Stars Blast Cartoonist for "Racist, Sexist" Depiction of Serena Williams

Serena Williams may not have another U.S. Open title to add to her trophy case at home.

But the greatest tennis player in women’s history has the support of many celebrities in Hollywood, that’s for certain.

Allow us to explain…

On Saturday evening, Williams fell in the final round of the U.S. Open, losing in two sets to Naomi Osaka.

But the match was very unfortunately marred by three penalties assessed to Serena in that final set by chair umpire Carlos Ramos.

First, he warned Serena about being actively coached by her coach, who was sitting in Williams’ official box in the stands.

Then, he rewarded a point to Osaka after Serena smashed her racquet in frustration.

Finally, he rewarded an entire game to Osaka after Serena told Ramos – while sitting in her seat on the sideline, in between games – that he was a “thief” for taking away the aforementioned point.

This was an unprecendented move by a chair umpire in a Grand Slam Final.

It led to a lot of outrage online.

There were those who believe Serena did NOT deserve such a harsh punishment, along with those who felt terrible on behalf of Osaka, whose first-ever major tournament victory has been overshadowed by this controversy.

And there were those who thought Serena acted inappropriately and immaturely and deserved to be docked that game.

It’s safe to say that cartoon Mark Knight falls into this second camp.

The artist posted to Twitter on Monday a drawing he made that appeared in the Australian newspaper The Herald Sun.

It depicts the 36-year-old tennis star as an angry baby jumping all over her tennis racquet — and it has prompted quite a string of responses by quite a number of celebrities.

“Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop,” J.K. Rowling Tweeted, for example.

Added actress Cynthia Erivo:

“This reprehensible and racist. It also warps the actual event and misses the point of what actually happened @Knightcartoons.

“You should be ashamed of yourself. Yet another white guy disrespecting a black woman because you still don’t see us as multi dimensional human beings.”

It certainly is fair to ask at least one question, no matter where you stand on Serena’s recent actions:

Why is Serena’s opponent in this cartoon white and blonde?

Why has Knight chosen to contrast Williams with someone that comes across thos way?

Osaka is of Haitian and Japanese descent.

It’s therefore difficult to read into Knight’s above depiction as anything but, yes, racist.

“Hey @Knightcartoons just change your name to KKK Cartoons … Racist piece of s—t!” wrote Kathy Griffin.

Considering how often male players smash their racquets and how loudly they berate umpires without repercussion, many supporters of both Serena and humanity in general believe Ramos acted out of a sexist impuluses on Saturday.

“Women are treated differently in most arenas of life,” wrote former tenns champion Billie Jean King in an op-ed in The Washington Post, adding:

“This is especially true for women of color. And what played out on the court yesterday happens far too often.”

We tend to agree.

But even if you don’t, can we all agree that this cartoon is disgusting?

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Serena Williams" Catsuit Ban Is Sexist, Anne White Knows from Experience

Ex-pro tennis player Anne White says she knows how Serena Williams feels about the ban on her catsuit at the French Open .. because she went through the exact same thing back in the ’80s.  White famously wore a body suit to play in Wimbledon…

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Miss USA 2018: Who Took Home the Sexist Crown?!?

Two days after Great Britain gave folks a look behind the lives of those involved with its crown, the United States went ahead and did something similar.

Kind of. Sort of. In a way, we guess.

America went ahead and crowned a new Miss USA.

While it seems unfathomable that such a contest still exists in the year 2018, especially as the #MeToo movement grows stronger and people finally realize that women are more than sexual objects, the competition really did air on Monday night.

And a lovely young women with huge boobs, a great body and a not totally asinine answer to a very broad and dumb question came out on top.

Congratulations, Sarah Rose Summers!

Indeed, Miss Nebraska was turned into Miss USA 2018 yesterday evening at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana.

After competing hard against 50 other women, Sarah Rose Summers impressed the judges with her brains, beauty and skill set.

Early in the show, for example, the busty blonde was asked to speak on the fact that one in four children in the United States live in single parent households.

How has that affected our generation’s views on marriage and family? she was asked.

(To be clear, this question is not dumb at all, as we mentioned above. It’s a very important problem. But it’s ridiculous to ask of beauty pageant contestants who are then given under a minute to respond.)

“I am so grateful to have grown up in a home with two parents,” Summer said, adding in profound detail:

“And so I can’t personally relate to this.

