Eye: Rihanna Channels Queen Nefertiti As Cultural Appropriation Cries Mount Against Vogue Arabia

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Eye: Rihanna Channels Queen Nefertiti As Cultural Appropriation Cries Mount Against Vogue Arabia

Mega star Rihanna covers the November 2017 issue of Vogue Arabia, channeling Queen Nefertiti. Riri loves the ancient Egyptian queen with such passion that she even has a Queen Neferti tattoo on her torso. Vogue Arabia writes:

Ruling over Ancient Egypt next to Pharaoh Akhenaten almost 3 500 years ago, Nefertitiis still one of the most beloved icons of the Middle East. Known for her unmatched beauty, the queen had a very active role in the country’s political sphere, giving mankind an early lesson in women empowerment. Although her death is still shrouded in mystery, Nefertiti’s myth took on a new dimension at the beginning of the 20th century, when German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt and his team discovered a painted limestone bust of the royal in Amarna. It was found in the ruins of the workshop of court sculptor Thutmose, and was described by Borchardt as “the most alive Egyptian artwork.”

The expected claims of cultural appropriation from the Twitter-universe are proliferating social media. Some loud voices in social media demand that only a model of Egyptian or Arab descent is allowed to channel Queen Nefertiti. The cultural appropriation police are further pounding the drums, demanding that black and African models not be used in an interchangeable manner. A black model -- or presumably an African American model of Kenyan descent cannot channel a Kenyan woman because she is technically American. You get my drift. The rules about who can model what and where are increasingly governed by a very, very tight noose of allowable creativity by the cultural appropriation police. It will be interesting to see how all this ends up in our melting pot world. It seems that the cultural appropriation police do not permit intermixing of racial identities and heritages, or being inspired by cultural influences. They are total purists about intermarriage, color mixing, and any other attempts to water down purity. Sounds pretty white nationalist to me. 

Three Dartmouth Professors Part of Criminal Investigation On Serious Sexual Misconduct

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Three Dartmouth Professors Part of Criminal Investigation On Serious Sexual Misconduct

The New York Times reported Tuesday that three Dartmouth College professors -- Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley, and Paul Whalen, all professors in the college's department of psychological and brain sciences -- are being criminally investigated for alleged sexual misconduct. New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said in a statement Tuesday that his office is part of a joint criminal investigation with four other law enforcement agencies into allegations of “serious misconduct.”

Production Suspended on 'House of Cards' In View Of Gay Male Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Kevin Spacey

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Production Suspended on 'House of Cards' In View Of Gay Male Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Kevin Spacey

Netflix and streaming giant and producer Media Rights Capital issued a joint statement on Tuesday that production on 'House of Cards' has been suspended indefinitely following the sexual harassment claim made against Kevin Spacey, star and executive producer of the political drama. 

The suspension comes two days after 'Star Trek' actor Anthony Rapp alleged in a Buzzfeed article that Spacey made sexual advances towards him when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. The incident prompted Spacey to immediately offered his "sincerest apology" to Rapp via Twitter and to use his statement to come out as a gay man for the first time. Spacey's move was criticized by Hollywood colleagues, as well as GLAAD, who accused the prominent actor of trying to deflect from allegations of sexual assault against him by coming out. 

'Get Me Roger Stone' Director Talk Paul Manafort & Roger Stone Partnership In Business & As Fast Friends

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'Get Me Roger Stone' Director Talk Paul Manafort & Roger Stone Partnership In Business & As Fast Friends

The Hollywood Reporter touches base with  Morgan Pehme, Dylan Bank and Daniel DiMauro, directors of the 2017 Netflix documentary 'Get Me Roger Stone'. Famed conservative pundit and Trump whisperer Roger Stone is a longtime friend and former business partner of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman indicted Monday by the Robert Mueller investigation. The duo worked on Ronald Reagan's presidential campaigns in the 1980s and helped set up a powerful Washington, D.C., lobbying shop, Black, Manafort & Stone.

THR queries: How closely tied are Manafort and Roger Stone?

