Rep Maxine Waters Calls Trump "One Of The Most Dishonorable, Despicable" People To Hold Public Office

Rep Maxine Waters Calls Trump "One Of The Most Dishonorable, Despicable" People To Hold Public Office

United States Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California delivered a fiery speech at the Human Rights Campaign's annual Los Angeles Dinner Saturday night. Never at a loss for words, Rep. Waters ripped into Donald Trump, calling him “one of the most dishonorable, deceitful, and despicable people ever to hold public office.”

Waters ticked off a list of Trump transgressions against the LGBTQ community: a ban on transgender service members in the military, proposed budget cuts to programs supporting people living with HIV, and a rather terrifying proposition that Title VII does not include the LGBTQ community. “Well, what do I think about all of this?” she said to roaring applause as she removed her glasses and made a face that left no doubt how she felt about Trump's policies. 

With Rep. Waters holding court on the West Coast, President Donald Trump was busy mocking her at his "am I just great or what speech" speech in Pennsylvania Saturday night. 

Once again, Trump mocked Waters, saying she had a "very low IQ". Waters has become the source of Trump's incessant ridicule. In early March, Trump proposed at the annual Gridiron Club dinner that the Congresswoman take an IQ test.

France Reflects On Having No Age Of Sexual Consent, Even For A 10-Year-Old Girl Legally Raped In Many Countries

France Reflects On Having No Age Of Sexual Consent, Even For A 10-Year-Old Girl Legally Raped In Many Countries

Writing for The Atlantic, Marie Doezema zeroes in on a case in France involving an 11-year-old girl. one that 50 years later has sparked a moment of moral and legal reckoning. The event happened in April, 2017, when a 28-year-old-man met an 11-year-old girl in a park in Montmagny, a small town of 14,000 people in northern France. 

After congenial conversation with her that involved no coercion, the man said he would be happy to show the young girl how to kiss. She did go home with the man, and it's not clear from reading the reports when the girl showed the man her schoolbooks to establish her age. The victim says she did; the accused insists that she did not. 

“She thought … that she didn’t have the right to protest, that it wouldn’t make any difference,” the mother told Mediapart, a French investigative site which first reported on the allegations of the case. The accusations were of an adult raping a child—a crime that, in France, can lead to a 20-year prison sentence for the perpetrator when the victim is 15 or younger.

Facts are that the case was not proceeding towards a rape charge.  Initially, the man was charged with “sexual infraction,” a crime punishable with a maximum of five years in jail and a €75,000 fine. Under French law, a charge of rape requires “violence, coercion, threat, or surprise,” even if the victims are age 11 or 12, as the girl in the Montmagny case.

“She was 11 years and 10 months old, so nearly 12 years old,” defense lawyer Marc Goudarzian said. Sandrine Parise-Heideiger, his fellow defense lawyer, added: “We are not dealing with a sexual predator on a poor little faultless goose.”

Bill and Melinda Gates Make A Big Move For Women's Global Economic Empowerment

Bill and Melinda Gates Make A Big Move For Women's Global Economic Empowerment

For over a decade, researchers have known that everything changes in almost every community and country worldwide when women have money. 

On Monday Melinda Gates published an op-ed in Quartz in which she and husband Bill Gates announced a four-year pledge of $170 million to help empower women economically worldwide.

The decision comes at a time when 1) the Gates Foundation has tried to block the damage levied at poor women worldwide by cuts In the US budget that funds global women's health initiatives -- not abortions, but 'yes' to birth control being available at women's health clinics. Generally-speaking, the Trump administration stands opposed to taxpayer-funded birth control, arguing that it diminishes religious freedoms for those Americans opposed to contraception; and 2) in response to #MeToo stories and the prevalence of sexual harassment and violence against women worldwide.

The money, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will be spent over four years “to help women exercise their economic power,” Melinda Gates wrote. She noted that research shows economic power is the “most promising entry points for gender equality.” 

