

Booths were also set up in Drachman Hall, which provided information for those in health sciences and people within the LGBTQ+ community. The booths ranged from information for LGBTQ+ business owners to advice on adopting a pet from the Humane Society.

I want as many and all LGBTQ+ organizations and even allies to be here, to be that support network, to be that support system so [people] find everyone and they are aware of the resources in our community, Kennedy said.

One booth gave information on a transgender support group called Journeys: Exploration of Gender, a group connected with the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance.

Danny Simms, a representative from the support group who helped manage the booth, said their main goal was showing support and that we are out there and there is a place that transgender people can go to to get the support that they need.

He went on to say, Its nice to know that the healthcare system is trying to branch out and be more supportive.

Another booth from Tucsons Rising Phoenix Fitness and Self Defense promoted their Rainbow Connection Self-Defense Program, which caters to LGBTQ people and allies and other marginalized people in Tucson, according to Tylar Zinn, the self-defense coach for the program.

We really focus on being trauma-aware. We teach consent and boundary setting. We teach a lot of different classes like self defense for bathrooms, addressing bullies a lot of it is based on potential hate crimes, Zinn said. Its really confidence building, and people find it kind of therapeutic to take on that empowerment and being doing something for themselves.

According to Kennedy, she would eventually like to expand the event nationally and further spread the information the symposium provides.

Its raising awareness, its providing education, its providing visibility, Kennedy said. Its helping our community and national reputation, recognizing the importance of inclusive health care.

Follow Sam Burdette on Twitter

Originally posted here:

Health symposium sheds light on inclusivity in health care - Arizona Daily Wildcat

Updated February 25, 2020 09:51:29

Danielle is a modern woman with a penchant for "old world charms".

The self-described traditional wife, or tradwife for short, is part of an increasingly visible sect of women embracing and in some ways, reclaiming the title of homemaker.

Though some may see it as a homage to the 1950s "happy housewife", for many of the women involved in the tradwife movement, the premise is simple: choosing to be a wife, mother and homemaker should not be seen as a sacrifice, nor should taking pride in "keeping the house in order" be misconstrued as subservience.

"Traditional housewifery in the 21st century is not an example of oppression, but rather an example of liberation," says the mother of two from the midwest United States.

"The modern traditional housewife is the ultimate example of female autonomy. She's not being forced to stay home with the kids; but at the same time she's also not forced to work outside the home. She makes the choice."

Though it is hardly a new dynamic, its increasing visibility born largely out of its social media following in the United States and United Kingdom has catapulted it into the public consciousness.

And it is a concept fraught with contention.

From headlines like "Meet the women radicalised into complete subservience to men", to "Why I submit to my husband like it's 1959", it's easy to understand why the movement has proven so divisive and it is not a conflict created in a vacuum.

Certain elements of the movement openly espouse submissiveness which is seen to honour "the natural dynamics between man and wife" and regard the concept of feminism as an attempt to "repeal and restructure" the natural order.

Others have likened it to an extension of white nationalism, propagating the belief that women should focus on their "natural" duties of childbearing and housekeeping.

But many of those who champion traditional housewifery fear they have been mischaracterised both by those within the movement seeking to further their own personal brand, and the media itself.

While acknowledging that parts of the movement may be seen as a pushback to what they view as the "more damaging elements" of third wave feminism, they argue tradwives are not a homogenous hive mind, and baulk at those who "pervert traditional values by lowering themselves to servant status in their marriage".

"Instead of viewing their relationship with their spouse as a partnership, they view the husband as a king and live only to attend to his every beck and call," says Danielle.

"This is a caricature of traditionalism, and it does start to look like something resembling brainwashing."

For mother-of-three and self-described tradwife Nadine, who is currently pregnant with her fourth child, being a homemaker was a "clear condition" of what she wanted in a marriage a dynamic that she says has brought "a lot of calm" into her family's daily life.

But she concedes there may be others within the movement who do not view their own relationships as an equal playing field.

