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A Hashtag in Honor of Meghan Markle's Royal Baby Is Raising Money for Great Causes


The countdown is on for the springtime arrival of Baby Sussex, a.k.a. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s first child. And while fans of the royal couple have been clocking every detail—rumored or otherwise—about the royal baby, Markle’s chic maternity style, and her incredible baby shower in New York City, they’ve also organized themselves for a great cause.

The hashtag #GlobalSussexBabyShower has been started to help raise money for some of the royals’ favorite charities—and although we maybe didn’t make Amal Clooney and Serena Williams’ guest list for the NYC party, we’re all invited to this shower.

“Proof that social media can be a positive place,” royal reporter Omid Scobie tweeted. “Charities including @themayhew @Camfed and @WellChild have been receiving donations from Duchess Meghan fans around the world who started the hashtag #GlobalSussexBabyshower to celebrate Baby Sussex’s impending arrival. Very cool??”

The online love is especially nice considering the vitriol that Markle especially has faced in comments sections and on social media. The palace has even issued stronger guidelines for commenters on their own channels, likely in response to some of the online hate.

Jo Hale

“I’ve donated to two of the #DoS charities because I’m so sick of the media onslaught which is ignoring her philanthropy. It also gives me a pleasant break from the horrors of Brexit. @themayhew @One25Charity #GlobalSussexBabyShower #MeghanMarkle,” one fan tweeted.

I also donated to the little girl who received the flowers from Meghan’s baby shower,” wrote another fan. “Sending prayers to her and her family for healing. #GlobalSussexBabyShower.”

Others chose charities close to their own hearts to benefit from the #GlobalSussexBabyShower.

Or just by spreading the word.

The hashtag has been gaining traction as people around the world make donations in honor of the yet-to-be-born royal baby—and the organizations are already expressing their gratitude. The charity, CamFed or the Campaign for Female Education tweeted: “OK all you amazing, warm-hearted & generous people: You completely floored us today when you started sending your support & donations in response to @freepeeper’s #GlobalSussexBabyShower campaign. You’ve made our year! Now we need to get some sleep. ? Know that we ❤ you. X”

As Scobie pointed out, this is exactly the kind of goodness we need on a Sunday, no? Here’s to hoping this kind-hearted magic lingers a little longer.





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Why Kellie Brown Started the #FatatFashionWeek Hashtag During New York Fashion Week


Although New York Fashion Week has become noticeably more inclusive than it was five years ago, progress has been slow, particularly when it comes to body diversity. According to The Fashion Spot, which releases a report every season that surveys diversity in Fashion Week castings in the four major cities across a range of categories, only about 0.4 percent of the models to appear on the runway or at presentations were plus-sized. That translates to a total of 30 non-straight-sized models appearing in New York and Paris; London and Milan, meanwhile, didn’t have any. Those numbers don’t get more encouraging when it comes to the people going to the shows, either—in recent seasons, critics have been vocal about the ways in which mainstream street-style photography seemingly captures only one type of person (and body type) in their imagery, despite the fact that the crowds at Fashion Week can be pretty diverse.

This season, though, one blogger is shepherding in change using the hashtag #FatatFashionWeek.

Kellie Brown of And I Get Dressed came up with the hashtag while at a New York Fashion Week event hosted by 11 Honoré, the plus-sized luxury retailer—”an event filled with boss bigger women: influencers, super models, fashion directors of major publications,” she tells Glamour. “And while writing my caption, I thought to myself, How can they (the industry) pretend no stylish fat women exist?

“I created the tag as a way to kind of show receipts that there are many bigger women working in the industry, influencing the industry and consumers alike, and looking great while doing it,” Brown adds, noting that this whole realization and conceptualization took about 30 seconds.

She’s tagged her New York Fashion Week-related posts on Instagram with #FatatFashionWeek, and has incorporated it into her Youtube coverage of the week.