“However, I do work in children’s hospital as a certified child life specialist where I’m a liaison between the children and families and the medical team and I’ve seen single mothers at the bedside working remotely on their computers to stay by their children and support them.

“And I think that it just shows that children – no matter if it’s a boy or a girl – that they can do that.”

Summers also strutted across the stage at one point in a bikini:

For Summers, her final scenario was picturing herself on the way to a march or a protest and then someone hands her a blank sign and a marker.

What do you write on her sign and why?

She answered:

I say speak your voice. I don’t know what march we’re on our way to in this hypothetical situation, but no matter where you’re going, whatever type of march it is, you’re obviously on your way to that march because you care about that cause so go speak to people.

When they have questions, communicate with them. Listen to their views also.

That is one thing in the United States that we really need to focus on is listening to each other!

Please check out the following photo while we slam our heads against our desks for the next 30 seconds…

For the first time ever, this year’s Miss USA selection committee was comprised of all female entrepreneurs, business leaders and industry experts.

They included  former Miss USA contestants and members were:

• Today show contributor Lilliana Vazquez


• HLN host Natasha Curry


• Founder/CEO of IT Cosmetics Jamie Kern Lima

That’s great and all.

But such a panel does not make a beauty contest any less antiquated or sexist.

Still: Congrats to Sarah Rose Summers!

View Slideshow: 20 Ugly Beauty Pageant Scandals

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Jennifer Lawrence Claps WAY Back at "Sexist, Ridiculous" Dress Ridicule

Jennifer Lawrence stars in a new film titled Red Sparrow.

In reality, however, the actress is red with anger at the moment over the way some people have reacted to the sight of her in a revealing black dress.

Allow us to explain:

Earlier this week, Lawrence took part in a London-based photo call along with co-stars Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons and Matthias Schoenaerts, along with director Francis Lawrence.

She was the only woman in a shoot that took place outside on a rooftop, and she bared a whole lot of skin for the event, rocking a Versace gown that exposed her shoulders, her cleavage and her left leg.

She looked positively amazing.

But a handful of social media users who likely thought of themselves as very woke to the #MeToo Movement lashed out at this set-up.

They simply presumed that Lawrence, as a woman, was forced to dress in a scantily-clad manner… while the men were allowed to bundle up and actually dress for the weather.

To wit:

“It must be about 3 degrees in London ATM, cold enough that the bloke actors have to wear coats and scarves to their press call and yet poor Jennifer Lawrence is wearing a small amount of fabric some might call a dress,” one person Tweeted.

This person was obviously trying to be on Team Jennifer.

But Jennifer herself has now come out and made it clear she doesn’t need any cheerleaders, thank you very much!

She is anything but a damsel in distress.

(Or a damsel stuck in a sexy dress, one might say.)

“Wow. I don’t really know where to get started on this ‘Jennifer Lawrence wearing a revealing dress in the cold’ controversy,” the actress wrote on Facebook.

She then clapped back against the so-called scandal. HARD.

“This is not only utterly ridiculous, I am extremely offended,” the 27-year old added.

“That Versace dress was fabulous, you think I’m going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf? I was outside for 5 minutes.

“I would have stood in the snow for that dress because I love fashion and that was my choice.”

Hear that, folks?

Jennifer Lawrence knows all about sexism in Hollywood and wants to make it clear that this was NOT an example of it.

“This is sexist, this is ridiculous, this is not feminism,” continued to pissed-off star.

“Over- reacting about everything someone says or does, creating controversy over silly innocuous things such as what I choose to wear or not wear, is not moving us forward.

“It’s creating silly distractions from real issues. Get a grip people. Everything you see me wear is my choice.

“And if I want to be cold THATS MY CHOICE TOO!”

Game. Set. Match, J. Law.

This is not some “poor” woman who needs anyone to fight her battles for her.

This is frickin Katniss Everdeen, people! She can handle her own business.

View Slideshow: Jennifer Lawrence: Before She Became The Girl on Fire

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Catt Sadler Leaves E! News, Blames Sexist Salary Discrepancy

After nearly a dozen years at E! News, Catt Sadler has announced she’s leaving the company…

…  and she’s sort of leaving the network’s reputation in tatters by doing so.

