#INSPIRING WOMEN

[coochiequeens]

Ladies, it's never too late to start a sport

Sarah Roberts wearing some of her many medals for running. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

Sarah Roberts is a grandmother and global record holder but only took it up after a parkrun eight years ago

Ben BloomSat 31 May 2025 03.00 EDTShare

Along a sun-dappled canal towpath in picturesque Hertfordshire countryside, a grey-brown bob rises and falls with the effortless bounce of a lithe, spectacled figure gliding her way past dog-walkers and afternoon ramblers.

There is a watch – one of those smart-technology devices capable of producing all sorts of unnecessary metrics – on Sarah Roberts’s wrist, but she has forgotten to switch it on. Roberts, a grandmother of five, tends not to take note of such things.

When she does go for a run – an occurrence of surprising infrequency – she prefers to be guided by feel; distances and times forgotten upon return to her front door. The fastest 75-year-old woman in history – a multiple world champion and world-record holder – possesses no training logbook, no coach and, most intriguingly, almost zero running pedigree for most of her life.

Asked by the hastily stretching Guardian journalist – foolishly attempting to keep pace for a few miles – how she is capable of launching straight into a run without any semblance of a warm-up, she reveals she only stretches before races “so that I don’t look unprofessional”. Her Great Britain Masters singlet reveals taut muscles and supple limbs that would never have been employed for their current purpose were it not for a holiday to South Africa eight years ago.

See rest of article

[my-plastic-life]

Inspiring Women: Rumiko Takahashi

New custom doll is here! I'm sure we all know about the Mattel Barbie Inspiring Women doll line, right? Well, I took it upon myself to create one of my own because I'm sure Mattel will never make one lol. Click here for behind the scenes on how I made this doll!

I opted to create an Inspiring Woman Barbie based off Rumiko Takahashi, the Japanese manga artist who created my all-time favorite manga and anime, Inuyasha. But that isn't the sole reason she's deserving of this title. Yes, that creation got me into all things Japan and introduced me to the entire anime genre, but this mangaka has excelled in her career for 45 years - a profession that has been primarily male-dominated since its inception.

I also created a box for her designed after the official Mattel Inspiring Women boxes. The outfit she's wearing is inspired by the one she wore during the 2023 knighthood honor she received. Accessories include her most recent book, Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978-2024, as well as her 35th anniversary book that comes with removable genuine sketches, plus the first volume of the Inuyasha manga (original Japanese version). The doll I used was the Asian sister of Ariel from the live action Little Mermaid, but I cut her hair and styled it differently, painted some age lines on her face, removed her pink eyeshadow, and gave her some glasses. I also gave her a curvy body with the same articulation that dolls in this series have - movement at the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, and knee. Because I'm that much of a perfectionist. :D

Doll in the Inspiring Women box. The scene behind her is an actual photo of Rumiko Takahashi's studio.

Back of the box, all made by me based on actual Inspiring Women boxes.

Fun facts: Takahashi has never been married, and she has stated in interviews that she doesn't plan to. In addition, she works with women exclusively as she writes and creates. She has specifically said that she wouldn't hire a male assistant because he would be "troublesome." She prefers the atmosphere of a studio of women working together without distraction. Her work stands out among other shonen pieces because of its creativity, complex characters, and nuanced romances. Her woman and girl characters are never accessories to the guy hero, which was often the case in early shonen stories, especially. Takahashi often likes to implement strong, independent, multi-facetted female characters in leading roles into her stories. Talk about girl power!

Now for more information as to why she's so deserving of having her own doll in my collection. :D Strap in, because this post is a doozy!

BIO: Rumiko Takahashi (born Oct. 10, 1957) is the best-selling female comic artist of all time, selling more than 170 million copies of her work in Japan alone, and one of the names by which to reckon the evolution of anime. She is one of the wealthiest women in Japan, all of her longer running manga have become TV series, and nearly everything she has written has been adapted into animation (OVA or TV). Perhaps more importantly, her influence and the nature of her series since 1980 have been cited as large contributors to the perception and acceptance of anime as a medium today.

Rumiko with her new Colors book. Outfit inspired by the one she wore when receiving her knighthood.