"I told my husband that if we ever got married and had children, I would want to be at home with them and that I would want him to be the money maker," she says.

"Black sheep happen in every aspect in our society. I'm sure there are traditional wives that didn't have a choice and that are 'prisoners' in their marriage or that even don't know there are other options."

Though they refer to themselves as traditional wives, some within the movement note there is no single archetype of a tradwife.

Bec, who lives in Adelaide with her husband and runs a Facebook group for women who share traditional values, says the unifying factor is their beliefs.

"There are divorced ones, single ones who aspire to being one, many have children, a number do not," she says.

"Some go for the self-sufficient family farm, others live in towns. The unifying factor is beliefs that society and the individual are best served from the preservation of the family unit, the careful raising of the next generation to hold these values and the reintroduction of home and faith as the centre focus of life."

Bec concedes she's somewhat of an anomaly.

While the UK and US traditional wife movements have amassed a significant online following, it's a concept that has largely flown under the radar in Australia.

"Three years ago, I was the only Australian that I knew of in social media, but one by one more have been popping out of the woodwork," she says.

"I don't know if it's a case of the Australian following growing, or just more women becoming equipped with the language to be able to identify with the movement.

"I personally know traditional wives who just call themselves stay-at-home mothers or Christian wives but have all the hallmarks of the traditional movement."

There is, of course, the invariable argument around the social, cultural, economic and political conditions through which such movements are created.

While many women and men would relish the opportunity to have more flexibility around their personal and professional lives, it isn't always feasible.

The rising cost of child care, among other expenses, also means staying at home isn't always a choice as much as it is a necessity.

"There's lots of different pathways that women can pursue now, and it's interesting how they want to narrativise that," says Mary Lou Rasmussen, a professor of sociology at the Australian National University.

"It seems to be a very privileged position to make Because really, in many situations, there is no option but for both people in the relationship to be working."

Danielle openly acknowledges the traditional lifestyle is "very much a luxury in the 21st century", and that not everyone can afford to stay at home.

But, in light of her family's financial position, she made the decision to do so not only in order to be more available to her children, but to ensure her husband could be too.

"He doesn't have to come home from work and make dinner for the kids, or give them a bath, because all four of us were gone all day," she says.

"Instead, he gets to come home and be a dad. He comes in the door, throws his jacket on the hook and wrestles with the kids, reads them stories, and makes blanket forts."

Steeped in the ideals of the traditional housewife, however, is a darker undertone.

The preservation of traditional family values has been used by some as a dog-whistle for whiteness, and as Annie Kelly noted in The Housewives of White Supremacy, "running alongside what could be mistaken for a peculiar style of mommy-vlogging is a virulent strain of white nationalism".

The phenomenon rose to notoriety in 2017, when Ayla Stewart a self-described tradwife and blogger issued a "white baby challenge" to her viewers, asking them to "have as many white babies as I have contributed".

"The highest goal for a white supremacist woman is to stay home, keep her husband happy, and produce as many white warrior babies as she can," says Jessica Reaves, an expert in Anti-Defamation League's Centre on Extremism and the author of its recent report on the links between misogyny and white supremacy.

"This all ties into white supremacists' obsession with replacement theory."

While some within the movement are conscious of its perceived association with the alt-right, they say it is remiss to suggest that it is in any way a shared value or commonality within the tradwife community.

Nikki, a self-described tradwife who runs a Facebook group geared towards traditional women, says the premise is "laughable".

"The traditional wife [and] homemaker community is made up of women from various religions, ethnicities, ages, and upbringings," she says.

"So assuming we are Nazis or white supremacists is laughable to me."

It is a sentiment echoed by Crystal, who runs a club for traditional housewives.

"Women of different races in my group, all coming together to share recipes, cleaning tips, jokes, talking about life," she remarks.

"I don't see how any of that makes us brainwashed or Nazis. Anyone who characterises it that just blows my mind, I don't understand it at all."