Via a lengthy statement that has gone viral and made her a hero of the ongoing #MeToo movement, the long-time anchor has explained her decision as follows:

“Up until this point, I mean it really has been a dream job. Literally a dream job,” Sadler said to open her statement, adding:

“I’m from Indiana, born and raised, and I had my sights set on E! and I’ve seen the world. I’ve had the best experiences. I’ve gotten incredibly close with all of my coworkers. It’s like a family here and it’s been beautiful for the majority of my run.

“I pinch myself every day the job that I get to do. I have so much fun. It has almost been surreal. But then, this year happened.”

Huh? Please elaborate, Catt.

Over the past 12 months or so, the single mother of two has expanded her responsibilities at E!.

She now (or used to) host the two-hour live daytime show Daily Pop and also anchored E! News on many evenings, thereby taking on “more work hours and what not,” she writes.

However, her paycheck has not reflected this new status and increased work load.

With her contract set to come to an end, Sadler was told executives wanted her to sign a new deal.

But Sadler says she was “informed and made aware that my male equivalent at the network who I started with the same year and have come up with doing essentially similar jobs, if not the same job, wasn’t just making a little bit more than me but was making double my salary and has been for several years.” 

She’s referring here to Jason Kennedy.

No numbers have been thrown around, but he apparently makes TWICE what Sadler has been making and what she was going to be offered.

“That was really hard to swallow, but you know information is supposed to be power and when my team began negotiations knowing what we knew, that was the barometer in which I expected to be paid, based on the law and based on what I know to be fair,” she wrote.

Sadler says she believes in her “hearts of hearts” that it’s “reasonable” to be compensated on par with Kennedy.

Although Sadler was really hoping to stick around the network “not only did [E!] refuse to pay me as much as my male counterpart, but they didn’t come close – nowhere close, not even remotely close.”

Continues Sadler, intent on explaining herself, even though her side is really clear:

“It’s almost insulting because you know you work really hard. I’m a single mom of two kids. I’ve given my all to this network. I’ve sacrificed time away from my family and I have dedicated my entire career to this network.

“And when you learn something like that, it makes you feel very small and underappreciated and undervalued. It’s heartbreaking.”

Catt also wants everyone to know she isn’t blaming Kennedy in any way, shape or form.

“Jason Kennedy is one of my best friends in the whole wide world. He is like a brother to me. And in no way do I want this to reflect poorly on him.

“He’s devastated, I think, and I think he believes that this is a great loss for the network. He does not want to see me go. Jason is a class act …

“It’s important that people don’t vilify him because he isn’t the problem – the system’s the problem, the structure’s the problem. And I really do mean that. Because that’s been a hard part of this whole thing because I love him dearly.

“And to be honest, he has been such a champion for me in every sense. But it’s not his decision.”

In the wake of her announcement and reveal, Sadler has received support across social media.

Here’s what Jennifer Lawrence Tweeted, for example:

Others, meanwhile, are now threatening to boycott E! News.

Sadler isn’t advocating that or anything, she just says she feels “empowered” these days to stand up for herself as a woman.

What might she do next?

“I might go off the grid at least for a week or so. I’m going to try and make that happen,” she says, concluding:

“And then I’m going to get back to work, you best believe.”

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Alex Trebek Makes Sexist Comment to "Jeopardy!" Contestant About Her Military Job

Answer — These 3 words don’t need to be said when asking a female “Jeopardy!” contestant to describe her military experience. What is “For a woman?” Correct! Unfortunately, Alex Trebek did NOT nail that one on Tuesday night’s episode. While…

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Senator Gillibrand Says Trump is Trying to Silence Her with "Sexist Smear" Tweet

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is firing back at President Trump and vowing to keep fighting him … on the heels of him saying she’d “do anything” for campaign cash. We got the U.S. Senator from New York Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill, just a…

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Alec Baldwin Admits to "Bullying" Women, Engaging In "Sexist" Behavior

Over the past several weeks, a number of Hollywood’s most powerful men have been exposed as serial sexual predators.

The string of scandals began with accusations against Harvey Weinstein that would eventually bring an end to one of the industry’s most esteemed film studios.

In the month that followed, allegations against Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Brett Ratner, Ben Affleck and many more pulled back the curtain on a culture of abuse and misogyny in the movie industry.

Most of the accused have feigned shock or issued timid confessions in the wake of being called out for their behavior.