“Simply put when money flows into the hands of women who have the authority to use it, everything changes,” Melinda Gates wrote.

Michelle Obama Says She Is Committed To Creating Thousands Of Mes By Working With Young Leaders

Michelle Obama Says She Is Committed To Creating Thousands Of Mes By Working With Young Leaders

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is well aware of the impact she has on young women, and especially young girls of color. How many times did we see them incredulous that she had walked into their school room unannounced, leaving all the kids -- but girls in particular -- shrieking with delight and covering up their eyes in disbelief. 

Michelle Obama has that kind of impact on young people -- even very, very young people. Parker Curry, age 2, found herself fixated over Obama's new portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. So spellbound was Parker over the towering image of America's royal black goddess that she refused to turn around for just one snap for mom Jessica Curry. 

Curry, a lifelong DC District resident, was so fixated on her daughter being fixated on the portrait that she didn’t see a man to the side taking a cellphone photo of the moment — Parker in utter awe, her mouth agape.

Oscar Winner Frances McDormand Gives Rousing Pro-Woman Speech, Calls For Inclusion Riders In Hollywood Contracts

Oscar Winner Frances McDormand Gives Rousing Pro-Woman Speech, Calls For Inclusion Riders In Hollywood Contracts

Frances McDormand was the big favorite to win the Oscar for Best Actress at Sunday's Academy Awards. As expected, McDormand won her trophy for her almighty performance in 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'.  The actress had already won a SAG, BAFTA and Golden Globe for her role as a mother who rents three billboards to call attention to her daughter's unsolved murder. Previously, McDormand won an Oscar in 1997 for her role as Marge Gunderson in 'Fargo'. 

It was clear the actress had additional prepared comments after thanking Three Billboards director Martin McDonagh, her sister, and then husband Joel Coen and their son Pedro.  "These two stalwart individuals were well raised by their feminist mothers," she said. "They value themselves, each other and those around them. I know you are proud of me and that fills me with everlasting joy."

I'm not sure any Oscar winner ever put her statue down on the floor before speaking further. Oscar got a quick pat on the head, as McDormand said she wanted to get some perspective on the situation. And then Frances went full-throttle into the strongest moment of her speech and of the evening. 

UPDATE Mar 6. DEAL IS DEAD. Maria Contreras-Sweet, Obama SBA Head, Announces Investor Purchase Of The Weinstein Company

Maria Contreras-Sweet, Obama SBA Head, Announces Investor Purchase Of The Weinstein Company

Updated Tues. evening Mar. 6: Never Mind: $500 Million Deal to Save the Weinstein Company Is Kaput Vanity Fair

Maria Contreras-Sweet announced Thursday afternoon that an investor group lead by herself and billionaire Ron Burkle reached a deal to buy The Weinstein Company. The complex and infuriating negotiations to reach a deal that kept TWC from not having to declare bankruptcy even included New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who ended up acting as a necessary mediator, given the complexity of TWC's legal problems. 

In a statement Schneiderman said:  "As part of these negotiations, we are pleased to have received express commitments from the parties that the new company will create a real, well-funded victims' compensation fund, implement HR policies that will protect all employees, and will not unjustly reward bad actors. We will work with the parties in the weeks ahead to ensure that the parties honor and memorialize these commitments prior to closing."

Contreras-Sweet, who served as 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration in the Obama Administration, and Burkle organized the group of investors who are putting up $500 million to buy the once-powerful indie film and television production company founded by Weinstein and his brother, Bob in 2005. 

Kendall Jenner Says 'No Go' To Walking Fall 2018 Fashion Shows, Takes Self-Care Time Instead

Kendall Jenner Says 'No Go' To Walking Fall 2018 Fashion Shows, Takes Self-Care Time Instead

In November 2017 Kendall Jenner dethroned Gisele Bündchen as the world's highest paid supermodel, according to Forbes. Given Gisele's general retirement from modeling in 2015, her status as #1 was certain to lapse. The question was who would fill her boots -- or stilettos, if you prefer.  Note that Gisele still earned over $17 million, putting her in second place.