A number of women who identify as tradwives lament these connotations have become associated with the modern movement, and worry they will be typecast for their decision.

But through social media, they have found a network of like-minded women, where they can celebrate and commiserate the challenges of day-to-day life together.

"I would say it is empowering for many, especially since many of these homemakers or those who desire this lifestyle do not get the support from family or friends in their real life," says Nikki.

"To come online and find that support, to feel validated in their decision, is all these women want, that what they desire to do with their life and for their families is normal."

Danielle does not mince words she is not out to "try and win hearts and minds" about her lifestyle.

But she says meeting others who share her values helped her realise that she was not a "disgrace" for choosing a different path to other women.

"I think the tradwife community serves as a response by rational women who are digging their heals in and saying, 'No! I want to get married, I want to raise a family, I want to make a home for myself and my loved ones'," she says.

"I think the empowerment comes from the realisation that there are other women who want what you want, and you're not a disgrace to your gender if you don't want to live alone in an empty apartment for the rest of your life."

Topics:community-and-society,family-and-children,marriage,social-systems,gender-roles,australia,united-states,canada

First posted February 24, 2020 06:06:33

Read more:

Tradwives have been labelled 'subservient', but these women reject suggestions they're oppressed - ABC News

We tend to associate entrepreneurship with opportunistic founders operating out of bustling Silicon Valley hubs or perhaps more specifically the five American tech giants whose combined market value, it was reported recently, has increased by $1.3 trillion in the past year.

In fact, entrepreneurship exists wherever you are. The sharing economy is producing millions of micro-entrepreneurs who are putting dormant assets to good use. Necessity entrepreneurs in the developing world are supplementing incomes, boosting economic growth, and extending products or services to those who need them.

And some like Cherie Blair will find other ways to be their own boss.

Mrs Blair is one of few First Ladies to convincingly step out of her husbands shadow. Perhaps thats because she was never in it: in the same year they met, she became a barrister, and was the only wife of a Prime Minister to work full-time while her husband was in office. She was a founding member of Matrix Chambers, and more recently set up Omnia Strategy.

Though the list of accolades is exhaustive, one senses that she is most proud of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which was set up in 2008 to unleash the potential of female entrepreneurs in developing nations.

If the Blair family felt melancholic on 27 June 2007, as removal men emptied their belongings from Downing Street in front of a huddle of cameramen and reporters, it did not show. Tony Blair himself had that day received an unprecedented standing ovation in the Commons. Opportunity awaited.

For Mrs Blair, the decision to set up a foundation focused on womens economic empowerment had personal experience at its core.

I was brought up by a mother who was a single parent with help from my paternal grandmother, she recalls. I witnessed how difficult it was for her when my father abandoned us. From a very early age I understood that a woman needs to be in control of her own money. I did it through the law as a self-employed barrister Ive essentially always been an entrepreneur.

Mrs Blair was a beneficiary of her time: the first of her family to go to university, where she thrived, taking first-class honours. During Tonys tenure as PM, she toured the globe visiting womens projects, and quickly realised the challenges that many faced.

All those personal reasons made me aware of this gap in the womens entrepreneurial space. If you can give women the ability to earn and spend their own money, then we see a transformative effect, she says emphatically. Help a woman and you tend to help a family. More than that a community.

The foundation has supported over 160,000 businesswomen across more than 100 countries since 2008. It creates teaching videos, internet forums and apps to help women who would otherwise not have access to training.

As Mrs Blair is acutely aware, the quantity and quality of entrepreneurship still rests on the rules in place that support or hinder it. This is especially true for female entrepreneurs.

In the UK, women are behind roughly one in three businesses, and the rate of entrepreneurialism has grown faster in the past decade among women than men. While this is encouraging after all, entrepreneurship offers an accelerated route to economic empowerment and gender equality we know that women-led firms tend not to reach the same scale as those led by men.

The barriers to growth, according to Mrs Blair, are the same regardless of geography. Just as we hear horror stories of venture capitalists asking female founders what their husbands think of the business here in the UK, two thirds of the women in the countries where the foundation operates have experienced stereotyping and discriminatory remarks.

