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Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Don't Share Photos of Their Children—Here's Why


Less than a year ago, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis welcomed their second child, a son named Dimitri Portwood. Three years prior, Kunis gave birth to a daughter, Wyatt Isabelle. Naturally, both Kutcher and Kunis’ lives have changed completely since having kids. Kunis told Marie Claire this month that motherhood has made her “ragged tired” and shown her how “selfless” she can be. “My kids are healthy, I’m happy,” she said.

But even though parenthood is such a huge part of their lives, we rarely see photos of Kunis, Kutcher, and their kids just out and about or on social media—and that’s not a coincidence. The actors intentionally choose to keep their children out of the public eye, and their reason is simple: Wyatt and Dimitri haven’t agreed to be public figures like their parents.

“I have conversations with people about this,” Kutcher told Arianna Huffington during an episode of the Thrive Global Podcast. “I actually think that that should be a choice…We actually feel that being public is a personal choice.”

He continued, “My wife and I have chosen a career where we’re in the public light. But my kids have not, so I think they should have the right to choose that…I don’t think they should have images of them that are out there as children that somebody could potentially blackmail or do whatever. It’s their private life. It’s not mine to give away.”

The implication here seems to be that Kunis and Kutcher wouldn’t mind their children becoming public figures if that’s what they wanted, but they’re just too young right now to make that call.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Kunis and Kutcher don’t take photos of their kids. Kutcher told Huffington he and Kunis have a “private social network” where they share pics of Wyatt and Dimitri with friends and family. “[This is] so the grandparents can see the kids and stuff, but we don’t share any photos of our kids publicly,” Kutcher said. Makes sense.

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This Model Is Giving Women in the Fashion Industry a Platform to Share Their Sexual Harassment Stories


The Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment and sexual assault scandal has taken down one of Hollywood’s most powerful power players and producers, and in the days that have followed the New York Times‘ bombshell report sharing women’s accounts of his misconduct, more women have stepped forward with their own accounts of business meetings or auditions that Weinstein allegedly set up to get women alone with him. For these women, the power dynamic was an undeniable factor in their encounters: pissing off Weinstein could essentially shutter their (often aspiring or beginning) careers in Hollywood, while to give in to his coercive alleged demands for a massage or more would compromise the person they were (not to mention leaving emotional scars).

Sadly, it’s not an usual dynamic: men in power across many industries have, not infrequently, taken advantage of women who had something to gain from a positive, professional relationship with them. The world of fashion isn’t immune to this, either—and one model, Cameron Russell, is taking a stand in Weinstein’s wake to give her colleagues, friends, and fellow models a platform to share their own accounts of abuse while on the job.

Her social media movement began when a friend reached out to Russell, and it has since spawned its own Twitter hashtag, #MyJobShouldNotIncludeAbuse, which has been buzzing with accounts from women or their experiences.

“We need a way to begin breaking the silence while remaining protected. We are not talking about one, five, or even twenty men,” wrote Russell in her initial post. “We are talking about a culture of exploitation and it must stop.”

The accounts don’t make for easy reading. Even more heartbreaking is the fact that many models begin working in the industry when they’re still underage. The fashion industry is also notorious for not setting up adequate protections for models—in the accounts below, more than one mentions being sent on a shoot alone to a photographer’s apartment or studio.

“We talked about how hard it is to share stories of assault. When they are the norm, calling them out can feel disruptive and unprofessional…” she continued. “And because the response has always been ‘are you surprised?’ or ‘that’s part of the job’ I tolerated them. When the offenses were bigger, calling them out is terrifying, and demands a level of exposure and backlash to what is already painful and sometimes shameful.”

Since this initial post, she’s shared the stories of dozens of others in the industry. Note: most of the accounts come with trigger warnings.

Russell also pointed out a telling sentence in one email: “It’s just the way he is.”

It’s also not only women who are the targets.

Russell’s work is opening up a new platform for women to band together—let’s hope that some real, effective change comes out of it. Some in the industry, like casting director James Scully, are actively working to make it a safer place for models, but there’s still a long, long way to go.

Related Stories:
An Explosive Report Alleges Decades of Sexual Harassment by Harvey Weinstein
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These Are All the Women Who Have Accused Harvey Weinstein of Sexual Harassment and Assault



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3 Women Who Quit Their Jobs at Google Share Stories of Workplace Racism and Sexism


Google has had a lot going on lately, and some of its most high-profile news doesn’t look great for women—especially those of color. There’s the fallout of a former engineer’s 10-page anti-diversity manifesto, the threat of a class-action lawsuit by 60 women alleging workplace sexism, and a Department of Labor investigation alleging “extreme” pay discrimination based on gender. Now, a Guardian report has detailed the day-to-day experiences of three women who quit their jobs at Google due to racial and gender discrimination.

In the Guardian article, which was published on Friday, former technical specialist Qichen Zhang; a black female former specialist who spoke out under anonymity; and former engineer Lashmi Parthasarthy shared their harrowing accounts of racial and gender discrimination at the tech giant. All three were in the minority at Google: the company is predominantly white and male, at 56 percent and 69 percent respectively, according to its website.

“I didn’t see a lot of women, especially Asian women, black women or other women of color in the executive ranks,” Zhang told the Guardian.

One pivotal moment Zhang recalled during her one year at Google was a conversation with a white male colleague. “He said, ‘It must’ve been really easy for you to get your job because you’re an Asian woman, and people assume you’re good at math,'” Zhang, a Harvard graduate, said. “It was absolutely stunning. I remember me just emotionally shutting down.”

Zhang ultimately chose to left in 2014 after more incidents that left her feeling isolated—and like there was no future for her at the company. “It’s just these little daily aggressions that really add up over time,” she said. “Having a lack of people who look like you in general is demoralizing.”

“People had this broad concept of ‘racism doesn’t exist at Google and sexism doesn’t exist at Google,'” she added*. “Just because your officemates aren’t saying racial slurs out loud doesn’t mean they’re not racist.”

The former specialist, who is black and asked to remain anonymous, experienced similar moments of discrimination. She told the Guardian that she was frequently asked for her ID on campus when coworkers weren’t; that she overheard racist jokes; and that she was negatively judged for trying to be an advocate for people of color, despite Google’s official interest in the positive PR that diversity initiatives bring to the company.

“They didn’t like the way you’re prioritizing diversity, because that’s not your role,” she said about the company. Like Zhang, she left the company for the sake of her mental health, adding that “there were times I cried at my desk.”

Zhang and the anonymous specialist quit due to their experiences with racism at work—but gender-based discrimination was a factor in another woman leaving her job. Parthasarthy, a former solutions engineer, left was because she lacked a supportive female mentor and manager. Comparing Google to a boys club, she said “it’s difficult for women to see paths for themselves at Google in tech.”

Responding in the Guardian article to these women’s experiences, Google’s director of global diversity and inclusion, Yolanda Mangolini, told the newspaper that she’s “always disappointed” hearing these stories. “We know that it’s not just about recruiting a diverse workforce. It’s about creating an environment where they want to stay.” She added: “Change takes time.”

Of course, racism and sexism are hardly limited to Google, and these experiences—as indicative of a larger problem as they might be—belong to these individual women. But when Google regularly tops the lists of best places to work, and when complimentary articles are devoted to recreating its “great” workplace culture, hearing stories like should prompt Google and other tech companies to do some deep soul-searching—and take swift, effective action.

Related Stories:
Dozens of Women Are Considering Suing Google Over Workplace Sexism
Google Fires Engineer Who Wrote Antidiversity Memo, Internet Rejoices
This Viral Antidiversity Memo by a Google Employee Just Got Shut Down



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