1. KIM KARDASHIAN SNAPCHATS PREGNANCY SCARE

Kim Kardashian often reminds us of the old tree-in-the-woods philosophy- "If a tree falls in  the woods and nobody's around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Kardashian has made a career off sharing intimate parts of her personal life on camera, including moments that many consider shameful and taboo (sound familiar?). On May 19th, Kardashian posted a series of Snapchat videos while on her private flight, which a vulnerability level so intense that her die-hard fans (i.e., most of Team THINX) needed time to process.  Holding a pregnancy test in her hand, Kardashian says to the camera “I’m legit in the airplane bathroom- gonna take a pregnancy test, because, I’m having a little bit of a scare, no big deal.”

Kardashian continues to record her experience, taking a photo of 3 different brands of pregnancy tests with the caption “panic attack,” and a final photo of one of the tests that clearly read “not pregnant.”

A day later, Kardashian took to Snapchat again (with a goofy, then mumbly, then dead asleep Kanye beside her) to clarify why she documented her pregnancy test process. “I just thought it was funny, because I’ve been so private before, and what do I really care if I was pregnant again? And I didn’t get my period this month, so I was just really confused and I couldn’t stand to be on a plane flight for a whole 10 hours not knowing.”

We found Kim’s openness and willingness to share this moment to be very empowering and touching. Questioning whether or not you're pregnant can be very isolating, and one that many women have to handle on their own. There can be a level of discomfort and/or embarrassment when you run to the CVS and purchase a pregnancy test (been there, done that)  and if the pregnancy is not wanted or planned, can result in shame. Kardashian giving her millions of followers an opportunity to share this moment with her could bring many comfort, or find the confidence to reach out to a family member or friend when they are in a moment of panic, too. So like, thx KK. 

2. JESSICA  WILLIAMS SPEAKS OUT ABOUT AGGRESSIVE FAMOUS DUDE

On May 22nd, Jessica Williams, senior correspondent of The Daily Show (_and beloved Wild Woman), spoke about creepy/touchy dudes while on her panel for _2 Dope Queens.

This week, Jezebel reported on Williams’s remarks regarding an incident that occurred while on the red carpet for the Peabody Awards. Williams was quoted saying, “ I was doing an interview, and all of the sudden, this guy, this popular actor comes up behind me and just grabs me and just pulls me in towards him. I was literally talking to somebody, and was like, ‘What? What is happening?’ And he was like, 'Yeah, girl. You fine' … If I was at a fucking bodega in Harlem and this happened to me, I would literally stab you. But because he’s a great actor, everybody’s, “Haha, that’s funny, right? Good one, you got touched.” 

Williams is unfortunately touching (pun intended) on an incident that many bright women in the entertainment industry experience. In her book Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham describes these rich/cool/older men as “sunshine stealers”, a term her friend Jenni Konner created to describe older dudes who feel the need to physically or mentally exert dominance over successful women.

Three cheers for ladies like Williams and Dunham who speak out about these offenses that so often go unnoticed. The popular actor that manhandled Williams has not been identified, but let's hope the mystery man listens to the panel and takes five to do some serious self-reflection.

3. MILEY CYRUS TEAMS UP WITH MARC JACOBS FOR  PLANNED PARENTHOOD

The moment we've all been waiting for: we can finally all splurge on some Marc Jacobs apparel guilt-free because, thanks to Miley Cyrus, it can now be considered shopping for a good cause (read: one of our fave causes).

Recently, Cyrus collaborated with Marilyn Minter and Marc Jacobs to create two rad t-shirts called “Miley Cyrus Hearts Planned Parenthood” and “Pro-Choice Miley” and all of the proceeds are going to (you guessed it) PP.  Both shirts have our girl Miley with her signature tongue-out pose licking a steamy camera frame, with a smooshed kissy face and  “Pro Choice” written across the latter.

Cyrus spoke about the shirt and her role in the reproductive rights community on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. “I think it's really important for me to be someone who speaks out on women's health rights and reproductive rights and I think it’s important for people to not be afraid to talk about that.”

“And I’m a good person,” she continued. “When there’s a company that’s having a hard time with people being afraid of something, I’m a good person to put on the face of a t-shirt.”

The shirts will be available for a limited time and are being sold on the Marc Jacobs website for $50 (+free shipping!). And, it looks like Ellen Degeneres is already rockin’ one. :)

4. PADMA LAKSHIMI ADDRESSES HER BATTLE WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS

Padma Lakshmi is takin’ it to the hill, along with Lena Dunham, Susan Sarandon, and Whoopie Goldberg. Now, I still don’t love the term “squad,” but that sounds like a pretty ideal group to us.

Lakshmi and the aforementioned celebs have all openly battled with endometriosis, a disorder in which a woman's uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, affecting 1 in 10 woman. Along with gynecologist and endometriosis surgeon Dr. Tamer Seckin, she founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Lakshmi herself was not diagnosed with the disease until she was 36, and believes that more funding, research, and awareness could have provided a different and less painful outcome.

Now, she’s heading to Capitol Hill in hopes of securing more funding for research and diagnosis. "If I had been diagnosed at 16, or 26, or even 32, I would have gained valuable time. I would have been able to be more present for my family and friends...[had] a greater capacity to advance professionally, and I would have also had a greater capacity for intimacy," she told CNBC.

Currently, The National Institutes of Health provides only $11 million in funding to endometriosis out of their $32.3 billion budget, and that is what their current projected budget is for 2017. Despite the fact that this disorder affects 10% of the female population, the funding fails to  reflect the magnitude of women suffering. Sooo can we, like, stop ignoring/downplaying women's health issues? K thx, byeee!

5. WHOOPIE GOLDBERG IS PRODUCING A SERIES ABOUT TRANS MODELS

Period peeps, Whoopie Goldberg is having a moment rn. First, she launches a cannabis company that was created with periods in mind, and now she is set to produce a series on the Oxygen Network called Strut that will center around trans models.

Strut will follow the lives of a group of aspiring trans models who are attempting to establish themselves in the world of high fashion. Slay Model Management, the world’s first exclusively transgender modeling agency, will be representing the models. The show is set to premiere later this year.

"People tend to focus on the stereotype instead of the person," Goldberg has said in an official statement, "and this series will give viewers a unique opportunity to spend time with real people who are struggling with the same challenges we all face as we make our way through the world.” We agree, Whoopie, and we recommend you check out our talented friend Sawyer Devuyst. Don’t mind us, just wing-womaning over here.

by Team Thinx