When Kendall Jenner didn't jet off to Shanghai before the holidays for the Victoria's Secret fashion show, it was clear that her plum La Perla contract probably prohibited it. 

According to the Forbes estimate, Jenner made $22 million in the prior year including her endorsements, modeling work, and her profit cut from 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians'. Jenner has lucrative, exclusive contracts with lingerie brand La Perla, Adidas Original and Estee Lauder. Kendall regularly appears in top brands ad campaigns and magazine editorials. Oh, and she's working on her own clothing line. 

With this financial setup swirling around her, there really is no problem that Kendall Jenner decided to take a break from the Fall 2018 fashion show season. Kendall Jenner is far, far more than a fashion model.

“She had other working commitments this year,” a source close to People said. “Kendall always decides last minute what she is walking in. It depends on the money and how she is feeling," added another. A third added that there wasn't any "severe" reason. The timeout does however come after a Keeping Up With The Kardashians episode that addressed the model's anxiety issues, a revelation that ended with Jenner vowing to find ways to manage her life perspective.

White House Communications Director Hope Hicks Resigns Day After House Intel Committee Testimony

HOPE HICKS DID NOT INDICATE WHAT HER NEXT JOB WOULD BE OR WHEN SHE INTENDED TO LEAVE HER POST AS WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR. CREDIT: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS

White House Communications Director Hope Hicks Resigns Day After House Intel Committee Testimony

White House communications director Hope Hicks, a close ally of President Trump who has successfully managed his personality, has resigned. Hicks, a brief model and member of Ivanka Trump's fashion pr business team , comes a day after she testified for eight hours before the House Intelligence Committee. A major soundbite from the Hicks testimony was her vague admission that she has occasionally been required to tell white lies, in her work with the Trump administration. Hicks previously met for two days of interviews in December with special counsel Robert Mueller and his team. 

Adidas by Pharrell Williams Hu Holi Blank Collection Makes Powder Colors Street Smart

Adidas by Pharrell Williams Hu Holi Blank Collection Makes Powder Colors Street Smart

The latest Adidas by Pharrell Williams Hu Holi Blank collection is inspired by the spiritual Holi Festival, one of the most famous celebrations in North-Eastern India, when people gather to celebrate the victory of the good over the bad, as well as marking the beginning of spring. Participants throw colored powders in the air to express their freedom and to bring color into their lives.

The campaign was shot by Viviane Sassen with styling by Jay Massacret. Models include Jeenu Mahadevan, Malik Jalloh, Radhika Nair and more.

Myanmar's Logging Elephants Rated By Their Mahouts Display Differing Personality Traits

Myanmar's Logging Elephants Rated By Their Mahouts Display Differing Personality Traits

Angela Merkel Appears To Tap Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer As Christian Democratic Union Successor

Angela Merkel Appears To Tap Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer As Christian Democratic Union Successor

The woman basking in the limelight, standing before an adoring crowd having won nearly 99% of the vote for a top post in the most powerful political party in Germany was not Angela Merkel. It was Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, writes The New York Times, who was elected secretary general of Germany's Christian Democratic Union. Dubbed “mini-Merkel” by the German news media, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer assumes a post once held by the Chancellor. " In tapping Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer, she found a candidate widely seen as having the mix of liberalism and conservatism to unite a restive party base," writes The Times.

Severely weakened by a national election held five months ago, Merkel has struggled to cobble together a governing coalition. One of A.K.K.'s first challenges as general secretary will be to restore calm and discipline in a party divided between those who support Merkel's centirst course and those who want to move right.

Kramp-Karrenbauer supported Merkel's decision to open Germany's border in 2015, but took a stronger stance on handling the roughly 7,000 refugees who arrived in her small western state of Saarland, where she has been the governor. The Times writes:

"She had unaccompanied minors arriving without documents undergo medical screenings to help determine their age, and lobbied for Berlin to deport anyone whose application for asylum had been rejected. Male Muslim refugees who refused to accept food from female volunteers should go hungry, she said."

