Tag: Lose

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America Ferrera: We Have to Fix Our Democracy Before We Lose It


America Ferrera is a relatively new mom, but she’s definitely not a new activist.

She kicked off January 2017 by investigating the realities of health care access in South Texas. By that October, Ferrera had publicly joined the ranks of women saying #MeToo, revealing on Instagram that she was sexually assaulted when she was just nine years old.

This May, she announced the birth of her son, Sebastian Piers Williams, with husband Ryan Piers Williams, and by August, she’d shared with the world—via Instagram—a photo of herself smilingly nursing the baby in public to mark World Breastfeeding Week. In between, the “Superstore” and “Ugly Betty” actress lent her voice to the Families Belong Together movement in Washington. A daughter of Honduran immigrants, she denounced the separations of migrant parents and children as they tried to enter the U.S. via the southern border.

And, she’s no stranger to politics. Ferrera hit the campaign trail back in 2016, and now, true to character, she’s making a return in one of the most contentious midterm election cycles in history.

She spoke to Glamour about her civic engagement—and how we’ve failed at making voting accessible to all—during a recent visit to Nevada to campaign for Rep. Jacky Rosen, the Democrat trying to oust incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller and loosen the GOP’s grip on Washington. Here’s what she had to say:

It’s actually been 10 years that I’ve been engaged in getting out the vote for elections, and obviously everything’s different [now]. It really feels like everything is at stake. Everything that I care about, everything that I believe in, the idea that I grew up with about our country—who we are, what we are, and why we are—that’s all up in the air, and it feels truly like, this midterm election [will] be our opportunity to either negate what’s been going on in our country in this administration, or allow it [to] change the very fabric of who we are.

I am most concerned about the wealthy owning our democracy. [It] feels as if very real efforts to disable our democracy are underway. Between the way our rights as voters are being attacked, the way elections themselves are being gerrymandered… I really think that if we don’t show up in this moment, we will [have] missed potentially our last opportunity to really check this administration.

America Ferrera speaks at a Nevada Democratic Party gathering in Las Vegas ahead of the Nov. 6 election. Photo by Celeste Katz.

I think elections and politics being something that is hard to understand and untouchable is by design. I think it benefits the people in positions of power to make it so murky and hard to understand. What all these people in this [field] office do, and what I try to do from the position that I’m in, is to try and make it as easy to understand as possible, and as easy to engage with. There are real reasons why people are disenfranchised. I think the easiest and most beneficial [thing] to a lot of people in power to believe is that, “Oh, people are lazy and they don’t care, and they’re complacent.” But there are all kinds of genuine obstacles that have been intentionally placed to keep people from participating in democracy and mattering in democracy. Sure, when you look at your life and you feel like nothing about our government or the way the system is working is positively impacting your life, of course you’re going to feel disenchanted and cynical about those institutions. That’s only natural and human.

But what we have to remind ourselves, and each other, is that our democracy only works for us if we show up. Getting ourselves to show up and re-energizing people who have been on the margins for so long is the work we have to do to save our democracy right now, because power is so obviously concentrated in the hands of institutions that have been in power for a very, very long time. That’s what’s also so exciting [about] this midterm election, of course—there’s the gravity of it and the necessity of it, but we have an opportunity to wake up on November 7th and make history across the country. You know, the first female black governor in the history of the United States, the first Native American governor in the history of the United States, a majority female state legislature [in Nevada]. There’s so much opportunity to take what has been a very painful and truly devastating couple years and have some light come out of these elections—if we can harness people’s outrage and [get them to] take that to the polls and vote.

Regarding [low voter turnout in midterms], I think there’s a lot of reasons as to why that’s true, and I think the number one reason is our civic education in this country. It’s not accessible, it’s not made accessible, it’s not easy to understand, it’s not easy… You know, voting is the only Constitutional right that we have to register for, that we have to sign up for. [You] don’t have to register to exercise your right to free speech, or register to exercise your right to free assembly, [but] voting, for so many people there are a ton of obstacles in the way. [There have been] last-minute, blatant attempts to suppress votes—and mostly people of color—and this is not new to our history… It’s an illness, and our democracy cannot survive this way.