Daniel DiMauro: One of the through lines of our film is Stone and Manafort’s lifelong friendship and partnership in politics. Their bond dates back to their early 20s. Manafort managed Stone’s successful 1977 campaign for the chairmanship of the Young Republicans, which was part of their plan, as Manafort says in our film, to move the "Republican Party in a more ideological direction" toward the conservative right. Then, in 1980, after playing key roles in the Reagan campaign, Manafort and Stone decided to go into business together by creating a lobbying firm to cash in on their relationships within the new administration. That company, Black, Manafort & Stone, became one of D.C.’s first mega-lobbying firms and made millions, in part because of BMS’s willingness to represent brutal third-world dictators like Mobutu Sese Seko in the Republic of the Congo and Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines — work that led to their firm being branded "The Torturers’ Lobby." BMS also represented a host of high-powered corporate clients, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, The Tobacco Institute and, starting in the early 1980s, Donald Trump.

After Manafort and Stone sold their business in the '90s, their careers went in different directions, but they always stayed in touch, and their relationship to this day remains close. As Manafort admits in our film, it was Stone who recommended him to Trump for the job of campaign chairman. Stone has also been instrumental in helping Manafort navigate his post-Trump campaign challenges from a public relations standpoint.

Prince Harry Joins Obamas To Kick Off Inauguration Of Obama Foundation Summit In Chicago

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Prince Harry Joins Obamas To Kick Off Inauguration Of Obama Foundation Summit In Chicago

Prince Harry joined Michelle Obama on Tuesday, kicking off the inaugural summit of the Obama Foundation. “During this inaugural Summit, hundreds of leaders from around the world will come together to exchange ideas, explore creative solutions to common problems, and experience civic art, technology, and music from around the world,” reads the Obama Foundation’s site.

Harry joined the former First Lady in a meeting with about 20 students at Hyde Park Academy across the site from the future site of the Obama Presidential Center. Caroline Adler Morales, Obama’s communications director, told People that they discussed “the importance of young people staying inspired and hopeful, and the transformative power of students using their voices to change the world.” Harry is scheduled to give a headliner speech, where he’ll likely talk about his Full Effect program, which supports at-risk youth in the U.K.

President Obama was scheduled to speak at 3 pm Tuesday and Prince Harry will take the podium at 6:15 pm. The former first lady spoke Tuesday morning at 11:45 am. 

Congresswomen Jackie Speier & Brenda Lawrence Set To Deal With Capitol Hill's 'Toothless' . . Sexual Harassment Policy, 'A Joke'

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Politico writes that two female lawmakers -- Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif) and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) -- and several congressional staffers will are working on new legislation calling for an overhaul of the Congressional compliance office, in view of the landslide of sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations mounting across media, Hollywood, state politics and just about every American workplace from the New York/DC corridor to California -- with touchdowns also in middle America. 

The compliance office is today "constructed to protect the institution -- and to impede the victim from getting justice," according to Congresswoman Speier. This is not her first attempt, having introduced the same bill every year since 2014.

“Many of us in Congress know what it’s like, because Congress has been a breeding ground for a hostile work environment for far too long,” Speier continued. “It’s time to throw back the curtain on the repulsive behavior that has thrived in the dark without consequences.”

Federal Appeals Court Reverses Trump Administration's Scott Lloyd's Refusal To Allow Abortion For Immigrant

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Federal Appeals Court Reverses Trump Administration's Scott Lloyd's Refusal To Allow Abortion For Immigrant

The full US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that a 17-year-old immigrant held in federal custody in Texas must be allowed to obtain an abortion. The teen, known only as Jane Doe, is about 15 weeks pregnant and entered the US in September. 

The federal government did not appeal the decision and the ACLU writes that the abortion is concluded. 

Lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for sheltering children who illegally enter the country unaccompanied by a parent, have said the department under the Trump Administration has a policy of "refusing to facilitate" abortions and that releasing the teenager would require arranging a transfer of custody and follow-up care. E. Scott Lloyd, the head of the federal refugee agency that oversees detention centers for minors, is a longtime antiabortion activist.

Eye: Sara Sampaio Sizzles But Cries Foul In David Bellemere's Lui Magazine October 2017 Images

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Sara Sampaio Sizzles But Cries Foul In David Bellemere's Lui Magazine October 2017 Images

Top model and Victoria's Secret Angel Sara Sampaio covers the October 2017 issue of Lui magazine. Sampaio is styled by Dan Sablon in workout wear for sizzling images lensed by David Bellemere./ Hair by Ward Stegerhoek; makeup by Courtney Perkins. 