All of Takahashi’s work has become popular throughout the world, and with more than 20 years of publishing her manga art, she earned the title of The Princess of Manga.

Takahashi's professional career began in 1978 when she was a university student. That year, she worked on her first full-length series entitled Urusei Yatsura. It became one of the most loved manga and anime comedies in Japan. In 1980, when she began to publish regularly, she began her second major series, Maison Ikkoku. This series is now considered to be one of the all-time best manga romances.

As her stories appeared and attracted many fans, Takahashi grew in popularity as an artist while improving her writing and artistic abilities. In 1987, a huge year for her career success, three of her most well-known stories ended and she began work on Ranma ½. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ and its anime adaptation are cited as some of the first of their mediums to have become popular in the United States. While publishing Ranma ½, Takahashi was hospitalized several times for peritonitis. But even during her second hospital stay, the series did not stop.

35th anniversary book has removable sketches - real photos actually drawn by the artist. The background is an actual photo of her basement (note all her figures!)

During the latter half of the 1990s, Takahashi began her fourth major work, Inuyasha. With this series, Takahashi is also often said to be the first woman to successfully set foot in the Shōnen genre and leave a lasting impact on it. To date, Inuyasha is her longest-running series, ending in 2008. In 2020, it received a sequel series titled Yashahime: Princess Half Demon.

In the basement library (actually in her home) with the first volume of the Inuyasha manga.

On July 30, 2008, Takahashi noted her 30th anniversary as a mangaka, and on July 8, 2009, during Shonen Sunday's 50th anniversary celebration, characters from three of her most popular series (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, and Inuyasha) joined together in a short crossover to welcome everyone to the celebratory milestone. That same year, VIZ Media, one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced the launch of a brand new imprint, Shonen Sunday, featuring the works of some of the top shonen manga creators in the world today. Takahashi's series RIN-NE was the first to be featured in the new imprint, and was the first manga novel ever to be published simultaneously in Japan and North America.

In her studio showing off genuine sketches. Featured here: Featured here: Lum from Urusei Yatsura, the Tendo house from Ranma 1/2, and Inuyasha character heights. This outfit is inspired by the one she wore at the Rumic World 30th anniversary ribbon-cutting.

Early in her career, Takahashi expressed that though she doesn't write love stories often, she loves a good love story. While none of her works are straightforward romances, many of her works early and later on have compelling romance subplots that are integral to the characters and world. Her works like Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 are known for their romances. Takahashi's romances are varied, and they are trendsetting. They set the standard for popular romance tropes like slow-burn romances and love triangles. The love triangle between Kagome, Kikyo, and Inuyasha is one of the most iconic in all anime.

In her studio showing off genuine sketches. Featured here: Ranma from Ranma 1/2, Lum from Urusei Yatsura, and Mao and Kiba from Mao.

In her studio showing off genuine sketches. Featured here: Yashahime, Inuyasha 20th anniversary, and Inuyasha, Kagome, and Moroha.

Outfit inspired by the one worn during the Rumic World 30th anniversary ribbon cutting.

HONORS: * Takahashi won the New Comic Artist Award in 1978. * Winner of the 1994 Inkpot Award at The San Diego Comic Con in America. *In 2016, ComicsAlliance listed Takahashi as one of 12 women cartoonists deserving of lifetime achievement recognition, stating that "any one of her projects would be the career highlight of another talent." In 2017, Takahashi was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame as part of the 2016 class. *In July 2018, Takahashi was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame. She was previously nominated for entry in 2014, 2016 and 2017. *In January 2019, Takahashi won the grand prize at the prestigious Angouleme International Comics Festival in France, becoming the second woman and second Japanese manga artist to win the award at the festival. * In 2020, Takahashi was awarded Japan's Medal with Purple Ribbon. First awarded in 1955, this honor is awarded to individuals who have contributed to academic and artistic developments, improvements, and accomplishments. * Takahashi was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame in October 2021. The Harvey Awards are one of the comic industry's oldest and most prestigious awards. Recognizing outstanding achievement in multiple categories, the Harvey's have been a fixture of the comic industry since 1988. * In April 2023, Takahashi was conferred the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government. She is the first female mangaka to receive this honor.