Now, actor Alec Baldwin–himself no stranger to allegations of abusive behavior–is attempting to change how Hollywood addresses its ongoing misogyny issues by admitting to mistreating women before he becomes the subject of another scandal.

“I certainly have treated women in a very sexist way. I’ve bullied women. I’ve overlooked women. I’ve underestimated women,” Baldwin told Tonight Show announcer Steve Higgins at a Paley Center event on Thursday night.

“Not as a rule, [but] from time to time, I’ve done what a lot of men do, which is … when you don’t treat women the same way you treat men.”

Baldwin added:

“I’m from a generation where you really don’t, and I’d like that to change. I really would like that to change.”

Though he’s taken some flak for attributing his behavior to his age, Baldwin has mostly been applauded for his comments.

“I think it’s important for us to try to make the workplace and beyond not only comfortable and right and fair and appropriate, but as productive as well,” he explained.

“A lot of what we’re dealing with within this issue is hurting our business. It’s making it less productive.”

A father of four, Baldwin was widely castigated for an abusive voicemail he left for daughter Ireland in 2007 when she was just 11 years old.

Asked if he was aware of abusive behavior from 

“I knew of certain things, that there were rumors of things happening to people, but I didn’t necessarily know the scope, when you hear the hundreds and hundreds of women who are complaining about this… It’s been a very eye-opening experience for me personally,” Baldwin said last night.

“We’ve got to be vigilant in a new way to make sure that everybody is comfortable and that we get the job done together that we’re there to do.”

Baldwin did not go into detail about the more shameful behavior of his past, but says that going forward, he will be more conscientious in his interactions with female colleagues.

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Steven Seagal: Sexist Rant About Female Journalists Exposed

Steven Seagal might seem like too much of a caricature to actually exist, but we regret to remind you that he is all too real.

The actor, who has openly pondered a political run and shared some of his truly frightening political views, is only the latest to be accused of sexual harassment.

But newly revealed audio of Steven Seagal has him ranting angrily about female journalists in what has been characterized as a misogynistic rant. You can listen below for yourself.

What"s the most recent news that we"ve heard from this guy?

Probably when Steven Seagal slammed the NFL for "disrespecting the flag." There were a couple of problems with his complaints.

One, that"s not what the NFL protests are about — they"re not sticking up their middle finger at America, they"re using the opportunity to protest the killing of unarmed black men by the very police who are supposed to protect them and enforce the law.

At this point, we feel like anyone who honestly wants to understand the situation already knows that.

Two, if Steven Seagal loves America so much, why does he live in Russia?

Russia isn"t just another country — it"s a hostile foreign power that has actively worked against the United States time after time.

And yet Steven Seagal seems to absolutely adore Russia"s shameless despot, Vladimir Putin.

We don"t really need to rehash the election interference that almost no one is denying, right? Or the habit of Vladimir Putin"s political enemies have of being poisoned or otherwise dying?

(The same happens to journalists investigating Putin and his interests)

So Steven Seagal has some pretty controversial opinions, to say the least.

That is not, however, the most recent thing that we"ve heard about Steven Seagall.

In the aftermath of the Weinstein sexual harassment scandal, more and more actresses (and actors!) have been coming forward with their #MeToo stories.

In many cases, they"ve revealed instances of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Some women have come forward to add their names to the lists of Harvey Weinstein"s accusers.

Others have, for a host of reasons, declined to name the men who harassed or assaulted them.

Actress Jenny McCarthy, perhaps best known for her ludicrous "medical" beliefs that have mad her name synonymous with the anti-vaxx movement, recently came forward in a podcast.

She alleges that Steven Seagal told her to take off her dress during a casting call for one of his films. Just so that you know, folks, that is not appropriate.

And Lisa Guerrero, who is now a journalist but was once an actress, told The Hollywood Reporter of her own Steven Seagal encounter.

She alleges that in the "90s, Steven Seagal summoned her to his Beverly Hills home for an audition.

That"s a little weird, so she insisted upon the casting director also being present, so it should be fine, right?

Well … Steven Seagal not only seemed surprise to see that casting director with her, but he answered the door in a silk kimono.

Now, we"re sure that kimonos are very comfy, but if you"re not a college student, you should probably put on something other than a robe when people come over. Especially if it"s a work thing.