Fedex Offers Discounts of 18-26% To NRA Members and My GlamTribal Business Pays For It

As a small biz owner of GlamTribal Jewelry & Gifts, I've been shell-shocked over the cost of using Fedex or UPS, rather than 2-day USPS, if the shipment comes over the weekend.

Amazon expects me to absorb a $20 shipping cost on a $48 pair of earrings for a Prime order, and that's w/o an additional charge of about $11 for Fedex to come and get it from me. It's cheaper to just pay the USPS overnight cost of about $20. Note that I must ship 50 orders with only one blip, and I cannot use my own USPS account, even when I know an order will arrive on time. Amazon freezes my ability to use 2-day Priority Mail, which would cost me $12 and no pickup charge. Understandably, as a prime shipment, they want to be able to track all the facts around the shipment. But vendors pay the premium price.

Now I'm reading that if only I was a member of the NRA, I would get discounts of 18-26%. So FedEx is prioritizing gun rights over the success of small entrepreneurs like myself.

I know that FedEx president David L. Cunningham Jr. is a huge contributor to the NRA. But how is it that his personal values support discounts to those who demand unfettered restrictions on military assault rifles, rather than small business owners like myself? Sorry, but that sounds unAmerican and hardly supporting free enterprise.

Why must I underwrite the cost of Fedex shipping military assault weapons, when I'm dedicated to prohibiting assault weapons? Oh, and I also support girls education in Africa and elephant conservation with business revenues. I doubt Fedex is committed to limiting the rights of assault weapons owners to kill elephants and other endangered species. I wonder if Fedex ships trophy hunters' prizes. I'll have to check that policy as most responsible airlines are saying "no go". They give up the revenue.

The majority of small business owners are women. Fedex would rather support military assault weapons murdering men -- 90% of mass killers are men -- than women business owners.

As you can imagine, FedEx and I are now in permanent divorce court, because the company's values are not my values.

I support the second amendment, but it doesn't include military assault rifles, as SC Justice Scalia explained. FedEx doesn't even agree with Scalia, which makes the company's policies ULTRA. ULTRA conservative, far more conservative than the Americans of all political parties who use Fedex for business and personal shipping.

I urge everyone to rethink your relationship with FedEx and whether you believe it's fair that small business owners like myself should be forced to underwrite their support for military assault rifles in our schools. The company says they refuse to bow to the pressure of liberals who are trying to take away gun rights. That's their choice, but we have a choice, too. ~ Anne

Related: Calls to divest from NRA fall on deaf ears at FedEx New York Daily News

Angelina Jolie & John Kerry Talk Women's Rights & Environmental Action In ELLE US March 2018

Angelina Jolie & John Kerry Talk Women's Rights & Environmental Action In ELLE US March 2018

Superstar Angelina Jolie sits down with former US secretary of state John Kerry to talk March 8, International Women's Day in the March 2018 issue of ELLE US. In truth, they spend as much time talking environmental issues as women's rights, although the two intersect in so many ways. As guest editor of the March 2018 issue of Vogue Australia, Emma Watsonmakes the same point: women suffer more than men as a result of climate change.

At age 42, Angelina Jolie has devoted herself to shedding light on women’s rights and violence against women around the world. Jolie serves as a goodwill ambassador and special envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she’s completed nearly 60 field missions, including visits to Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. As cofounder of the British government’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, Jolie's met with rape survivors in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Eye: London Launches Commonwealth Fashion Exchange For Sustainability | Kering Offers Online Course On Sustainable Design

SOPHIE, COUNTESS OF WESSEX, AND CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE

Eye: London Launches Commonwealth Fashion Exchange For Sustainability | Kering Offers Online Course On Sustainable Design

"We're not talking anymore; we're doing," said Livia Firth in describing the Buckingham Palace celebration of the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange. Firth has long championed the human potential of fashion to make positive impacts on the lives of people -- especially women -- while reforming the damage wreaked on the environment by fashion. Baroness Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth secretary-general, joined Firth in launching what Vogue calls "perhaps the biggest set of collaborations in history."