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Other bloggers, influencers, and plus-sized Fashion Week attendees have joined in, too, including Alex Michael May, Alex Larosa, Kelly Augustine, and more. (At press time, the hashtag has over 130 posts published to it.) “I’ve seen editors using it, which is one of the biggest compliments,” Brown says.”A few people came up to me [at New York Fashion Week] to tell me they loved the hashtag and were excited to use it.”

“I started attending [New York Fashion Week] over 12 years ago as a publicist, and then I always felt like the ONLY one,” Brown explains. “I know I wasn’t, but without the luxury of social media then, we weren’t connected. I love seeing so many larger models on runways [and] diversity at shows, but there’s still much to be done.”

Brown believes that hashtags like #FatatFashionWeek are helpful because they remind everyone (in the industry or otherwise) that these people are present, as well as inspire those who are following the events from afar but don’t feel like they’re presented in the images coming out of it. “There are up-and-coming bigger people who want to work in the industry and can follow the hashtag and see that they belong here, too,” she says.

It may have started a spur-of-the-moment post, but Brown is already thinking bigger picture: “The goal is now to grow it—I’d love to see models, makeup artists, people who work backstage [and] in PR, inclusive designers using it… Hopefully more to come next Fashion Week!”

Related Stories:

Here’s What Happened When Three Plus-Size Fashion Brands Went to NYFW

How the Size Inclusivity Conversation Has Changed Denim

In 2017, Size Diversity Became a Phrase That Mattered





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'Crazy Rich Asians' Supporters Are Using This Hashtag to Make Sure It Slays at the Box Office


Crazy Rich Asians hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but it’s already slated to make movie history. The film, starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, almost cast a white female in the leading role, but thanks to the author of the source material, Kevin Kwan, that’s not happening—and it’s a major win for representation.

Supporters of the movie, though, don’t just want Asian Americans to feel seen; they want it to slay at the box office. That’s why there’s a hashtag circling on Twitter right now, #GoldOpen, that’s all about making sure people buy a ticket to Crazy Rich Asians for its opening weekend.

It started when Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu said the film is “more than just a movie,” but a “movement.” That prompted digital media entrepreneur Bing Chen to take action. “EVERY MOVEMENT NEEDS ITS MAFIA,” he tweeted. “That’s why 100+ of us have bought out theaters to give #CrazyRichAsians a #GoldOpen. Join us and buy your tickets NOW for opening week on @Fandango.com.”

More theaters and influencers followed suit after Chen’s tweet. “We’ve joined the #GoldOpen movement and bought out a whole theater at the @alamodrafthouse for our #crazyrichaustin VIPs! #crazyrichasians,” the Austin Asian American Film Festival tweeted shortly after Chen’s initial proposal.

Many people are jazzed about this movement too:

It’s frustrating some people in Hollywood still think minority-led films can’t be financially successful, despite the fact that’s been proved wrong many, many times. (Please see Get Out and Girls Trip for just two recent examples.) Hopefully, a killer weekend for Crazy Rich Asians will shut that notion down for good. The film hits theaters everywhere August 15.

Related Stories:

Hollywood Wanted a White Actress to Lead Crazy Rich Asians—So Author Kevin Kwan Fought Back

The First Crazy Rich Asians Trailer Is Glorious, Obviously

21 Movies You’ll Kick Yourself for Missing This Summer





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#MeToo Founder Tarana Burke on What Needs to Happen After the Hashtag


I have to admit that when actress Alyssa Milano first tweeted #MeToo, my initial reaction was panic. What if this becomes a popular hashtag, I thought, but it’s not related to the groundwork I laid out? You see, I first came up with the phrase in 2006, after an experience with sexual violence left me searching for the right words. Ever since, I’ve gone to schools and community groups all over to connect with young women—mostly black and brown girls—to let them know, “You’re not alone. This happened to me too.”

After the hashtag began trending, a friend said, “Insert yourself into the conversation.” So I posted a video to Twitter about how empathy can help survivors of sexual assault. It went viral in a way that was like, “We won’t let this black woman be erased from her work.” Then, a different kind of panic set in. I thought, “oh my god. This is mass disclosure across the internet and there’s no after care. Who’s going to have the discussion of what #metoo is really about?” I had to get my arms around it.