The foundations chief executive, Helen McEachern, formerly of Action Aid, points to the enormous structural issues in many of these nations. The odds are stacked against women, and when it comes to economic power, we are moving backwards.

In fact, based on the current rate of progress, it will take well over 200 years to close the economic gender gap completely. To Mrs Blair, this is simply not good enough.

Automation has affected men, but also jobs traditionally held by women. New roles are more STEM orientated (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), where women are underrepresented. There is the perennial issue of childcare, against a backdrop of systemic views on what women and men should do.

The foundation is less concerned by the problem than its potential solutions. We are seeing more women enter what has historically been a male preserve. But while many developing nations have equal or higher rates of entrepreneurial activity among women than men, these are often vulnerable, informal micro-businesses.

Which is where the foundation comes in, to provide training, organise mentoring, and share knowledge, inspired by women across the world and supported by partners, donors and collaborators.

The opportunity here is huge, according to Mrs Blair. Women entrepreneurs could open new frontiers in every field of business, bringing us closer to solutions for the worlds most pressing problems, and transforming the way we live our lives.

Mrs Blairs understated offices, nestled in a quiet street in W1, are worlds apart from the nations where the foundation works. Sitting in her yoga gear, the trailblazing barrister, campaigner and author reels off statistics and anecdotes passionately.

She is inspired near-daily by the women she has encountered, but one touched her more profoundly than most. Dhanashree, an Indian micro-entrepreneur, lost her hand operating a noodle-making machine in her grocery store several years ago. The foundations workshops equipped her with the skills and confidence she needed to take her aspirations forward. She now runs a number of small-scale enterprises including dress-making and milk-selling.

The success of the foundation hinges on a willingness from mentors to give up precious time to support these women. But they are passionate to the point of gushing, McEachern says. Mentoring has long been viewed as one of the best vehicles for encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship, and has acted as a boon to female founders across the globe.

Nor is it a one-way street. With technology rapidly advancing, for instance, its not uncommon for mentors to be mentored by their mentee in areas such as coding, the hottest new apps, and social media.

Mrs Blair adds: Bank of America Merrill Lynch gives us over 100 mentors every year. They see it as talent development. And if youre a company doing business across the world, it gives employees insight into what life is really like in a given country.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the foundation would launch a new phase: a 10m mentoring campaign to help 100,000 female entrepreneurs in just three years. The 100,000 Women campaign was unveiled at Davos and has the backing of Hillary Clinton. Mentors will be paired with an aspiring entrepreneur in another country, provided with training, and asked to give two hours a month.

Their goal is ambitious, but as Clinton has said of the foundations work, it is the right thing to do.

Main image credit: Getty

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Like a boss: Cherie Blair on helping women start their own business - City A.M.

Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of sexual assault and rape in a New York court and taken away in handcuffs, marking a turning point for the #MeToo movement that inspired women to publicly accuse powerful men of misconduct.

The disgraced movie mogul faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of more than two decades in prison.

The jury acquitted Weinstein, 67, on the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault involving the two women, Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann.

In doing so, jurors indicated that they did not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Weinstein had also raped actress Annabella Sciorra, another alleged victim whose testimony prosecutors used in an attempt to establish Weinstein's predatory behaviour.

The long-awaited verdict has sparked emotional responses from all sides. Here are some of the reactions from key players in the two year battle.

Gloria Allred, attorney for accuser Miriam Haley, said:

"It's no longer business as usual in the United States. This is the age of empowerment of women. And you cannot intimidate them anymore," Ms Allred said. "Women will not be silenced."

Rose McGowan, an actress and model who claims she was raped by Weinstein and is part of a group of 17 accusers known as the Silence Breakers, said:

"Today is a powerful day and a huge step forward in our collective healing."