Instead, she describes how Steven Seagal sat on a throne-like chair in his robe and watched her audition for 10 minutes.

It was fine — he didn"t touch her or expose himself. But … what would have happened if she hadn"t brought the casting director?

While the brief audio clip, which you can listen to below, doesn"t provide a whole lot of context, it"s pretty damning on its own.

You hear Steven Seagal"s own voice as he speaks to a male interviewer.

"The few times that I had a hard time was usually with women."

That"s not a great way to talk about … anything.

"When somebody is on tour, a promotional tour, he’s there to talk about his film, not about who he’s f—ing or who he would like to f— or who his wife was with ten years ago."

Those are the explicit versions of normal questions to ask celebrities.

"They should go into pornography or something else instead of journalism if they want to hear that s–t. They"re a bunch of a—-."

They should "go into pornography" … what?! Does he mean that they should be porn stars or interview porn stars? Both suggestions are absurd.

He has some lovely things to say about some unnamed woman.

"I won"t even dare tell you what I think it is. It was just some dumb b–ch that is a liar and wanted to be sensational."

If someone is saying "some dumb b–ch" and not jokingly referring to themselves or making a totally okay inside joke with a friend … that tells you a lot about their opinions of women.

Steven Seagal"s decision to style his home and much of his clothing in an Asian manner is fine. He"s a little eccentric, sure. But it"s fine.

As we all learned in 2016, an audio recording of a man with extensive Russian ties saying offensive things about women doesn"t necessarily mean that he"ll be negatively impacted.

Of course … what exactly is Steven Seagal"s career these days? So whatever fallout this audio recording might have had during his heyday probably won"t amount to anything in 2017.

Listen for yourself:

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Dak Prescott Signed to Cam Newton"s Dannon Yogurt Deal After Sexist Comment

Out with the old, in with the new — that’s Dannon Yogurt’s philosophy after dumping Cam Newton and signing the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott … less than a week later. Dak signed a sponsorship deal with Dannon the same day Cam got the boot…

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Cam Newton Issues Lame Apology For Sexist Remarks

If you"re a sports fan, then by now you"ve probably heard about the bizarre scene that played out during a Carolina Panthers press conference earlier this week.

Charlotte Observer beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue asked quarterback Cam Newton about the routes run by Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess.

"It"s funny to hear a female talk about routes like," Newton replied. "It"s funny.""

Suffice it to say, no one else thought Newton"s sexist remark was all that funny, a fact that Rodrigue pointed out on Twitter after video of the incident went viral.

"I don"t think it"s "funny" to be a female and talk about routes. I think it"s my job," she later wrote on Twitter.

Rodrigue says she approached Newton after the exchange and the controversial QB made an even more offensive comment.

"I spoke with him after and it was worse. I chose not to share, because I have an actual job to do today and one he will not keep me from."

The backlash against Newton was swift and severe.

He lost endorsement deals and was justly roasted all across the social media landscape.

Last night, Newton issued a video apology, as required by the unwritten rules of celebrity scandal.

Unfortunately, it was a half-assed affair that resulted in further derision for the 28-year-old.

"If you were a person who took offense to what I said, I sincerely apologize," Newton said, making it clear that the problem is with the people who were offended, not with him.

“The fact that during this whole process I’ve already lost sponsors and countless fans, I realize that the joke is really on me,” Newton concluded.

Well, he"s right about that, at least.

Check out Newton"s full apology below:

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Cam Newton Apologizes for Sexist Comment to Female Reporter

Cam Newton is straight up apologizing for a comment he made to a female reporter that many branded sexist and belittling … going so far as to make a video for it. Cam posted the apology video Thursday evening, saying after careful thought he…

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Cam Newton Apologizes for Sexist Comment to Female Reporter

Cam Newton is straight up apologizing for a comment he made to a female reporter that many branded sexist and belittling … going so far as to make a video for it. Cam posted the apology video Thursday evening, saying after careful thought he…

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Cam Newton Fired By Oikos Yogurt Over "Sexist" Comments

The Cam Newton fallout begins …  Dannon Yogurt has announced they have fired the Carolina Panthers QB as a sponsor for their Oikos Greek Yogurt brand after his sexist comments to a female NFL reporter.  “We are shocked and disheartened…

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Cam Newton Fired By Oikos Yogurt Over "Sexist" Comments

The Cam Newton fallout begins …  Dannon Yogurt has announced they have fired the Carolina Panthers QB as a sponsor for their Oikos Greek Yogurt brand after his sexist comments to a female NFL reporter.  “We are shocked and disheartened…

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Ariel Winter Claps Back at Tabloid Over Sexist Headline

Despite the fact that Ariel Winter is arguably most famous for posting racy selfies on Instagram, she’s become something of a divisive cultural figure in recent months.