AOC is sharing the David Bellemere editorial because it's in wide circulation and for a decade we've written about positive sensuality within a strong feminist mindset. We would take down the images immediately at the request of either David Bellemere or Sara Sampaio. AOC is also sharing the editorial knowing that Sara Sampaio has alleged that the shoot violates her policy of no nudity, adding a clause to that effect in the agreement covering the shoot. Despite this, Sampaio says, she was "aggressively pressured to do nude shots on set." Fashionista covered the grievance, writing: read on

Former Assistant Accuses Weinstein Of Lowest, Grossest Non-Consensual Sex Act

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Harvey Weinstein seems to be in a race with Donald Trump to see who can out gross the other. Granted, Trump is beating up on a Gold Family widow and calling a woman member of Congress 'wacky' because of her hats. Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein has a proclivity for shooting cum in potted plants, while an aspiring starlet or junior colleague is forced to watch. Today's Harvey Weinstein story seems to seal the deal on an ultimate low, if his former production assistant Mimi Haleyi is telling the truth. 

Haleyi appeared with her attorney Gloria Allred at a New York City press conference on Tuesday, sharing extremely graphic details of her multiple encounters with Weinstein. 

The young woman sought Weinstein out at the Cannes Film Festival. Variety details the meeting. 

Photographer Terry Richardson Banned By Condé Nast Writes Daily Telegraph London

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Photographer Terry Richardson Banned By Condé Nast Writes Daily Telegraph London

The first thought that went through my mind in the Harvey Weinstein case was wondering if celebrity photographer Terry Richardson would get his just desserts. Richardson has proudly been the fashion industry's photographer playboy with strong suggestions that a quick fling with Richardson's ample c#ck was the price for a photoshoot with "Uncle Terry". 

AOC is unaware of any new allegations against Richardson in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal -- and so many more that we've lost count now. But The Telegraph in London dropped the story that an email they've seen was circulated on Monday at the media group Condé Nast International.  According to The Daily Telegraph, the company will no longer work with Terry Richardson. 

The message was sent by James Woolhouse, the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, to “country presidents” at the firm at 8.14am on Monday. Condé Nast International publishes Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair, and GQ, among other well-known titles.

Mr Woolhouse wrote: “I am writing to you on an important matter. Condé Nast would like to no longer work with the photographer Terry Richardson.

“Any shoots that have been commission[ed] or any shoots that have been completed but not yet published, should be killed and substituted with other material.

“Please could you confirm that this policy will be actioned in your market effective immediately. Thank you for your support in this matter.”

Complicity In The Boys Club Is Entrenched | Consider Joe Biden In The Supreme Court Confirmation Of Clarence Thomas

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Complicity In The Boys Club Is Entrenched | Consider Joe Biden In The Supreme Court Confirmation Of Clarence Thomas

Writing for New York Magazine's The Cut this week, Rebecca Traister raised a delicate issue, one that simmers in the minds of many Democratic women.  Traister questions just how many times we must go through these grand national revelations of male misbehavior. Last year it was Trump talking about grabbing women by the pussies whenever he wanted. It's a right, Trump explained, of powerful men. And then America elected the pussy grabber president -- because he promised to give America to the small group of Christians demanding a theocracy for America. Yes. To add insult to injury, America's most supposedly devout Christians made the pussy grabber president of America. 

Trump is not an isolated incident; nor is Harvey Weinstein, writes Traister. These are not unique stories of sexual harassment or sexual assault. We must come to grips with a "nuts and bolts infrastructure of gender injustice that has permitted generations -- centuries -- of this behavior, and that has worked again and again to beat back any resistance to it."