Books: 35th anniversary (with removable genuine sketches inside), Colors: 1978-2024, and volume 1 of the Inuyasha manga.

Genuine sketches, all fit inside the 35th anniversary book.

Source photos (first is from being bestowed a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, second is from the Rumic World 30th anniversary ribbon cutting in 2008):

[bebx]

Eva Green is a goddess

[bi-dykes]

A true inspiration!

[barbielore]

To celebrate the winter season more generally than just the holidays, I wanted to do a winter sports post but that quickly became far too big a job so I had to narrow it down to just one.

I've spoken before about the Ice Capades sets, so that's as good a place as any to start with talking about Barbie's adventures in ice skating.

The Ice Capades Skating Rink is a real standout to me: you may think it is because you can clip Barbie and Ken in to the rink and turn a handle so they can skate. Actually, it is because I find it really funny that the concession stand is the same size or possibly bigger than the rink. I don't know who decided that or why they designed it that way, but they definitely captured part of the experience of going to a live performance.

But outside of the Ice Capades, Barbie has dabbled many times in ice skating.

As part of the You Can Be Anything line, she has both been an ice skater and an ice skating coach. (I really like the Chelsea-sized doll in the coach pack that she is teaching. That's really charming.)

It's really hard to find a good picture of the Toys R Us exclusive Ice Skater Giftset, which is a real shame because, quite apart from the fact that it also contains Ken, which is always fun, it has some really interesting posing in-box.

Clearly someone put some real thought into that.

Olympic Skating Star Barbie showed that there was very little limit to her dreams.

And I can't talk about Olympic level skaters without acknowledging the Kristi Yamaguchi Inspiring Women doll.

But honestly, it goes way beyond just dolls. There's surprisingly also a lot of Barbie books and sticker sets themed around ice skating, too.

These are only some of them. This is not remotely comprehensive.

Not to mention the Barbie Sparkling Ice Show video game?

[poppy-does-science]

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is named after the Mother of Hubble

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope (previously WFIRST) is a NASA mission set to launch in 2027. I think you guys need to know about more about it though, because although its technology is amazing, the most amazing thing about it is its name.

Dr Nancy Grace Roman was an executive at NASA, working as the Chief of Astronomy, Chief of Astronomy and Relativity, and Chief of Solar Physics (what cool job titles!!) from 1959 until her retirement in 1979. Among her many achievements (including being the first female NASA executive!), her most notable was Hubble.

Decades before people were ready to consider an investment such as Hubble, Dr Roman was pioneering for it, lobbying NASA officials to get it approved, putting together planning committees and fighting to secure funding.

Her dedication to Hubble earned her the nickname "Mother of Hubble". But I don't think this really emphasises her achievements enough. Hubble was the inspiration for so many space telescope missions, the mission that showed it was possible for the rest, the seed that sprouted so many more space telescopes, and so many more discoveries in our lifetimes.

By her own words “I think it would have existed sooner or later without me." But without her, how long would we have had to wait before this age of space telescopes? By being the Mother of Hubble, she has become the Mother of modern space-based astronomy.

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope could not have a better name.

She often said, "for the price of one night at the movies each year, each American would receive 15 years of exciting discoveries." But she was wrong, because not just Americans, but people across the globe have now received over 30 years of discoveries!

Dr Nancy Grace Roman passed away on December 25th, 2018, three years to the date of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. I think she would be thrilled to see how far space-based astronomy has come.

Read more about her:

[rainbowrosebud]

Brie Larson

[aloneinnewjersey]

the triangle shirtwaist factory was 9/11 for women

[irenegolicina]

«За горем прuходum радосmь, за разлукой — свuданье. Все будеm прекрасно, поmому чmо сказкu, в коmорые мы верuм, еще жuвуm на земле…»

© Венuамuн Каверuн

[whispersofthepurplevalley]

Women who have goals, aspire to contribute something meaningful to mankind, want to make good use of life, are confident, are open to learning at all times, are determined to be the difference their kind has fought for, and who are spiritually rich are for me. They are my kind. They are my only type.

And men who support these women, respect the difference and value their contribution, are open to accepting empowered women, empower women, and who make this place safe for them to exist are the kind who can own a place in my heart. The only kind.