America Ferrera joins Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), a candidate for U.S. Senate, other candidates, and volunteers at a Democratic Party field office in Las Vegas. Photo by Celeste Katz.

Honestly, [this election] isn’t even about, for me, if it’s red or blue. [I’m] a Democrat. I’m a registered Democrat. But there are plenty of Democrats who need to go, you know? And I’m excited to see some fresh blood in the Democratic party, and I want to see good, decent people running as Republicans. I don’t think this needs to be a country where one party rules. I think we need a democracy that works, because we are doing everything in our power to make it work, to give people access to democracy, not box them out so that it’s easier to stay in a position of power.

One of my favorite and most succinct quotes around all of this is [from farm worker organizer] Cesar Chavez. He said, “We don’t need perfect [politics], we need perfect participation,” and if everybody shows up, and if everybody has an equal say and everyone’s voice matters and counts, [then] we can know what [our] country really [stands] for.

But, we know, in our hearts, that what’s happening in our country right now is not a result of everybody’s voice mattering and every voice counting and every vote counting, because there have been so many blatant attacks to really nullify people’s voices and votes and keep them home, or make their votes not count. And so we have to fix that, and I personally think that’s the only long-term solution…

What I’m saying is: It isn’t about who is the majority in Congress. It’s about, are people educated and enfranchised and resourced enough to participate in the government that purports to be of the people, by the people, for the people? We’re missing the people part—and not because people don’t care, but because we’re not doing our job as a country, as a culture, to make democracy work.

Celeste Katz is senior political reporter for Glamour. Send news tips, questions, and comments to celeste_katz@condenast.com.

In a pivotal election year, Glamour is keeping track of the historic number of women running (and voting) in the midterm elections. For more on our latest midterm coverage, visit www.glamour.com/midterms.





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Watch Chrissy Teigen Almost Lose It Going Through a Haunted House on Ellen


It’s the most wonderful time of the year…when everyone subjects themselves to terrifying experiences all in the name of some Halloween fun. We binge-watch The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix, scream over the return of Michael Myers in Halloween, and pay good money to have strangers in costumes scare us senseless at haunted houses and hayrides.

It’s also deeply gratifying—and hilarious—to watch other people completely lose it because they’re scared. Case in point: This incredible video of Chrissy Teigen and Ellen Degeneres’ executive producer Andy Lassner making their way through a haunted maze. Come for the screams, stay for the laughs.

Degeneres sent the two into the “Purge maze” at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights with a camera crew to document the experience. It’s an annual tradition for the talk show host to send Lassner into a haunted house for our viewing pleasure. In the past, he’s been accompanied by Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet, a writer from the staff, or even his own assistant. This year Teigen got the call—and, as with most things, she makes it even better.

To be fair, that haunted maze looks hella frightening and every person working inside would have made me lose it and scream a few obscenities, too. At various points Lassner resorts to crawling on the ground or attempting to physically shield himself with Teigen, who mocks his “alpha male” behavior once they finally make it back to daylight. Though, she also thinks he’s a “national treasure” and she’s totally right.

Lassner tweeted, “Ugh. Here ya go sickos. I hope my humiliation makes your day a little bit better.❤️”

Past years’ videos have garnered upwards of 18 million views, so people on social media were naturally very excited about this year’s installment. “Laughing so hard I’m crying,” one wrote. “This just made my entire day,” another tweeted. “I love you so much Andy your are such an alpha! Will be watching again on TV when I get home. Thank you!!”

Happy almost-Halloween, everyone!

Related: Chrissy Teigen Celebrated Her Mom’s Becoming a U.S. Citizen With the Cutest Video





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Cancel Kavanaugh: Black Women Stand to Lose the Most Without 'Roe v. Wade'


As a young adult, my grandmother told me horror stories about what life was like for black women before Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that made abortion legal in the U.S. If you had money, you had access to the services you needed. But for many of our grandmothers, aunts, and mothers, that was not their reality. These women were forced to back alleys and shady doctors to receive the care they so desperately needed. They could not afford much else.

From 1972 to 1974, the mortality rate for women of color due to illegal abortion was 12 times that of white women in New York City alone. The coat hanger was our gory reality, the DIY spirit of which lives on today for many women facing financial hardships.