“At Eco-Age, we have so many conversations about how to get people to understand the negative effects of fast fashion. We thought this was a real opportunity to demonstrate the handprint, not the footprint, of fashion," said Firth about the Queen's State Rooms,  "lined with more than 30 sustainably produced, handcrafted ball gowns, representing the cultures, identities, and creative skills of 52 countries, from the large—Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Britain—to the tiniest of islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean."

The overarching point, said Baroness Scotland, “Is about engaging young people and using fashion as a thread that connects everyone.” She quoted staggering statistics: A third of the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion citizens are under the age of 30—a vast generation primed to be interested in fashion and involved in it as workers. “It is the second-largest employer of women in developing countries.”

Othilia Simon Fronts 'Le Sacre Du Serpent' Lensed By Chris Colls For Vogue Paris March 2018

Othilia Simon Fronts 'Le Sacre Du Serpent' Lensed By Chris Colls For Vogue Paris March 2018

Model Othilia Simon is styled by Julie Pelipas in 'Le Sacre Du Serpent', gorgeous snake jewelry that isn't necessarily for every woman. Different civilizations have interpreted snake symbolism through a vastly different lens. " . . .  the Egyptians saw it represent royalty and deity; in Rabbinical tradition and Hinduism, the snake represents sexual passion and desire; while the Romans interpreted the snake as a symbol of everlasting love.  While Cleopatra may be the most notable historic figure to espouse the wearing of snake jewelry, Greek, Nordic, African, and Native Americans have all celebrated this intriguing reptile in gilded forms with varying meaning."

This interesting article showcases the prominence of the serpent as a motif in fine jewelry. While focusing on the snake as a symbol of eternal love, it doesn't mention the serpent as a symbol of female treachery. After all, the devil came to Eve in the garden of Eden in the form of a serpent. And Eve ate the apple in this patriarchal story about human evolution, condemning humanity to a life of suffering and loss, redeemed only by a male God. Talk about power politics!

Photographer Chris Colls captures Othilia Simon in all her reptilian glory for Vogue ParisMarch 2018./ Hair by Laurent Philippon; makeup by Maud Laceppe

Helena Christensen Supports Jamee Gregory's Memorial Sloan Kettering Pediatric Neuropsychology Initiative

Helena Christensen Supports Jamee Gregory's Memorial Sloan Kettering Pediatric Neuropsychology Initiative

Supermodel Helena Christensen is popping up everywhere. For a woman committed to getting behind the lens and not living in front of it, Helena is having a model moment.  On February 9, Christensen joined what Vogue calls the "well-dressed set" at Rockefeller Center's Rainbow Room for the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s annual Winter Lunch.

The annual lunch offers financial support to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s pediatric neuropsychology initiative. The Society's president Jamee Gregory explained that no arm-twisting was required. “We were able to sell out the entire Rainbow Room without ever having to print an invitation!” 

Note that Gregory assumed her position in June 2017 and may well be bringing her superb connections and fundraising talents to the volunteer organization. 

Net-a-Porter hosted the event for the third year, and the words of president Alison Loehnis inspired. 

“Cancer is a club you never want to join and you never want to get into,” she said. “Looking around the room, there’s probably no one here who hasn’t been touched by it in some way and we are deeply humbled to play a small part in the incredible work done by MSK physicians, researchers, and donors such as yourself.”

Loehnis ended on a high note. “I’m very happy to report,” she announced, “that this year’s fundraising efforts have eclipsed last year’s by a mile.” This wonderful reality may also reflect on the talents of Jamee Gregory.