(Yes, we’re aware that Ariel is also one of the main cast members on Modern Family, but you don’t see Ed O’Neil in the tabloid because the former Al Bundy doesn’t look good in a bikini, ya know?)

Ariel is frequently slut-shamed for her social media posts, and she often calls out sexist remarks from her followers or from media outlets.

It’s admirable, but it’s also led to a sort of feedback loop, wherein Ariel posts a pic, someone says something idiotic about it, she fires back, they both get to go viral, and the whole thing repeats itself the following week.

As a result of this scenario, many who once praised Ariel for her empowered responses have become skeptical of her motives and started openly questioning if she’s less concerned with feminist ideals than with raising her public profile.

Of course, not all of Ariel’s sassy counter-arguments have to do with her risque photos.

Winter recently celebrated her nine month anniversary with boyfriend Levi Meaden.

The relationship has been a source of controversy for a number of reasons.

For one thing, Ariel is 19, and Levi will turn 30 in a few weeks.

On top of that, they seem to be progressing very rapidly, having moved in together after just a couple months of dating.

Because Ariel is beginning to rival Kylie Jenner as the tabloid media’s favorite teen to obsess over, hot takes about the nature of her relationship are depressingly common.

The latest culprit is Star magazine, who posted the following dumbass headline over the weekend:

“Is Ariel Winter Desperate For Boyfriend Levi Meaden To Propose?” 

Ariel could’ve easily replied by invoking Betteridge’s law and pointing out that any headline that asks a question can be answered with the word “no.”

Instead, she took things a step further and had a little fun with the folks at Star:

“Yes and I’m already pregnant to seal the deal. I WILL HAVE HIM!!!!! MUAHAHAHA!” she tweeted.

A well-deserved diss, considering the Star piece begins with a foolish headline and gets more ridiculous from there:

“Ariel has already convinced Levi to get matching tattoos,” a source tells the tabloid.

“Levi was totally against the idea at first, but he can’t say no to her.”

Star goes on to claim that friends worry the relationship has become “codependent,” and Ariel is so anxious for Levi to propose that she’s taped photos of engagement rigns she likes on her refrigerator.

Having perused Ariel’s Instagram page, we know she’s not huge on subtley, but that’s heavy-handed even for her.

View Slideshow: Ariel Winter: The Hottest Pics of an Internet Legend in the Making

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Jodie Whittaker Announced as First-Ever Female Doctor Who; Sexist Internet Loses Its $hit

The new Doctor is in.

And the Internet is, naturally, very pissed off.

On Sunday morning, BBC and BBC America announced via video and via press release that Jodie Whittaker has been named the 13th person to be cast as the title character on Doctor Who.

It’s notable every time a new actor takes on this iconic role.

But it’s especially notable in Whittaker’s case because she’s an actress.

Yes, Jodie Whittaker is a woman. She’s the first woman to ever be cast as Doctor Who and she will officially take over for the departing Peter Capaldi on the Doctor Who Christmas special.

Said new head writer Chris Chibnall of the casting decision:

After months of lists, conversations, auditions, recalls, and a lot of secret-keeping, we’re excited to welcome Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.

I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we’re thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away.  

Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role.

The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way

Whittaker, meanwhile, has the following to say:

I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey – with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet.

It’s more than an honor to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.

Whittaker is probably best known for having played Beth Latimer on the British crime show Broadchurch … where she co-starred opposite David Tennant, who previously played the lead role on Doctor Who.

She’s a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and appeared in the short film Wish 143.

It centered on a 15-year-old boy with cancer and it was nominated for Best Live-Action short at the 2011 Academy Awards.

Says Capaldi of the woman to whom he will be bequeathing this highly-sought-after part:

Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm.

She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.

Despite the positive reaction from those associated with the series, this is the World Wide Web.