Sabina Yesmin

[barbiesince59]

Inspiring Women: Kristi Yamaguchi - 2024

[my-plastic-life]

Behind the Scenes: Rumiko Takahashi

This idea bounced around in my head for a while, and I finally decided to take the plunge!

Not only is Rumiko Takahashi the creator of my favorite manga/anime, Inuyasha, which introduced me to the entire genre and sparked my interest in all things Japan, she's the best selling female comic artist in history. And since I'd made custom dolls of so many of her characters, I thought she was worthy of a doll of her own. Plus, when I heard of her honor of being named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France - the only female mangaka to receive the honor - it just sparked inspiration.

First up was finding a doll to use as a candidate. I'd considered using the Happy Family Grandma doll because she already has the aged look, and her hair was a pretty similar style already (though it would need to be colored, if not rerooted), but she didn't have the Asian eyes:

I have several Asian dolls, but they all just looked like regular Barbies. Fine, but not quite what I was going for.

Then the live action Little Mermaid movie dropped, and the only good thing to come out of that was this doll - she was my candidate.

I'd been saving those glasses (they came with a fashion pack, I think a Jurassic World one), and upon putting them on the doll's face, I thought they were perfect. Plus this doll looked more like an actual person than a regular Barbie doll. And she already had the black hair! Yes!

Next up was choosing a body. I knew a curvy body would be fitting for Rumiko, and the Inspiring Women dolls have either Made to Move bodies (but that's mostly for the athletes) or bodies with articulation at the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, and knee. I opted for the latter. I had some Barbie Extra dolls saved, so I started comparing skin tones. These two were the closest:

I picked one, and once the head was on the body, it looked way off in person... so then I put it on the other body and that looked much better. It looks off on camera, but thanks to Photoshop magic, no one will know that LOL. It's a much better match in person.

Next was the outfit. I knew if I couldn't get an outfit made, this entire ordeal would be for nothing. And you wouldn't believe how difficult it was finding a full body shot of Rumiko! All her interviews and profile stories and what not, they only seem to show her from the waist up. But I did manage to find this one:

That was the ribbon cutting ceremony during the 30th anniversary of Rumic World, back in 2008. Not a recent photo, but something. But I was hoping to get an outfit based on this one because it's what she wore when receiving her most recent honor (the aforementioned knighthood):

I don't know how, but somehow I managed to find that picture, which showed her legs LOL. I don't know what shoes she was wearing with that outfit, so I went with the ones in the previous one. The shoes in question came from a random curvy Fashionista - they were orange and I painted them a more neutral color to match the source photo.

Then I had another conundrum - I couldn't decide which outfit I liked better!!! Fortunately, my seamstress (Molita's World), was kind enough to make both!

The next step was the face. While I didn't use the Happy Family Grandma to create this doll, I did use her as a guide. I needed to make the doll look older, and Grandma has painted age lines on her face. So I kind of went off those - after finding a hopefully good color that looks natural and not like random makeup - to create the face. I also used acetone and a toothpick to remove the heavy pink eyeshadow to give her a more natural look.

Next up was the hair. Since the doll already had the right hair color, all I had to do was cut and style it appropriately. I think I managed to pull it off quite well, if I do say so myself:

(The plastic wrap around the face is meant to keep the hair shape)

The outfits didn't take long to complete and arrive, so I got her dressed and started on the props. All the Inspiring Women dolls come with a prop, and I knew what I wanted this doll to have - her special Colors book that was set to release in December 2023 commemorating her 45 years as a mangaka. But something happened and that particular book was postponed, then renamed Colors 1978-2024 (rather than Colors 1978-2023) and released this past March. So I had to wait for that to release, and then I had to wait to find good pictures of the front, back, and spine so I could put it together, scale it down, print it out, and make a book out of it LOL.

While I was waiting on that, I thought it would be a cool idea to have some of her sketches with her. Plus I had an extra first volume Inuyasha manga from when I made the series for ani-ME, so I threw that in there too. There was another book released for Rumic World's 35th anniversary, so I thought it would be a cool idea to make it like a folder that her real sketches could go inside. So I managed to find some decent photos of the front, back, and spine of that book, then I created a pocket for it, then I found a bunch of Rumiko's sketches from various series, sized them to fit inside the book, then printed them out. So the sketches she comes with are real ones she's drawn, and they fit right inside one of her books!