Oprah, George & Amal Clooney Are Joined By The Spielbergs & Katzenbergs In Pledging $500,000 To March For Our Lives

Oprah Winfrey stepped into the philanthropy box Tuesday, joining George and Amal Clooney,in also committing a $500,000 donation and general pledge of support for March for Our Lives in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety. The event is being organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Both Clooneys will also participate in the Washington, DC demonstration on March 24, being organized by the surviving students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

"Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School . . . Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we're donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children's lives depend on it."

The March for Our Lives is organized by Stoneman Douglas students Cameron Kasky, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Alex Wind, and Jaclyn Corin, in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety. “I'm just a high school student,” Kasky wrote in a recent op-ed, “and I do not pretend to have all of the answers. However, even in my position, I can see that there is desperate need for change—change that starts by folks showing up to the polls and voting all those individuals who are in the back pockets of gun lobbyists out of office.”

The articulate voices of the students have overwhelmed open-minded adults across America. On Twitter, Winfrey compared the Stoneman Douglas student organizers Cameron Kasky, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Alex Wind, and Jaclyn Corin to the Freedom Riders of the 1960s who “also said we’ve had enough and our voices will be heard.”

Two more Hollywood couples joined the Clooneys and Oprah in matching their donations. Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn were joined by Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg in also supporting the initiative.

“The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages," said Spielberg via his representative, Marvin Levy. "Kate (Capshaw) and I applaud their efforts to take a stand for the benefit of this and future generations. They are an inspiration to us all, and we are joining in this movement with a donation of $500,000.”

In a statement sent by representative Rachel Peterson, Katzenberg said, “(My wife) Marilyn and I are proud to stand with the brave young leaders from Parkland, Fla., who have taken their pain and grief and turned it into action. We will join Amal and George Clooney on March 24 to stand alongside these remarkable young people. We are also donating $500,000 to March for Our Lives to support this historic event.”

Florida Lawmakers Say They Will Not Debate Gun Control But Declare Porn A Health Risk

Florida Lawmakers Say They Will Not Debate Gun Control But Declare Porn A Health Risk

After posting on FB last night that South Carolina lawmakers want to declare gay marriage'parody marriage', I see that Fla lawmakers are also very, very busy.

Our brave Parkland kids rose the buses for 8 hrs. yesterday to their state capitol -- sleeping in the civic center w/their parent minders Tuesday night -- even though Fla legislators announced yesterday that there is no way they will debate an assault weapon ban or other gun legislation.

BUT the legislators DID have time to declare porn a health risk, reports BuzzFeed. .

I REPEAT, Fla legislators declared porn to be health risk but say they will NOT debate gun control in any form. My international friends, this is the state of the American conservative Republican mind today, the Trump mind in action.

More guns. Less porn. Maybe porn is so important to them because they buy more of it and watch it on Sunday. The credit card companies have worked in HUGE research studies -- like 500,000 porn purchases -- to identify by state and date bought.

David Bellemere Reminds Me Why I'm An American Woman Charmed But Not Seduced By French Men

David Bellemere Reminds Me Why I'm An American Woman Charmed But Not Seduced By French Men

I am so disgusted with photographer David Bellemere tonight, that I regret having written such positive words about his sensual images over the years.  AOC is probably one of the most beautiful repositories of his work on the Internet.

Even though I come out of the Victoria's Secret organization, this ardent feminist was circumspect in writing about the recent Lui magazine controversy between VS Angel Sara Sampaio and Bellemere. Sampaio might even accuse me of siding with Bellemere, in spite of my expressed neutrality, and I would understand her accusation. 

The #MeToo movement had broken in America by the end of October when Sara Sampaio took issue with her photographic experience with David Bellemere, and I listed a few #MeToos of my own that are quite serious as sexual assault experiences go. The memories have never doused my appreciation for men, although I no longer tolerate nonsense -- only because life is too short, and I am a lovely woman in every aspect. 

