In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club, popularly known as the venue for the oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon, announced umpires will now refer to women tennis players at Wimbledon by their last name — as is the standard for men players — doing away with the archaic practice of calling them Ms., Miss., and Mrs.
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Zaira Wasim, popular for her roles in Dangal and Secret Superstar, announced she was leaving Bollywood. It had “led me to a path of ignorance, as I silently and unconsciously transitioned out of imaan (faith),” she wrote on her social media, drawing widespread criticism for being blinded by religion. Do women have the right to make life decisions without nationwide censure?
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The act of grilling meat is primarily associated with an outdoor grill, with a man holding a chilled beer in one hand and flipping burgers with the other. How ever did the simple act of outdoor cooking become such a masculine one?
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Alex Morgan, the star striker of the U.S. Women’s National Team, celebrated her winning semifinal goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in a curious manner, and to much indignant outcry — she acted like she was sipping tea. Why?
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Vikas Bahl, who produces movies under Phantom Films, was recently exonerated of sexual assault charges alleged against him last year. What’s suspicious is, HuffPost India found, the accuser was roped into participating in an investigation she didn’t initiate, which was also curiously timed with the release of Bahl’s latest film, Super 30.
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An adult video production company, Girls Do Porn, allegedly convinced young women aged 18 to 22 to shoot porn, with a promise that the videos would only be sold as private DVDs in Australia and New Zealand. When the videos suddenly started populating online spaces, the women filed a lawsuit against the owners, accusing them of “fraud, coercion, and misrepresentation.”
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With conservative, right-wing governments coming to power around the world, it has become increasingly difficult for the United Nations to make progress for the LGBTQIA+ community. In light of pushback from leaders of member countries, the UN is losing its say.
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R&B singer Halle Bailey will become the first black woman to star as Ariel in Disney’s latest live-action remake of Little Mermaid. Many thought Bailey’s race would do a disservice to Ariel’s former depictions as a white woman with flaming red hair. But Disney is blowing full steam ahead on its newly realized progressive streak.
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What was it like to be the first woman in the control room that helped guide the Apollo space missions? Poppy Northcutt’s story has been erased in all pop culture adaptations of the Apollo 8 and 13 stories, which have been replete with white men. A new National Geographic documentary, APOLLO: Missions to the Moon, is finally depicting the pivotal role Northcutt, and may other erased women, played in exploring the moon.