Things are slightly better today, but we are still in a crisis. As a black woman in 2018’s America, getting pregnant could literally kill me: Numerous studies point to a reproductive health crisis for black women. We’re dying during pregnancy and birth at higher rates than anyone else in America—numbers that mirror mortality rates in developing countries around the world.

Now, with the prospect that Brett Kavanaugh could be confirmed to the Supreme Court, it is possible that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, abortion could be outlawed, and life could become much, much worse for black women. Simply put: Black women have the most to lose if Kavanaugh is confirmed, and we will pay with our health and our lives.

As reported by Linda Villarosa in the New York Times, Zoë Carpenter in The Nation, and Renee Montagne at NPR, experts believe pregnancy is more dangerous for black women because of the stress of enduring racism in America. Other factors include having less access to resources because of that racism, as well as healthcare providers that take our symptoms and pain less seriously because of their unconscious bias against black women.

Regardless of why pregnancy is more dangerous for black women, the facts remain that it is more dangerous. Forcing us to bear pregnancies we don’t want—as would happen if Kavanaugh is confirmed—would likely exacerbate what has become a life or death situation for us.

In this way, exceptional wealth means nothing. Even billionaire Beyoncé recently shared a story about her difficulties during childbirth, following a similar story from rockstar athlete Serena Williams. Black women, no matter what their income level, are struggling to get access to high-quality care under our current system.

The Supreme Court is expected to function as a way to ensure and preserve justice for all Americans, but black women have never been able to count on our nation’s highest judges to defend and protect us. Brett Kavanaugh would shamefully worsen this problem. (Donald Trump vowed to tap only pro-life judges to the Supreme Court.) Our society still fails to recognize the abuse of black and brown bodies on which this nation was founded—and even more so, the violent control and degradation of black women’s bodies and lives. Throughout the 20th century, government agencies were targeting women of color for sterilization. From 1929 to 1974, North Carolina’s eugenics program aimed to stop poor people or people with mental illness from reproducing, but a disproportionate amount of the women ultimately targeted were black women.

For generations, the women who came before us have fought back and resisted this anti-black and anti-woman state violence in any way they could. We owe it to them—and to the women who will come after us—to do the same.

Collective liberation requires reproductive justice, defined by the National Black Women’s Reproductive Agenda as the human right to control our bodies, our sexuality, our gender, our work, and our reproduction—something we’ve historically been denied. Attaining these rights involve real access to preventative services, cultural competency training for health providers to address the bias that is killing black women, and allowing all women, especially women of color, to have a voice on policies that affect our ability to thrive.

It’s time for a reset. My organization, Women’s March, spent all of August calling on women to show up at their senators’ offices in their home states and remind them who voted them into office. We’ve continued to collect signatures and hand-deliver wire hangers to senators as a reminder of what women have been forced to do when denied the right to choose, and what women who never had any choice because of their race and economic status are still forced to do. On August 26, Women’s Equality Day, we worked with a coalition of progressive groups to organize rallies across the nation where women could echo our shared demand that the Senate keep this anti-woman candidate off our nation’s highest court.

On September 4, when SCOTUS confirmation hearings for Kavanaugh begin, a coalition of 20 women’s organizations will take this resistance from district offices to Washington, D.C. We will look our senators in the eyes as they prepare to vote and leave them with no doubt that women across America are watching. We’re taking action to #CancelKavanaugh, because we can’t afford to roll back rights women have worked for a generation to secure.

If the Senate puts Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, they’re giving him free rein to gut Roe v. Wade, criminalize abortion, and punish women for making choices about our own bodies. And they’re leaving us with no other choice than to disobey.

Black women have never shied away from taking action when our lives and those of our loved ones are on the line. We show up for everyone, and now we need members of the Senate—and women everywhere—to show up for us. Whether you feel you’ll be personally affected or not, it’s time to raise our voices until it is a rousing cry echoing in every corner, every neighborhood, every city in our nation.