Rosanna Arquette, an actress and film producer who was one of more than 80 women who accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment, tweeted:

"Gratitude to the brave women who've testified and to the jury for seeing through the dirty tactics of the defence. We will change the laws in the future so that rape victims are heard and not discredited and so that it's easier for people to report their rapes."

Ashley Judd, an actress who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment tweeted:

"For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you."

Debra Katz, top lawyer in the Me Too movement after representing Christine Blasey Ford who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of assaulting her, said:

"Harvey Weinstein has heard dozens and dozens of people by his sexual, predatory, rapist, violent behaviour, and today there could be no other discussion other than Harvey Weinstein is exactly where he should be."

Douglas Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, legal representatives of three women suing Weinstein Kaja Sokola, Wedil David and Dominique Huett and Tarale Wullf, issued a joint statement in response to the verdict:

"While we cannot undo the harm that Weinstein has caused to so many victims, hopefully today can bring about some sense of healing," it reads. "All of the survivors who participated in the criminal trial should be applauded for bringing about some sense of justice."

The official Me Too organisation said in a statement:

"Harvey Weinstein operated with impunity and without remorse for decades in Hollywood. Yet, it still took years, and millions of voices raised, for one man to be held accountable by the justice system."

New Yorker journalist Ronan Farrow, who broke stories about allegations against Weinstein in 2017, wrote on Twitter:

"Today's outcome in Harvey Weinstein's New York trial is the result of the decisions of multiple women to come forward to journalists and to prosecutors at great personal cost and risk. Please keep those women in your thoughts today."

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Accusers react to guilty verdict: 'Harvey Weinstein is exactly where he should be' - 9News

Reinvention is tough to pull off, which is why the Australian pop vehicle Sam Sparro didnt aim to reinvent himself with his new album Boombox Eternal. Instead, the 37-year-old singer-songwriter went back to his roots and created a 12-song album directly inspired by the 80s beats of musical icons like Janet Jackson, Madonna, and Prince. Sparro first grabbed attention with his stylized and self-made 2008 single Black and Gold. The song fast-tracked his ascension to fame, quickly becoming a pop standard that was covered by the likes of Adele, Katy Perry, and Ellie Goulding. With his sophomore album Return to Paradise in 2012, Sparro proved once and for all that he was ahead of the game, creating thematically cohesive queer pop music with unconventional production. Its been eight years since Sparros last album, a break that was dedicated to recovery from his struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. With the emergence of the new decade, Sparro has come out stronger with Boombox Eternal, an exuberant love letter to his dearest influences and his 8-year-old self. For Interview, Sparro called up his friend and frequent co-writer Adam Lambert to discuss making queer music and reminisce about one particularly wild Halloween party with Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus.

ADAM LAMBERT: Your last album was back in 2012, which I loved by the way. What happened between then and now? What kept you from releasing a new project?

SAM SPARRO: Thank you. Well, girl, its so funny because weve been friends for, god, I want to say almost 12 years?

LAMBERT: I know. You wrote a song with me on my first album, For Your Entertainment.

SPARRO: We go way fucking back. Do you remember when I was living in that loft?

LAMBERT: Yeah, I think I came to a party there once.

SPARRO: I was going through a total fucking personal crisis. I was like, smoking crack and drinking alone when I lived there.

LAMBERT: Shit. So, theres that.

SPARRO: It feels really good to just be super honest and open about my life now. I just feel ready. Honestly, the time in between Return to Paradise, which is when I was trying to get myself together, and nowso much of that time was just about getting well.

LAMBERT: And now youre sober, correct?

SPARRO: Seven years.

LAMBERT: Thats amazing, congratulations. After all that time getting sober and getting everything back together, what finally motivated you to get back in the studio for this project?

SPARRO: Ive done some collabs and co-writes very selectively because I dont like random people in my space. I finallyand I know you can relate to thisI felt like I stopped chasing a hit. I stopped chasing whatever was on the radio, or what I thought people wanted me to make. I just was like, Fuck it, Im going to make exactly what I want to make. Which is a very nostalgic pop album celebrating my childhood. Life is too short. We just have to make what we love so we can stand next to, and be proud of it. I think people respond to that.