Former senator and vice president Joe Biden was the architect of the Violence Against Women Act and most recently a voice in the movement to address campus sexual assault. While many of us respect Joe Biden for all the good he has done for Americans, we also view Biden as deeply complicit in his role of "protecting the powerful" while allowing the shaming of Anita Hill for speaking truth to power. Biden silenced other witnesses who wanted to corroborate Anita Hill's allegations against Clarence Thomas in his supreme court nomination hearing. In fact, then-senator Joe Biden, who led the all-white, all-male Judiciary Committee in 1991 initially ignored Anita Hill and her desire to testify against Thomas as being fit for a position on the US Supreme Court. Traister writes:

Rep. Frederica S. Wilson Links Sgt. Johnson's Death In Niger To Her Support For Chibok Girls As Trump Amps Up Attacks On Her

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ELIZABETH BROCKWAY/THE DAILY BEAST

Rep. Frederica S. Wilson Links Sgt. Johnson's Death In Niger To Her Support For Chibok Girls As Trump

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson has been very busy this week, defending her own integrity under the full-frontal assault against her by the Trump administration. At least the liberal media must assume that she had no time to explain her focus on events in Niger -- because the story only emerged now on AM Joy with Joy Reid articulating Rep. Wilson's hunch about what happened in Niger.

In a nutshell, we knew that Rep. Wilson has a long history with U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson and his family, both as a school superintendent and family friend, and in her foundation 5000 Young Men of Excellence, which educated Sgt Johnson and mentored him for years.Amps Up Attacks On Her

Eye: Miuccia Prada Meticulously Restores The Past In Shanghai | With A Fiercely Rebellious Feminist Artistry For Spring 2018

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Eye: Miuccia Prada Meticulously Restores The Past In Shanghai | With A Fiercely Rebellious Feminist Artistry For Spring 2018 AOC Eye

Prada Renovates Past Decadence in Shanghai

Miuccia Prada and husband, Prada Group chief executive Patrizio Bertelli, opened Prada Rong Zhai, a brilliantly restored heritage mansion in Shanghai's affluent Jing'a District, just north of the former French Concession. 

Miuccia Prada's Punk and the Need for Modern Militance

'Combative' and 'militant' were words front and center in Miuccia's spring 2018 fashion consciousness. The designer has quietly undermined every aspect of bougeois dress throughout her career. After all, as a full-fledged member of Italy's Communist party, Prada reportedly wore regularly Yves Saint Laurent couture. This is testimony to her "profoundly unconventional and willfully contrary spirit", writes Frankel. 

Angelina Chapin Talks Why Harvey Weinstein Shoots Cum Into Potted Plants & Other Male Power Stories

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Angelina Chapin Talks Why Harvey Weinstein Shoots Cum Into Potted Plants & Other Male Power Stories

Of course the title of The Cut's 'Why Men Force Women to Watch Them Masturbate' got my attention.  Lauren Sivan's story about Harvey Weinstein shooting cum into a potted plant at Socialista, demanding that she watch him after she rebuffed him, was front and center in my mind before thinking about my own man masturbating with the demand that I watch him on the New York subway. 

Alrighty then, thanks to writer Angelina Chapin . . . here's an insightful, informative analysis of how crazy I must have driven the jerking off guy on the New York Subway as he was masturbating for many stops in front of me and I never looked up from my book. I did notice that the person sitting next to me moved, but even then I didn't look up because it was a REALLY good book. Everybody in the car was watching this incredible scene where this naked c#ck just couldn't get my attention. Imagine that! Shot down by a good book.

Kate Hudson Fronts 'Golden Girl' In An Le Images For The Edit October 19, 2017

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Kate Hudson Fronts 'Golden Girl' In An Le Images For The Edit October 19, 2017

Talent Kate Hudson is 'The Golden Girl' writes The October 19th issue of The Edit. Tracy Taylor styles Hudson in glam looks for images by An Le. Sanjiv Bhattacharya   interviews Hudson about family, friends and her eternal pursuit of happiness -- and before she rocked a buzz cut in New York Thursday night. Hudson shaved her trademark blonde locks for her role in Sia's directorial debut, 'Sister'.

Sasha Pivovarova Poses With Her Artistry In Patrick Demarchelier Images For Interview October 2017

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Sasha Pivovarova Poses With Her Artistry In Patrick Demarchelier Images For Interview October 2017

Top model Sasha Pivovarova is a gifted artist, using any materials that leave marks like tea, red wine, and lipstick. The super creative is also working on specially commissioned art books for Prada and Karl Lagerfeld. Brooklyn-based Pivovarova reads the greats of Russian literature and cultural theory in her spare time -- from Milan Kundera to Theodor Adorno, writes the October 2017 issue of Interview.  In Feb. 2017, W Magazine dug very deeply into Sasha's artistic inspirations. 

