Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Christina Haswood, Kansas State Senate, District 2

This week we are profiling Christina Haswood (she/her/hers) is a Diné (Navajo) millennial who is the only Native American serving in the Kansas state legislature. In her first year in office, she helped pass Kansas’ first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) bill. A public health advocate, Christina is a champion of reproductive rights and the right to abortion. Christina also stands out for using social media more than her colleagues to inform her constituents with updates from the legislature. Though she currently represents District 10 in the Kansas House of Representatives, Christina is now running for the State Senate.

Suzana Pires is a Femme Fatale

Femme Power Suzana Pires is a popular name in the Brazilian film industry. Having a repertoire that ranges from comedy to drama, Suzana’s talent speaks for itself. Progressing from an actor to a writer, to an entrepreneur, she is living testament that women can do multiple things at the same time, and look damn good doing it too! Her new book ‘Unleashed’ is set to release on August 19th, a handbook for all those women trying to find their way in this world. This telenovela super star is all the power! Read this exclusive interiew with Jejune Magazine to learn more about her life, Dona De Si, and ‘Unleashed’.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 50Tejasvi PradeepAugust 9, 2023actress, television, female power, Author, writerComment

Coming Together to Say the Word: A Night of Art and Action for Abortion

Devastating news breaks on June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has officially reversed Roe v. Wade declaring that the federal constitutional right to abortion in the United States has ended. This ruling erases nearly 50 years of precedent but this fight is far from over! On July 31st (next event on September 21st at 9:30pm!), The Meteor, a group of journalists, artists, filmmakers, and media leaders who embrace the value and importance of stories through the power of words, hosted Say the Word: A Night of Art and Action for Abortion at Joe’s Pub. This event consisted of various talented artists performing a personalized piece addressing this crucial moment in time. You will want to continue reading below to learn more about the event and performances along with further information about The Meteor.

Art, zIssue 44, Editor's PickSophie LaSalaSeptember 2, 2022Abortion Rights, abortion, feminism, feminist, female power, empowering women, women supporting womenComment

Let's Embrace Our Flaws with vanillacooldance

Amsterdam-based American cartoonist Jessica Stahl, vanillacooldance, is empowering women to to live a shame-free, unapologetic, and confident life, embrace your vanillacooldance! In a world where dating is hard and women are underappreciated vanillacooldance has our backs with humor and truth. Stahl is helping to change the way women see themselves in relationships, breaking taboos about sexuality, body appearance, romantic and even awkward situations on dates, and much more. When Stahl isn’t giving women a voice through vanillacooldance, she is the Creative Director at Dopper and is responsible for making ocean-saving campaigns. Keep reading to learn more about this incredible artist!

Majoring in Mom Sense With Kanika Chadda-Gupta

Kanika Chadda-Gupta is a mom of three (twins plus one!), journalist, and entrepreneur with a knack for storytelling. All of these aspects were recently brought together to create her podcast, That’s Total Mom Sense. In her interview with Jejune, Kanika defines ‘Mom Sense’ and ‘Dad Sense’ as a parent’s built in sixth sense, or, “…our very own superpower of intuition.” The podcast invites some influential guests to share their own stories and parenting advice, as Kanika has found that storytelling is the best way to connect and grow with her audience. Kanika was born in Bombay, India and is a founding member of RISE100 by Sundara, which is a program that works towards providing mentorship and resources to female entrepreneurs in low to middle income countries. Read on in our interview with Kanika to learn more about That’s Total Mom Sense, her parenting advice, and how she is giving back.

The Super Power of Underclub

You know what they say, what really matters is on the inside, and boy does that ring true with underwear. I would wager a bet that all woman, and many men, have a special pair of underwear that they will wear on a day of an interview, big meeting, or performance. It is a boosting confidence super power! With this in mind, Katie Fritts founded Underclub — the monthly subscription service to receive adorable all female owned sustainable underwear brands. How awesome is that? There are selected stylists who choose surprise looks for each client according to their preferences; so, it is like Christmas comes every month. They even shared one of their designs with Jejune, which fits perfectly and is currently empowering me as I write this introduction. To learn more about the beautiful options available and how the whole process works, please read on.

Erika Severyns: Raising A Voice Through Music

As we grow, we start to realize the truth about being a woman in this society — we face pain, assault, unjust gender roles, voices of judgments, and discrimination. But despite this, there are so many incredible women who fight to be strong everyday. Berlin-based songwriter Erika Severyns reminds us every woman has to be the strongest woman she knows with her single Strongest Woman. She gives courage to all women, writing a song about a traumatic event in her life and opening the door to discuss sexual assault. All the proceeds from her Bandcamp album are being donated to Good Night Out, a non-profit that’s creating a safer nightlife by training spaces, event organizers, and communities to respond to and prevent sexual violence. We talked to Erika Severyns about her music career, latest album, and the MeToo movement. Check out our exclusive interview with Erika Severyns to learn more about her.

Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez: Reckoning With Male Gaze

We’re all familiar with social patriarchy —a social world organized under compulsory heterosexuality. Only the heterosexual male desire is accepted as “natural” and “normal,” whereas all other sexual practices and desires are considered as “abnormal” or “an exception.” It’s a structure prioritizes men's pleasure. Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez who is a Brooklyn-based singer/composer created her latest single “Better For You” highlighting how women contort themselves physically and emotionally to be more desirable. It shows clearly the impact of the heterosexual male gaze on women but at the same time, it shows us how women can prioritize their pleasure. She invites us into her unique sonic world with harmonic nuance and lyrical poetry. We talked to Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez about her music and personal life. Check our exclusive interview with Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez to learn more about her.

EDITORIAL: Lexy Panterra - Baddie Good

Lexy Panterra dances through life and never says sorry. The singer, rapper, and dancer uses her platform to empower women and girls to be their best, authentic selves. From “TwerkOut” - her online twerking classes to her latest album Baddie Vibez, Panterra leads with an image of confidence, strength, and femininity, encouraging her fans to unapologetically practice self-love. Jejune had the pleasure to get to know more about Lexy Panterra, we got to talk about her music, venturing into rapping, her passion for dancing, and what makes her feel good. To learn more about Panterra, continue reading below.

Figuring Things Out With Smokelines

Two best friends and a whirlwind of experiences manifested through music. Smokelines was born out of a friendship between Californian Skylar “Sky” Blaze Star and New Yorker Faith Gara. With New York City as their backdrop, they are an ultimate dynamic duo of singer-songwriters capturing what it’s like to be young in the city. Jejune enthusiastically got to learn more about their latest single, Nirvana, a product of adjusting to the new normal as COVID-19 plunged us deeper into a digital reality. Nirvana is also a testament to their commitment to mental health awareness, in addition to their collaboration with The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. To find out more about what goes into the creativity and business acumen that goes into Smokelines, the meaningfulness of Nirvana, and mental health advocacy, read below.

The Limit Doesn’t Exist for Hadar Cats

As a young child, Hadar Cats was in every theatre production at her school and attended performing arts summer camps. These experiences were the springboard into the world of film and made her debut in Amazon Prime’s AKA Nadia & Incitement. In her latest film, My Dad’s Christmas Date, Hadar stars alongside Jeremy Piven in a heartwarming story revolving around love and family. Besides being a talented actress, Hadar has been competing as a professional Equestrian since she was seven years old and speaks three different languages. She is also an advocate for animal rights and works closely with The Freedom Farm Sanctuary. Check out our interview with Hadar Cats to learn more about her.

Warriors Amongst Women

Women have been fighting for the same rights as men for centuries. Brave and fearless leaders like Susan B. Anthony, Mary McLeod Bethune, Simone de Beauvoir, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Angela Davis passionately fought for women's rights and helped shape the movement for gender equality.

Sasha Daniel Sings For Freedom

Sasha Daniel is a gifted Russian-Israeli musician, actress, and mental health advocate. She uses her creative talents to explore inwardly as well as create a dialogue about sensitive issues such as love and relationships, vulnerability, and mental illness. Sasha has been writing music for years, using her unique life experiences of living and traveling around the world as inspiration. She spent two years touring across New York, the Mid-West, southern United States, Israel, and Canada until she moved back to Tel Aviv and began producing her own songs. Jejune sat down with Sasha to discuss her new EP and her volunteer work with the Non Profit Organization Latet.

Brooke Law Reminds Us About The True Meaning of Christmas

London-born British singer and songwriter, Brooke Law, is an electrifying artist with a heart. She has written with leading producers who have worked with Ellie Goulding, Dua Lipa, and Lana Del Ray. In 2019, she was selected by BBC Asian Network and BBC Music Introducing Essex as one of their ‘Artist to Watch’. Her new single for Christmas 2020, “Home,” is a highly emotive song that poignantly conveys the sadness of finding yourself apart from a loved one at Christmas. It also sheds light on the homeless predicament impacted by 320,000 people in the UK. 100% of the proceeds of her new single will go to the UK Charity, Crisis. Brooke hopes that her song will not only reach out emotionally to those in need but also provide practical help through donations. It is from this bedrock of family ‘unity-through-diversity’, strength, and positive action that motivates Brooke to express her values and beliefs through her music. Please read our interview with Brooke Law to learn more about her and her new single, “Home.”