A whole bunch of idiotic trolls out there are taking issue with the casting of a woman as Doctor Who (“What will be next, Jane Bond?” one of them asked), despite the fact that this is a time-traveling, shape-shifting alien with two hearts.

If you somehow think the Doctor’s gender has any impact on his or her realism, well… just keep that sexist and ridiculous opinion to yourself, okay?

Thankfully, the excitement on Twitter over Whittaker’s casting appears to be far louder than the criticism.

To wit:

“The fact that there was so much interest in, quite literally, ‘Who?’ speaks volumes about the enduring power of the Doctor Who franchise around the world and for BBC AMERICA viewers,” says BBC President Sarah Barnett, concluding:

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome the remarkable Jodie Whittaker as a history making Thirteenth Doctor and look forward to the continuation of this story.”

What do YOU think of this casting choice?

View Slideshow: 22 Shows You Absolutely Need to Watch This Summer

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High School Senior SLAMS Sexist Dress Code with Scathing Yearbook Quote

Yearbook quotes used to just be little cute ways of being remembered or sharing jokes with friends.

Now, in the age of social media, many students hope to be able to share their sense of humor or their ingenuity with thousands of people who never attended their school. Sometimes, it works, and their photo and quote get shared all across the world.

One student’s yearbook photo has gone viral for making a hilarious point about sexist dress codes.

When Tori DiPaolo tweeted this photo from the yearbook, she included a caption.

“Tori: 1; Dress Code: 0.”

She wasn’t just congratulating herself for an entertaining quote that poked fun at the hypocrisy of school photos that bare those scandalous shoulders when the school itself bans them.

She’s apparently waged a lengthy battle against the school’s outrageously sexist dress code policies.

“Over the past four years, myself and many of my friends have received dress code violations for clothes that were nowhere near inappropriate.”

That’s all too common.

And while many students are quick to blame teachers for reporting them for their “offenses,” they should realize that most teachers only do so for fear of getting into trouble if they don’t report dress code violations.

“I became a bit infamous around school for fighting the administration about dress code, so I figured I’d use my senior quote as one final jab.”

Great callbacks to your reputation are a great way to use a yearbook quote.

Second only to the folks who use their yearbook quotes to come out of the closet.

“I just found it funny that the outfits for senior portraits technically violated the dress code by exposing our shoulders, so I saw my opportunity and ran with it.”

Funny, yes … but not funny haha, you know?

Dress codes can be especially onerous in the south, where soaring temperatures can combine with humidity to make even a tee shirt feel like its smothering its wearers.

But no matter the location, dress codes are clearly and aggressively based on gender discrimination.

“It’s all based on sexism, and it is completely unreasonable.”

She’s not pulling that out of nowhere.

So much of dress codes has to do with the idea that a girl’s bare shoulders or, gasp, if her tee shirt rides up, will distract the boys in the classroom.

You know, because shoulders and the small of your back have magic powers that force boys to stop paying attention.

One of my favorite anecdotes about girls responding to stupid sexist dress code enforcement was a girl who was told that her bra strap was showing so she needed to change outfits who then reached under her shirt and removed her bra.

All the while without breaking eye contact with the teacher.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Or bras.

“There have been a number of incidents where I was called into the office due to what I was wearing. Whether it was my bra strap showing, or my midriff being a quarter inch exposed, administration always gave me a problem.”

Pulling her out of class and wasting her time when she could have been learning.

Shame on them.

Like, the idea of a dress code makes sense, but basically you should just need to wear clothing that wouldn’t get you banned from Instagram or, like, a McDonald’s.

That’s just part of life.

Instead, students — most of whom are in the middle of growth spurts and many of whom may not come from families who can afford to be picky about clothes — are expected to go above and beyond.

Because apparently certain parts of the human arm are just too darn sexual.

(But in ways that only impact boys)

Policies are inconsistently enforced, so a girl might only get in trouble for her attire after having worn it a dozen times before, thinking that it wasn’t a problem.

The most insidious part of how dress codes are enforced is that, in case she might distract boys from their educations, girls are called out of class or even sent home.

Which effectively prioritizes the educations of hypothetical boys who lack basic self-control skills.

The fact that girls are supposed to be responsible for their male classmates’ educations is ludicrous, but it’s enshrined in countless dress codes across the country.

That kind of thinking is only a few steps below “that witch hexed me into lusting after her!”

DiPaolo isn’t the only students or former student to have expressed these concerns or fought this battle.

