Dear Followers, As we all know, in today's world there are more and more women assuming positions of power. Recently, Robb Young's beautiful new book crossed my path and I couldn't wait to share it with Self-Empowered Woman fans. Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians & Fashion (Merrell, $29.95, 192 pp) gives us an inside look at how women in the public eye choose to present themselves. For example, Former Prime Minister of … [Read more...]
115: The Self-Empowered Woman: Esmeralda Santiago
July 30, 2011 By
Dear Followers, If you haven't already heard about the book "Conquistadora," you soon will. Critics have hailed it as the Puerto Rican "Gone With the Wind." And while the novel is full of twists and turns, the author's life story is truly the stuff of which Self-Empowered Women are made. Esmeralda Santiago was born the oldest of eleven children in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When she was born, her mother was only 16, her father was 28, and already … [Read more...]
114: The Self-Empowered Woman: Elizabeth Catlett
July 24, 2011 By
Dear Followers, As most of you already know, The Self-Empowered Woman blog strives to be a virtual salon, where we have an on-going opportunity to meet a wide variety of accomplished, interesting women. I think today's blog will both inspire and amaze you. Elizabeth Catlett is a 96 year old artist/sculptor whose works are currently on view in the Bronx Museum of Art. She has spent a lifetime - both as an artist and educator - using her talent … [Read more...]
113: The Self-Empowered Woman: Emma E Edmonds
July 13, 2011 By
Dear Followers, It's common knowledge that The Self-Empowered Woman blog tries to introduce readers to a wide variety of female achievers. And so far we've highlighted women from scores of countries, backgrounds and eras. But today's subject, Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds Seelye (aka Private Frank Thompson), is one of the most amazing women I've had the privilege to research. Over 400 women served in the Civil War as soldiers, but the story I'm … [Read more...]
112: The Self-Empowered Woman: Senator Kristen Gillibrand
July 6, 2011 By
Dear Followers, The two women pictured above represent a great political story for our time. The woman on the left is Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's New York Senate by then-governor David A. Paterson. And thanks to her deep-seated belief that more women need to participate in government (7: Magnificent Obsession), the woman on the right (Terri Sewell) ran for a House seat in Alabama, won the election, and … [Read more...]
111: The Self-Empowered Woman: Jill Scott
July 3, 2011 By
Dear Followers, Many of us first fell in love with Jill Scott when we watched her performance as Precious Ramotswe in Anthony Minghella's HBO adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency." The seven-part series, set in Botswana, was co-funded by the BBC and HBO. Scott played a wise, gentle (and very effective) detective, Scott was raised by her mother and grandmother in North Philadelphia (1: No Paternal Safety … [Read more...]
110: The Self Empowered Woman: Saudi Arabia/Women Drivers
June 21, 2011 By
Dear Followers, This photo is of women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia hailing a taxicab, which is one of the primary ways that Saudi women get from point A to point B. The other way is to rely on private chauffeurs, which costs about $600 per month. Women in Saudi Arabia are denied the right to vote, cannot leave home without a male guardian, and are not allowed to drive. In fact, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from … [Read more...]
108: The Self-Empowered Woman: Christine Lagarde
May 30, 2011 By
Dear Followers, Many of you may have heard about the scandal surrounding the former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn while he was staying at the Sofitel Hotel in Manhattan. As a result of his indictment, the important financial position is now open and may, for the first time ever, be awarded to a woman. Christine Lagarde is the stylish 55 year old French Finance Minister, and the first woman to ever become finance … [Read more...]
107: The Self-Empowered Woman: Lady Gaga
May 22, 2011 By
Dear Followers, Over the weekend Tony and I watched the HBO Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour, which was a real eye opener. Obviously, it was a glimpse into a different form of entertainment, and once I got over the "visuals" I started thinking about whether or not Lady Gaga would qualify as a Self-Empowered Woman. So here goes... Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in 1986, this native New Yorker has taken the musical world by storm. She began … [Read more...]