Felin Destroys The Sexist Structures Of The Music Industry

Women in the music industry have been standing up, whether it’s via their music or their notions in society. Stockholm-based artist Felin is one of them. Her music, which she describes as “good pop melody with an edge and lyrics that makes a statement’,” represents a progressive shift in gendered power dynamics. She is aware that “Society keeps telling us we don’t have a choice but we can’t make too much noise” and her recently released latest single "Heroes and Villains" is making some feminist noises. The song is about women’s rights, gun violence, and social injustices. She also wrote a song called "C19" during the pandemic to deal with all certain feelings of loneliness and uncertainty. She is a vocal feminist and activist and has previously campaigned for women’s abortion rights and promotes women’s rights with The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation in over 20 conflict-affected countries. We talked with Felin about her career and the representation of women in the music industry. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about her.

Jemima's New EP Is Vulnerable And Personal, Just Like Her

Singer/songwriter Jemima’s new EP, Things I Never Said, is an intimate look into personal experiences she had while living in London. Her new EP is filled with songs that touch on experiences in love and living life. Besides music, Jemima had spent 8 months living in an animal sanctuary in Byron Bay Australia. We talked to Jemima about her new EP, experience living in an animal sanctuary, and much more. Check out our exclusive interview with Jemima.

Actress Nicole Leier Takes Creating To Deeper Levels

Nicole Leier is a women who ranks amongst superhuman caliber. She is multifaceted in her work as an actor, director, independent producer, and stuntwoman. The Canadian-born actress is most recently associated with her role alongside Nicolas Cage in the film “A Score to Settle.” She is a co-owner of a production company called Black Tree Pictures, credited with works such as “Black Chicks”, which she also stars in, and “Henry’s Glasses”, an exploration of the Japanese living in Canadian internment camps due to their enemy alien status during WWll. Nicole is also an ambassador for the Bite The Bullet Stories (BTBS), a community designed to highlight stories and further essential conversation about mental health, ending brutality and racial discrimination by law enforcement. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about Nicole Leier.

Claire London: The Dark Pop Princess, Romance, & Her Happily Ever After

Using romance as her muse, Claire London has released her single, “Young,” a track that accounts the ups and downs of her journey towards uncovering true love. Claire, now a mix of Neo-Soul-Pop, takes a subtle shift from the sonics of her discography since her debut album “Like A Machine” in 2011, filled with distorted bass lines and bluesy pop/rock. The once hailed as a dark pop princess has settled down, yet remains sharper than ever.

Her move from NYC to LA in 2016 could be considered a life altering fateful moment where she met her husband, developed a love for the outdoors, and co-founded a music community designed to empower women in the music industry called Female Frequency. Female Frequency’s goal is for every component of their music-making to be done by women, from start to finish, including all writing, instrumentation, arrangement, performance, production, engineering, mixing, mastering, marketing and creation of visual media. Please read our exclusive interview to learn more about Claire London.

Savannah Maddison: How Country Encourages Our Country's Finest

Florida-born, Nashville based singer-songwriter, author, and philanthropist Savannah Maddison takes on Country through the lens of the modern adolescent. The 19 year old country artists explores themes of love and relationships centered in contemporary youth experiences.

Savannah's prowess includes her writing endeavors, one of which is her book entitled “Sincerely: YOU, Letter Writing to Change the World,” which tells the story of her organization’s roots and encourages youth to start their own movements and service projects. Additionally, Savannah founded “Savannah’s Soldiers", an organization that sent over 350,000 letters of encouragement to soldiers deployed globally from students across the country. Please read our exclusive interview to learn more about Savannah.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 24Jejune ContributorJuly 7, 2020music, musician, #singer, singer, empowering girls, female power, #positivity, kids, USAComment

Video Games, Not Just A Man's World, Meet Bad A** Avori Henderson!

It is often thought that women are a minority within the video game industry — both as consumers and game developers. In 2019, 71 percent of responding game developers were men, while 24 percent were women. However, with self declared gamers, the stats differ drastically at almost equal percentages - 54% Male to 46% Female.

Gamer, model, designer, and streamer, Avori Henderson is one of the many women gaining traction in professional gaming. Avori is best known as s PUBG streamer and professional gamer. She gained notoriety as she began her streaming career on Twitch. Eventually, this led her to run the first ever all Female PUBG Tournament that was professionally broadcasted — a natural cascading of events due to her passion for female inclusion of gaming. Now, Avori streams on Facebook Gaming Live, to her 282,000+ followers. Please read our exclusive interview here to learn more about Alvori Henderson.