Tamika D. Mallory is a nationally recognized activist well known as one of four co-chairs for the 2017 Women’s March on Washington and currently serves as co-President of the Women’s March organization. President of Mallory Consulting, a strategic planning firm, and board member of The Gathering for Justice, Tamika has landed on the 2017 Time 100 Pioneers list and Fortune’s 2017 list of the World’s Greatest Leaders.

Related Stories:

Serena Williams’ Childbirth Experience Should Be a Wake-up Call About the Medical Treatment New Moms Are Getting—Especially Women of Color

What Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Nomination Could Mean for Your Abortion Rights



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Khloé Kardashian's Family Told Her to Lose Weight Because She Was 'Hurting' Their Brand


In August 2015, Khloé Kardashian told Complex magazine that she’d lost 35 pounds. The physical transformation, she said later on an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, was completely accidental: She started hitting the gym after splitting from Lamar Odom as a way to de-stress, and the weight started slowly coming off. When Kardashian started noticing the changes, though, she made a conscious effort to get healthier.

Now, health and fitness are vital components to Kardashian’s business. She has a (sometimes problematic) show on E! titled Revenge Body, which helps people lose weight to “get back” at certain adversaries in their lives. Plus, she’s always posting gym and healthy eating tips to her social media accounts. Her lifestyle change, for many, is inspiring because it seems completely organic.

But that’s not the full story. It wasn’t just stress from a breakup that caused Kardashian to work out more and make healthier eating choices. Her family was pressuring her to do this, too—and for reasons that will make you cringe.

Us Weekly reports that on an episode of Revenge Body this season, Kardashian reveals her family told her to lose weight because she was damaging their public image. The reality star tells a contestant her family essentially said, “Khloé, you got to lose weight cause you’re really hurting the brand.” Oof.

“I understand that was coming from my management side of my family, but it does hurt,” Kardashian also says on Revenge Body. “I’m a huge believer of it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”

How disappointing. Khloé Kardashian is funny, unfiltered, bold, and intelligent. She’s an integral member of the Kardashian family and elevates any “brand” she’s a part of—no matter her size. People love Kardashian for her sparkling personality and wit, plain and simple. It’s disheartening her family members apparently couldn’t see that.

Related Stories:

Khloé Kardashian Played Super Coy When Asked About Kylie Jenner’s Pregnancy Rumors

Khloé Kardashian Is Officially Six Months Pregnant Today

Khloé Kardashian Already Knows What She Wants to Name Her Baby



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Miss UK Zoiey Smale Was Told to Lose as Much Weight as Possible—So She Gave Back her Crown


Miss UK Zoiey Smale has no time for your unrealistic beauty standards, thank you very much.

In June, Smale was crowned Miss UK in the United Kingdom round of the Miss United Continents pageant, qualifying her to compete in the international pageant in Ecuador. But then she heard from contest organizers that if she wanted a shot at winning, she’d have to “lose as much weight as possible,” she told The Daily Mail. The message apparently came down from the Ecuadorian directors of the international competition.

“It’s horrible and it made me feel so rubbish about myself for a long, long time,” Smale said. “I said to my director, who was really supportive, that I don’t think someone should say that to girls, it’s awful and it’s horrible and it’s wrong. I don’t think to be a good role model you have to be stick thin and I explained my reasoning that way.”

In addition to subjecting herself to an unhealthy dietary regime—which could be especially harmful to her, as an eating disorder survivor—Smale felt that if she continued, she’d be tacitly participating in a toxic culture. So she gave back her crown and forfeited her position in the global competition.

“I don’t think it is … right to have my face representing a pageant ethos I do not believe in,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “If a pageant doesn’t want to utilize my capabilities because I am a size 10 then it’s their loss.”

Smale told The Daily Mail that the focus on her weight devalued the charity work she’d done through the competition, which encouraged a twisted value system.

“This one took completely away from … promoting giving,” she said. “It’s more, you’ve got to be as stick thin as possible because that’s what the guys want to see. So I just handed my title back and I just shut that door.”

In a Thursday Facebook post, Smale wrote that she was “honored to be called a role model in today’s society.”

“Seeing the thousands of comments and messages across all of my media platforms, reading people’s personal experiences, just goes to show I am not alone,” she wrote. “I cannot thank people enough for their support and precious time.”



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