Sasha Pivovarova appears this fall alongside Justin Timberlake in 'In Time', "a movie about a future world where people stop aging at 25 and where, if you have the means, it’s possible to buy eternal youth. Here’s the catch: Pivovarova plays Clara, Justin Timberlake’s grandmother, even though she doesn’t look like she’s cracked her 30s, a plot device that raises the level of irony in the film."

Patrick Demarchelier flashes Sasha in Interview, wearing fall looks from Prada, Balmain and Balenciaga styled by Ludivine Poiblanc.

Labour Party Leader Jacinda Ardern, 37, Becomes Prime Minister of New Zealand

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Labour Party Leader Jacinda Ardern, 37, Becomes Prime Minister of New Zealand

37-year-old Jacinda Ardern became prime minister of New Zealand on Thursday, being an end to the center-right National Party's nine-year control of governing in the nation. Ardern becomes New Zealand's youngest leader in more than 150 years.  According to the New York Times:

Ms. Ardern’s ascension represents a remarkable rise for a woman who just months ago became Labour’s youngest leader ever, setting off “Jacindamania” among the party’s followers. Unconventional and described by colleagues as intensely focused, she has defied the norms of New Zealand politics and refused to be pinned down on whether she has considered having children, saying no male politician would be forced to answer that question.

Amazon Studios' Roy Price Resigns, Fiancée Calls Off Wedding & Cancels Marchesa Wedding Gown

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Amazon Studios' Roy Price Resigns, Fiancée Calls Off Wedding & Cancels Marchesa Wedding Gown

The Hollywood Reporter documents the resignation of Amazon Studios' Roy Price just days after Isa Hackett's sexual harassment claims. 

Price was put on indefinite leave Oct. 12, hours after The Hollywood Reporter published allegations of published "allegations of his vulgar propositioning" of 'The Man in the High Castle executive producer. Five days later on October 17, Amazon announced Price is stepping down. Now the focus is on other executives potentially guilty of Price-like behaviors, along with a push to change course at Amazon Studios both creatively and culturally.

Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng, a former Disney/ABC digital exec, has taken over while the hunt for a new studio content head -- preferably female say sources -- is consummated.

Price's relationship with Harvey Weinstein and the Weinstein Co. is also under heavy scrutiny. "When Price was dissuaded from trying to set up his then-girlfriend Lila Feinberg’s television series at Amazon, her manager found a home for it at Weinstein Co. (Feinberg, who had appeared at events in gowns designed by Weinstein’s estranged wife Georgina Chapman, recently called off her wedding to Price.) This is one of multiple mutual involvements under scrutiny. "

Led By Claims of Harassment in California's Capital, American Women Join #MeToo Campaign

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Led By Claims of Harassment in California's Capital, American Women Join #MeToo Campaign

The groundswell of women furious over the Harvey Weinstein-launched #metoo campaign moved to Sacramento, California on Tuesday with more than 140 women -- including legislators, senior legislative aides and lobbyists -- coming forward to denounce their perceived sexual misconduct by powerful men in America's most influential state governing body. 

Detailing their grievances in a public letter, accompanied by a series of interviews, the women "complained of groping, lewd comments and suggestions of trading sexual favors for legislation while doing business in Sacramento", writes The New York Times. 

The #metoo campaign has also touched down in the state capitals in Rhode Island and South Dakota, as the Harvey Weinstein scandal has set off a wave of accusations, recriminations and investigations across the country. 

Anne Joins #MeToo: Harvey Weinstein Case Prompts Thousands To Tell Their Own Stores Of Abuse

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The call to action came from actor Alyssa Milanto, who took to Twitter on Sunday , urging any women who have been seually harassed or assaulted to write two words on Twitter: "Me too."

“If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem,” wrote the actor, who is known for her roles in “Who’s the Boss?,” “Melrose Place” and “Charmed,” and as a host on “Project Runway All Stars.”