Since, I’ve been trying to pivot the conversation to what the solutions are. The hashtag has been amazing at drawing the kind of attention we’ve never seen to sexual violence. But, each and everyone of those people who shared it is an individual person who has a story and took a chance. So a few things have to happen next.

To me, 2018 will be all about processing #MeToo. The next step in the movement will be helping women navigate what happens after they disclose an experience. It’s about what happens if someone posts #MeToo and nobody “likes” their status and how to be advocates in our communities. How to talk to children about this. Discussing the sexual harassment teenagers deal with in school.

I’m driven by the gaps, the things that are missing, the areas where marginalized people exist — and where the least resources are available for them. There’s lots of online information about sexual violence, but there’s not a lot of information about how you as an individual can start dealing with the trauma.

We keep talking about how many millions engaged with the movement, but even if just 10 percent of those people stay committed to the work, we will have created an incredible army. Because, the power of #MeToo isn’t just naming it. Naming it is just the beginning of the journey.

Activist Tarana Burke (@TaranaBurke), 44, is the founder of the #MeToo Movement. She lives in New York.





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Trending Hashtag #MeAt14 Highlights How Disturbing the Roy Moore Allegations Are


On Thursday, the Washington Post reported allegations that Roy Moore, the Republican Senate candidate from Alabama, had initiated a sexual encounter with an Alabama woman when she was 14 and he was 32. Three other women, then between the ages of 16 and 18, also say that Moore pursued them.

In response, the hashtag #MeAt14 began to trend on Twitter, popularized by comedian Lizz Winstead. As part of the movement, women are posting pictures of themselves at 14 as a way of emphasizing why it’s inappropriate for a young teenager—still a child—to have a sexual relationship with a man in his 30s. The photos and captions seem to emphasize the innocence of childhood and highlight that, at that age, teens are unable to consent to a relationship with an adult or encounters like the ones Moore allegedly attempted to carry out.

Moore has been elected twice and removed twice from the Alabama’s supreme court, both for ethical violations un-related to sexual misconduct. In his initial defense against the allegations, he denied even knowing the then-14-year-old and addressed the other three women: “With regard to the other girls, you understand this is 40 years ago and, after my return from the military, I dated a lot of young ladies,” adding that he didn’t “remember ever dating any girl without the permission of her mother.” Since the allegations broke, several fellow Republicans have distanced themselves from Moore.

On Saturday, a former co-worker of his told CNN it was “common knowledge that Roy dated high-school girls. We wondered why someone his age would hang out at high school football games and the mall, but you really wouldn’t say anything to someone like that.”

Many women—including Katie Couric and Alyssa Milano—have joined in the hashtag by posting photos of themselves accompanied by captions explaining what they were actually concerned about at 14. (Hint: Fighting off advances from adult men were not one of them.)

The hashtag, however, has also been met with some criticism, with some users saying the use of photos to illustrate the importance consent laws is misguided. “Making it about photos reinforces the wrong idea that child sexual assault is wrong only when children look like children,” wrote one user.

However, others replied, chiming in that that wasn’t really the point of using visuals in the hashtag:

Another critique holds that some tweets, including those that use the phrasing like “I was not dating a 32-year-old man,” can be seen as victim-blaming.

Regardless, the message behind #MeAt14 isn’t only about the photos; it’s about the captions that go with them, listing what young women were concerned about at that age: Get Smart re-runs, playing the French horn, Lord of the Rings discussion boards. The examples make it clear that 14 really is young—and that this hashtag should never have to exist in the first place.

Related Stories:
A Second Woman Has Accused Ed Westwick of Sexual Assault
Gabrielle Union Claps Back at Sexual Assault Victim Shamers
10 Attorneys General On Why Betsy DeVos’ Sexual Assault Policies Could be Devastating





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