I wasn't going to make a box for her, since I don't keep my dolls in boxes, but I had a spare one and thought I could use it as a template to create one. So I gathered photos of actual Inspiring Women boxes (I could have used the latest one, Kristi Yamaguchi, because that's probably the newest design and Kristi, like Rumiko, is an Inspiring Woman who's still alive whereas the others have passed, but I like the original style better), created a template, and made my own box. Fun fact - the box was made but not printed. So the doll's pose and everything in the box is all digitally edited LOL.

I created it all from scratch - I looked up fonts, found Barbie logos, made all the name boxes, etc. I'm pretty pleased with how it looks considering it's not a real box lol. I did the same thing for the back, and I even made a design for each side of the box:

And with that, the doll was done! I think the most time-consuming part of this one was the props. I printed a TON of those little sketches because I wasn't sure how many would fit in the book, and then I had to remind myself to use more than just Inuyasha because she did create several other series LOL. But overall, I'm pleased with her and she's now displayed in my cabinet! Thanks for reading!

[dangerousdesiress]

In honor of Black History Month…

Kellita Smith ✨

With over 25 years in the game, Kellita Smith has graced our screens with her charming performances and captivating beauty.

Most remember her from The Bernie Mac Show and Z Nation. However, Kellita Smith’s career spans all the way back to the early 90’s.

From her first appearance on the hit TV show, In Living Color to her reoccurring roles on Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show and many more. She has shown her versatility in acting whether it’s comedy or drama.

Raised in the inner city of East Oakland, California; Kellita Smith grew up as a Black Panther’s cub attending Oakland Community Learning Center.

Here is where she would learn the importance of character development, what it meant to be an impact in her community and moving her culture forward. These are values that she would take with her into adulthood and also use to help cultivate her craft as an artist.

More than just an actor, Kellita Smith is also a philanthropist and speaks to many disadvantaged women outside of the spotlight.

Kellita Smith being one of my favorite actresses and top women I admire, I wanted to make this post in dedication to the influential figures we celebrate in Black History and their impact.

As just one of her many supporters, I celebrate Kellita Smith and her contribution to Black Television, the acting world and her community. ✨

“…I really think what it is to be uniquely different or to be uniquely impactful is to be black… It’s unique!” - Kellita Smith

Writer: Cemecia M.

(Ref: IMDb) (Ref: YouTube: Nate Jackson Radio Show - Kellita Smith Interview - February 2020) (Ref: Touré Show - Kellita Smith Interview - November 2020)

[barbielore]

Every time I do one of these I straight-up forget what tag I decided on for these posts...

Now we're into December I thought I would do another new release round-up post! These posts are just to talk about any of the recent Barbie Signature collector doll releases I feel I have an opinion on - even if that opinion is just "I think this looks cool".

Also sometimes I discuss the releases in a weird order, because I will sometimes just get tunnel visioned on a certain doll and then not include another that is deserving of discussion.

Anyway.

There are two recent celebrity likeness dolls released: one in the Inspiring Women series and the other in the Tribute Collection. The difference between these two series is relatively subtle: in Mattel's words, the Tribute Collection honours "visionaries whose incredible contributions have helped shape and impact culture", while the Inspiring Women line celebrates "trailblazing women throughout history".

The Inspiring Women newest release is Maria Tallchief, both America's first prima ballerina and, as an Osage woman, the first Native American prima ballerina. Her outfit, as pictured above, was based on her debut in The Firebird.

The Tribute Collection doll celebrates Rita Moreno, EGOT winner and, of course, Anita from the 1961 West Side Story film and Valentina from the 2021 West Side Story.

The only designer credited on Mattel's website is Javi Meabe, but according to some sources, like this PopInsider article, Moreno herself had a key role in the design. Moreno shared the doll on Instagram with a very appreciative caption.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rita Moreno (@theritamoreno)

Besides these two celebrity dolls, the other big news from the Barbie Signature line is the release of the collectible MyScene dolls.

Specifically Chelsea, Barbie and Madison.

For some reason, I've never done a post about MyScene. I think because the line totally missed me when it first came out and I never had any kind of investment in it.