Women in the music industry are thriving. Cardi B’s “Finesse” remix sent Bruno Mars’ song skyrocketing up the charts. Hood Celebrityy’s self-empowerment anthem “Walking Trophy” is burning up radio airwaves.
Hip hop artist Justina Valentine says they’re all doing it carrying a burden man don’t have.
“Women in the entertainment industry, I feel like, face pressures to physically look perfect, be perfect, have the ideal body, always have every hair in place, makeup on fleek,” says Valentine, an MTV host.
Former Michelle Obama modernized the role of First Lady. We’ve even had the first female presidential candidate. Three women sit on the Supreme Court—Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is part of a growing trend. More women are running Fortune 500 companies than ever before.
“I believe we are progressing—we are making progress in the area of just having more women in leadership roles and leadership positions,” says Marline Francois, a therapist.
While “Black Panther” portrayed black women in powerful roles, in reality, women of color face special challenges. “When you look at the economic gap or educational advancements for women of color, it’s very different,” Francois says. “You have to fight harder.”
Latina superstars like Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, and Sofia Vergara show you can be proud of your culture and be successful.
“What I see is there are two things going on—there’s progress and there’s pushback,” says Raquel Cepeda, a filmmaker and author.
Cepeda tracked the lives of Latina teens in a suicide prevention program in her new documentary, “Some Girls.”
“One thing that alarmed me was the fact that they felt the need to have to live up to the images they see on TV in order just to get by in mainstream society,” Cepeda says.
With more women like Cepeda behind the camera, more untold stories are coming to light.
“I do feel like the tide is starting to change and shift more in favor for women,” Valentine says. “There still aren’t as many opportunities, but I feel like a lot more opportunities are opening up.”
–LISA EVERS
FEATURED CAST:
LISA EVERS, Host and Executive Producer, Street Soldiers https://twitter.com/lisaevers
JUSTINA VALENTINE, Hip Hop Artist and Host, MTV’s Wild ‘N Out https://twitter.com/JustinaMusic
RAQUEL CEPEDA, Author and Director, “Some Girls” https://twitter.com/RaquelCepeda http://somegirlsdoc.com
HOODCELEBRITYY, Pop and Reggae Star https://twitter.com/HoodCelebrityy
MARLINE FRANCOIS, LCSW, Therapist and Executive Director, Far More Precious https://twitter.com/MarlineFrancois
DONSHEA HOPKINS, Actress and Singer https://twitter.com/DonsheaH