There have been viral stories, like that parent of a female student who invited the school’s principal to go shopping with them to see how absurd the dress code was an how difficult it was to meet.

There are adults fighting similar battles against what’s considered inappropriate for grown women vs what men are allowed to do.

There are even cases where men are directly impacted — right now in Europe, there are numerous men wearing skirts to protest their companies’ bans on wearing shorts during soaring temperatures.

Though, honestly, skirts have to be way more comfortable.

Maybe they’ll stick with them.

And maybe society should care a little less about how people decorate their meat prisons.

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High School Apologizes for Sexist "Good Girl" Prom Posters

Move over, Florida Man.

Take a seat for a moment, Florida Woman.

It’s time to make room in the ridiculous news for… Florida School!

In a decision that has made it the target of ire across the Internet, Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville decided this year to institute a dress code for its senior prom.

By itself, this wasn’t a big deal.

Dress codes are not uncommon at private schools across the country.

But administrators also thought it would be a good idea last week to put hallway fliers up that instructed female students on what sort of dresses would and would not be acceptable at the dance.

Each poster asked the question “Going to Stanton Prom?” above a different gown with various levels of skin exposure.

Photos of the more revealing dresses then answered this question with the statement “NO YOU’RE NOT” written under them.

Under the one dress deemed properly conservative by those in charge?

“YES YOU ARE. GOOD GIRL.” 

And that’s mostly where the school went way wrong here.

Demanding that students adhere to a certain dress code? Fine. Whatever. It’s been done before.

But to talk to a female as if she’s a dog (You’re a good girl, yes you are!) and to insinuate that someone who wears a dress with a low back is a “bad girl?”

What the heck was the school thinking?!?

As you might expect, social media reaction to these posters was swift and harsh.

To wit:

In addition to writing messages such as this and voicing their disgust online, students wore purple and white to school on Tuesday in protest of the flyers.

They used the hashtag “#scpgoodgirl” to build support for their cause.

And, fortunately, is actually worked!

Forced to confront its insensitive handling of the dress code, the administration issued the following statement:

The display of prom dress photos pertaining to recommended attire at Stanton College Preparatory School is not an approved policy by the school or Duval County Public Schools. The displayed images were immediately removed by school leadership on Monday.

Both students and staff have been informed this was not acceptable or appropriate guidance for prom dress attire.

Action News Jax even reports the principal apologized to students, directly.

“Please do accept my apology for this poor delivery of information,” he said. “Our intent is to make sure prom is enjoyable and memorable.”

Stanton College Preparatory High School’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance Tweeted (below) about the positive result on Tuesday and included an important message for all to learn from on its account.

“We must all stand in solidarity against sexism, racism, homophobia, Islamaphobia and all forms of ignorance, hate, and/or fear, no matter how big or small the faith appears to be.”

What happened today, the group wrote on reference to the school’s apology, was “incredible.”

We concur!

We wish such coming-together by the student body and others associated with the school wasn’t necessary in the first place.

But we’re inspired by the efforts made on behalf of a worthwhile cause by these upstanding young people.

View Slideshow: 17 Most Embarrassing Prom Photos Ever

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Time Magazine SLAMMED for Sexist Coverage of Amal Clooney

Amal Clooney is expecting twins with George Clooney.

She is also a human rights attorney who gave a speech this week at the UN headquarters, calling on the organization to investigate crimes committed by the Islamic State, including killings, forced conversions and rape.

Not that TIME Magazine cared at all about that latter fact.

As you"re about to learn below, the publication Tweeted only about Amal"s baby bump while she spoke on the floor of the United Nations, rightfully earning the ire of Internet users in the process.

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1. Yes, She Showed it Off

While, you know, speaking out on the atrocities committed by ISIS against women.

2. What Speech?!?

The tweet linked to an article published in Motto – Time Inc.’s website aimed at younger women – which was titled “Amal Clooney Rocks the Baby Bump Ahead of U.N. Speech.” What a great lesson for these young women.

3. Pssst… Time

In case you were wondering about anything outside of her baby bump.

4. Tell Us, TIME!

We need to know!

5. THIS.

Really, just… this, over and over and over again.

6. Remember International Women’s Day?

We can’t blame TIME for forgetting. It was a full day before Amal took to the UN stage.

View Slideshow
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