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Screen Actors Guild releases ‘landmark’ rules for filming sex scenes
As part of its pledge following #MeToo, SAG-AFTRA, the U.S. actors’ union, published first-of-its-kind guidelines to regulate filmed sex scenes and nudity. Specifically, the union called for new standards and protocols around the use of intimacy coordinators, who it described as “professionals who help performers and productions navigate the highly sensitive scenes that feature nudity and simulated sex.” Responsibilities for intimacy coordinators include oversight of rehearsals and making sure sets are closed.
As Lily multiplatform editor Nneka McGuire points out, female nudity on-screen is far more common than male nudity: A 2018 analysis of 1,100 popular films found that 25.4 percent of women had roles with some nudity vs. 9.6 percent of men. According to experts, there are various reasons — and it goes beyond the “male gaze,” which is a result of most movies being directed and written by men. Read the full story here.
Heavy makeup leads to the dehumanization of women, according to study
Women who wear heavy makeup may be perceived as having less human-like traits by others, according to a study published in the journal Sex Roles. In a series of experiments, participants — both men and women — were shown images of women with and without heavy makeup and asked questions about their perceptions of them. Women with heavier makeup were rated as being more sexualized and having less humanness, agency, experience, competence, warmth and morality compared with women without makeup, researchers found.
The study did not delve into the social reasons that people may judge women based on their makeup, nor did it address why some women choose to wear it. As study author Philippe Bernard told PsyPost, there may be other cognitive reasons, including how people visually process information, contributing to the findings.
Climate change is increasing gender-based violence, research finds
A report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature found that the effects of climate change are increasing violence against women and girls. The study, which involved more than 1,000 sources of research, found gender-based violence rises in areas where the natural environment is under stress — for example, sexual abuse was linked to the illegal fishing industry in southeast Asia.
“As environmental degradation and stress on ecosystems increases, that in turn creates scarcity and stress for people, and the evidence shows that, where environmental pressures increase, gender-based violence increases,” lead author Cate Owren told the Guardian.
Women are also at the forefront of the fight against climate change — just think 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg. With increased attention to how climate change disproportionately burdens women, some governments are addressing women and girls specifically in their climate policies; activists hope this will be a point of focus at the 2020 United Nations climate talks.
From our staff writer
Caroline Kitchener reports from Iowa City, Iowa
Iowans head to the caucuses to cast the first votes in the 2020 presidential election today. Lily staff writer Caroline Kitchener reported from Iowa City, where she talked to a conservative, antiabortion stay-at-home mom who supports Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “It’s not so much that I am 100 percent Warren,” Laura Dickens told Kitchener. “It’s more that I can’t think of a single other candidate I would go stand in a corner for. That’s why I think it has to be her.” Read the full story here.
ICYMI
Five need-to-know stories in 100 words or less
1. San Francisco 49ers coach Katie Sowers made history last night as the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl match. The 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-20.
2. Following the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Vanessa Bryant spoke publicly for herself and her three other daughters. “There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now,” she wrote on Instagram. In The Lily, five prominent women in the sports world — including Elena Delle Donne and Mia Hamm — shared their reflections on the basketball star and his 13-year-old daughter.
3. For the first time, the United States standardized its maternal mortality data across all 50 states. It found the mortality rate to be 17.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018. But for black women, the rate was much higher — they died 2.5 times more often than white women.
4. Last week, China’s health experts confirmed that more than 11,800 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus and more than 250 have died in the country. The United States announced it will deny entry to foreigners who had recently visited China and impose a 14-day quarantine on American citizens returning from from the country. For the BBC, a woman living alone in Wuhan, China, the center of the outbreak, wrote a diary of what life is like in the city.
5. Writer E. Jean Carroll, who last year alleged President Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, requested that he submit a DNA sample to compare to genetic material found on the dress she says she wore during the encounter and never washed afterward. Trump has denied the allegations.
What we’ve bookmarked from The Post
See what women are creating in the newsroom
The Cowgirls of Color is an all-black rodeo team. The women say that the experience has been empowering, confidence building and life changing — and they hope to inspire the next generation of black cowgirls and cowboys. “I want kids to see me, a black woman riding a horse,” said Selina Brown, 47. See photos of Brown and other Cowgirls of Color here.
A quick Q&A
This week, we hear from photographer Sally Davies
When photographer Sally Davies began capturing street scenes in New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1980s, she’d have to run to her apartment because a cab wouldn’t drive through the neighborhood, she says. Now it’s one of the trendiest areas of Manhattan. Davies has photographed its changes and quirks over the years; she also made a name for herself for her viral “Happy Meal Project.” She has photographed the same McDonald’s meal since 2010.
Her favorite street to photograph on the Lower East Side: “It changes. And the fact that it changes tells the story of how quickly this neighborhood is getting gentrified. It used to be this street, and then that street got boring. Right now I would have to say it’s two streets: Ludlow and Orchard Street.”
On her typical shooting day: “My typical day doesn’t start until 5 or 6, because I don’t like to shoot during the daytime. When the sun starts to go down, everything looks a little nicer. Everything’s a little sparklier, everybody’s dressed a little nicer because they’re going out, things just seem more magical to me.”
On why her next project won’t necessarily be street photography: “I feel like I’ll always take street photos. I can’t help it; it’s a compulsion at a certain point when you’ve done it for so long. But everyone has a phone now, so everyone’s doing it — it’s changed. I’m not sure it’s something to keep doing, you know what I mean? I’m trying to say, I don’t think I’m going to add anything at this point. Maybe I’m wrong.”
Lily Likes
Things we love but weren’t paid to promote
Moglea weekly planner
It took me nearly a month to find the right weekly planner after 2019 came to a close, but here it is: the Moglea jotter. Each cover is painted by hand, so no two look alike, and the inside is mesmerizingly simple. The pages are divided into six blank sections: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat & Sun. You get to write in the specific month/days yourself — so I didn’t even have to feel bad about starting three-quarters of the way through January.
—Lena Felton, Lily multiplatform editor
Baiku
[bye-koo] Saying goodbye with a haiku
*Have an idea for a news-inspired baiku? Send us your creation at lily [at] washpost [dot] com, and you might see it in the next Lily Lines. We follow 5-7-5.
This newsletter was made while listening to:
“Sauce” by Remi Wolf and “Guilty Conscience” by 070 Shake
*Listen to everything we’ve recommended here.