At this moment I am so angry with David Bellemere, I will have to sleep on my response to his comments to WWD about the explosive Boston Globe story on sexual harassment and aggression among fashion photographers. Bellemere is named in a detailed, front page story that has already impacted his career. I note, though, that VS ended their relationship with Bellemere over complaints about his behavior from the models and Angels, many of whom also consider themselves to be feminists. It's not a word we throw around, but we will all use it especially in this #MeToo moment. 

I am using the word 'feminist' because Bellemere has used it. He has dropped the gauntlet, and so will I. There will be no neutrality now on my attitude about David Bellemere. His comments brought back a night in my life and an essay I wrote several years ago about my limited experiences with French men -- which have never been favorable in a romantic sense. 

These are Bellemere's comments, published in WWD, that have really pissed me off. I will continue this dialogue after some reflections. 

“There is due process. We have something called justice here. We have been walking on it since the [beginning] of the story of humanity. We are not savages in the Middle Ages. If you have any proof, you bring the proof,” Bellemere said. “Today if a feminist says, ‘He’s guilty,’ everybody is going to believe he’s guilty.”

At 45, the twice-divorced photographer pointed to his middle-age status and said he doesn’t own anything. “They are destroying people. They are destroying lives. My [15-year-old] daughter is crying. It’s too much. I’m going to lose everything. I’m not like Patrick Demarchelier or all of those (older) guys who have a career that is finished."

Bellemere makes the suggestion that the photographer not be alone with the model -- which I think is a good idea. At the end of the shoot, he proposes that everyone sign a report that everyone was well-behaved. The objective would be to “prove that all as been done under respect or without misbehavior,” Bellemere said (to WWD). “This is to avoid lies and problems. We have to sit around the table and write it down together. I want this war to end between feminists and the industry. We are wasting too much talent.”

In all my time in the fashion industry, in all the sad experiences I've had with men -- ones Bellemere probably agrees with, like the experience I narrate below -- I have never been so goddess-damned resentful of a statement. I have championed male photographers for a decade, including David Bellemere, although working with female photographers is so much easier. But for him to condemn feminism and the #MeToo movement -- which suggests he has no problem with the Harvey Weinsteins of the world -- that is a reflection of the masculine arrogance and self-importance that has launched what is a seismic #MeToo movement. 

In reality, these utterly stupid and self-destructive comments by Bellemere about feminism and our failure to understand and nourish creative talent suggests that he has a Pablo Picasso complex. Well, I'm not having it one minute longer from David Bellemere and I regret the mountains of praise that I've heaped on him for a decade. ~ Anne

Previously:  'An American Woman Charmed But Not Seduced By French Men

I’m not one of those American women who throws herself on the sidewalks of Paris, saying “please, please like me, mighty Parisians.”  But it is true that France has always inspired me in what I wish America could be more of — a country with a passion for living well in mind, body and with beauty.  As a key executive with Victoria’s Secret for 10 years, lastly as the head of product development and then fashion director, I’ve long embraced France’s approach to living in touch with one’s senses.

Bannon Promises That Feminism, Not Toxic Masculinity, Is Responsible For America's Demise

Bannon Promises That Feminism, Not Toxic Masculinity, Is Responsible For America's Demise

The mere fact that Harper's Bazaar would feature an article on the topic of toxic masculinity tells you the degree to which the female mindset in America is changing. Even the fashion industry is concerned about toxic masculinity. Oh yes. The Trump male posse can descend on us -- throwing stink bombs and calling us libtards -- but the facts are the facts in their non-factual universe. The jigs up, gentlemen.

When Trump was elected, Mr. Brexit Nigel Farage proclaimed: "The alpha males are back." That may be so, but large numbers of alpha males -- are the very definition of toxic masculinity -- and it's a masculinity that kills, no matter how the alt-right dresses it up.

More than other countries in the developed world, the American culture worships men with guns. They are conquerors of 'weaker men' and women are eager to have sex with them. In reality, men who commit mass shootings do not have the respect of the larger culture, but their "catastrophic sense of male entitlement" gives them admiration in their own equally toxic communities.