LAMBERT: At the end of the day, if youre going to put yourself out there and put your name on something, it has to be something that you love. It cant be something thats plugged into some sort of commercial trend, that everyone says is the new thing, if it doesnt work for you. It just doesnt make any sense. I completely relate to you on that.

SPARRO: I mean, its nice when those two things line up.

LAMBERT: You have to play the game, to a point. I think having that artistic integrity is super important. Its the only thing that we can really claim as ours. Hats off to you, I think thats great. I was just listening to the album before this phone call. What I love about it is that its so specific. I hear your influences in it, I hear the time period that youre honoring. It is fully nostalgic. My favorite kind of artistry is when you reference something and then put a twist on it. Thats you in there, I hear you.

SPARRO: I feel like this, more than any other project, is me not just as a songwriter and a singer, but really as a producer. Im super proud of the production that Ive done on this album. The vocal production, making that really modern and polished, does bring it into the contemporary landscape. I feel like Kanye West a little bit when people are like, Well, what are you listening to? And Im like, Im listening to myself because my music is the shit.

LAMBERT: I do the same thing. Absolutely.

SPARRO: Youve really inspired me a lot over the years. I admire you so much. Im so glad were friends and Im so glad we work together. Im just so proud of you and this record that youve made, as well. Because its the best stuff youve ever done.

LAMBERT: Thank you for that. Do you think this liberation that were both sorts of in the midst of has anything to do with where were at in the music industry, regarding queer people? Its obviously changed a lot.

SPARRO: When we were starting our careers, there were so few queer artists.

LAMBERT: Remember, girl? It was a desert.

SPARRO: Crickets. It wasnt considered an asset. People were trying to tone us down all the time.

LAMBERT: There was so much fear that you had to deal with. The people that you were doing business withwhether or not they were homophobic wasnt the main issue. Well, we dont think this will work. We dont think this will get put on the radio. We dont think people will like this. There was this attitude that anything queer was negative.

SPARRO: They were constantly trying to find ways to say that without saying it. It was just always these microaggressions from executives in the business. Now weve seen, because of the internet, that theres a space for everybody, and everybodys voice matters. Theres so much room for all types of identities. Its changed a lot since we both started. For better and for worse.

LAMBERT: I do think that the markets really saturated now. Theres a lot of new music, so its easy to feel like youre getting lost in the shuffle. But I think youre right. I think its easier than ever to find your audience because there arent all these gatekeepers, and people arent afraid of what youre making. I know that I felt much more liberated when I was working on this project, in the sense that I could put the music out. I moved off of the major label system for this project. There are some disadvantages, but overall, I feel a sense of empowerment.

SPARRO: This is my first album without a major label as well. There are definitely struggles, but also, I feel so free. Its worth making the sacrifices of all of the perks of the major label system to be able to sleep at night.

LAMBERT: When I put together a tour or one-off shows of my new music, thats what matters to me. I want to be able to get up on stage and love every song. Ive had moments in the past with some of the other tracks that Ive done, even if theyve been great pop songs, the heavy lifting has been done by a different producer and another writer. This is the style thats, quote, unquote, cool. I dont feel like its me, I feel like Im posing. There have been a few moments of that, and when I realized it on a tour a couple of years ago, I was like, Ah, shit. You cant let this happen again.

SPARRO: We live, we learn. We learn what we can deal with, and what we cant.

LAMBERT: As artists, were sensitive. You end up becoming your own worst critic. And youre your own worst enemyIve been that to myself. It causes you to overthink and to forget the big picture, and I think as we get older, its a little easier to zoom out, and be like, Ah, okay. Broad strokes.

SPARRO: I did an interview earlier today, and they asked me, If you could talk to your eight-year-old self, what would you say? Its a very Rupauls Drag Race question, but I thought about it for a second, and I thought, I would tell myself: be nicer to yourself.

