1. #MeToo Sparks Barriers for Women
LeanIn.org released a survey on Friday highlighting findings of women in the workplace following the aftermath of the #MeToo movement. Lean In, a women’s self-empowerment organization founded by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, partnered with SurveyMonkey to understand what men and women are experiencing in the workplace. It was discovered that 60% of male managers are uncomfortable mentoring and socializing one-on-one with women at work. Results also relayed that 57% of women report they’ve experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace, anywhere from being touched inappropriately to sexist jokes.
However, 27% of men say harassment is decreasing and that the consequences are more damaging to the careers of harassers, not victims. Women tend to disagree: 64% say it’s the victims who end up paying a heavier price. According to The Hustle, some companies have poured money into harassment training, but isolating women is not the solve here. Men need to play an active role in supporting female colleagues without expecting women to fix the broken system that puts them at a disadvantage in the first place.
(Source: The Hustle, Lean In)
2. Game of Thrones Comes to an End
*No Spoilers*
Game of Thrones has ended after eight seasons. As the Wall Street Journal reports, “HBO maximized the moment with a 10-second countdown to start the episode, which followed many trailers for coming series that the premium cable network hopes will join Game of Thrones in subscribers’ hearts.” This move may be a result of analysts’ predictions that there will be a significant jump in HBO Now cancellations after the show’s ending. Last month, 20% of HBO Now subscribers and 10% of all streamers said they would cancel their subscription if their favorite show ended. Game of Thrones is definitely a fan favorite and has broken records over the years with its loyal fanbase. April’s season premiere broke a series record with 17.4M viewers, and last week’s Game of Thrones episode accumulated 18.4M viewers. Meanwhile, fans are furiously debating the show’s dramatic ending on social media, and others are pointing out editing mistakes: following the previous Starbucks cup blunder, plastic water bottles were spotted in one scene.
a water bottle in King’s Landing!! #got #gameofthrones pic.twitter.com/mwGQlsLwnh
— Beth (@bethisloco) May 20, 2019
(Source: AdAge, MarketWatch)
3. In Remembrance of Grumpy Cat
Grumpy Cat, the kitty known for disliking everything and prompting the rise of influencer pets, died last week at the age of seven.
You may remember her start on Reddit in 2012, as her constant scowl made her famous in the first place. Grumpy Cat’s appearance came from feline dwarfism and her “looks” led to numerous personal appearances, countless memes, commercials, and a movie. At the time of her death, she had more than 8.3M followers on Facebook, 2.5M followers on Instagram and 1.5M followers on Twitter. Some rankings estimate Grumpy Cat made $100M from her film, media appearances, sponsorship deals, and merchandise sales. An official online shop sells nearly 900 items with her face on it. Celebrity pets are a huge market. A survey by Mars Petcare reveals that 30% of pet owners follow and engage with social media celebrity animals and 50% of pet owners who post about their pets on social media have reported that pets get more attention than them.
(Source: AdAge)