LAMBERT: [Laughs.] Weve all heard it for years, but it feels more clear to me nowthat if youre not loving yourself or enjoying what youre doing, how is the audience going to? Side note: Black and Gold was my fucking jam. I remember when that came out, it was my workout song, it was my getting ready song, it was my driving song. It was just so cool. How did that first big hit come to be?

SPARRO: Ive kind of gone back to the way it was then, in a lot of ways. I was super autonomous. I was making tracks in my bedroom, on my laptop. I had no money, I had a very cheap and disgusting microphone that I recorded half of that album on. I had a mini keyboard that was missing two keys. I was doing all my own graphic design, I was making flyers, I was doing little shows at the Echo and at the Roxy with my friend Jesse on my laptop. I was just doing so much of it myself.

LAMBERT: Do you feel like thats where the real creativity was really pumping?

SPARRO: Ive come to feel that Im not necessarily a part of the music industry. But Ive started to see myself as more of a multimedia artist that makes music. The cover of Black and Gold is a selfie with a logo that I designed. I love making stuff, dressing up, doing the shoots. [Black and Gold] was on Myspace, then Radio 1 played it. Then I signed with Universal.

LAMBERT: Myspace, oh my god.

SPARRO: Myspace, girl.

LAMBERT: Myspace was it.

SPARRO: The legend. The only.

LAMBERT: The moment.

SPARRO: The icon. We were coding. We thought we were hackers.

LAMBERT: Didnt Black and Gold get covered by Katy Perryand Adele?

SPARRO: And Ellie Goulding. That song has somehow become a standard. Its in every karaoke bar Ive been to around the world. People sing it for their American Idol auditions.

LAMBERT: Thats just so cool. Your new album,I was flashing back to being in my bedroom in the early 90s. Its so fresh. What are a couple of specific songs or artists that directly influenced this project for you?

SPARRO: Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation was a big influence. Dangerous by Michael JacksonI was obsessed with that one. I wore that tape out. My mom had to buy me a new one. Weirdly, in hindsight, thinking about this album, another influence is Prince,Sign O the Times era. Actually, the Batman soundtrack. That was amazing.

LAMBERT: Lyrically, what are you singing about?

SPARRO: A big part of the album is escapism and love and joy. That was a big thing in the 90s, too. Looking toward a brighter future where theres no racism or sexism. But then, theres heavier material. Save A Life is about contemplating suicide, which was something I experienced. And pressures about modern anxiety, which is a big part of our lives today.

LAMBERT: Its like a slice of your life, literally. On a personal level, you recently got married. Did that directly influence any of the songs?

SPARRO: I had a muse that I was in love with that inspired all the love songs here. Also, having someone in my life that is so different from me. I am emotional, Im impulsive, Im intense. Hes so grounded and so stable. Having him in my life has grounded me in a lot of ways.

LAMBERT: I was so sad that I had to miss it, because I was traveling. I was on tour. I was bummed. I want them to develop this hologram technology so we can just beam in for things.

SPARRO: I think theyre not that far away. That Miley Cyrus episode of Black Mirror?

LAMBERT: Ashley O. I love Miley. Where is Miley? Lets call Miley. Shes so hot.

SPARRO: I was thinking about, just as you said that, that Halloween party that you had where she was dressed as Lil Kim and I performed. Wasnt Snoop [Dogg] there, dressed in the Scream mask?

LAMBERT: I think he was. There was a lot of smoking going on. That was a wild party. What do you think is next for you?

SPARRO: I went so long in between making albums, and Im actually already halfway through my next album. Not to jump so far ahead, but Im really excited about it. Its definitely less nostalgic. Its electronic, its dance-y, theres elements of house and weird electronica.

LAMBERT: I cant wait to hear it. Sam, Im so glad that were still friends, and that we are interviewing each other for Interview Magazine. Its so cunt.

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Sam Sparro and Adam Lambert Are Part of the Rhythm Nation - Interview