Causes

@catieli is a real life girl boss! As a multi-talented model, content creator and businesswoman, Catie is changing the industry through her body positive messages and embracing her mixed-race identity. As both a business-savvy entrepreneur and successful Chinese-American plus-size model, she began her career as a model after finishing college at UCSB with intentions of it being nothing more than a side hustle. Shortly after graduating, Catie moved to LA to pursue PR in music and TV programming, but ultimately decided to pursue her true life passion for modeling full-time. Through her modeling career, Catie hopes to inspire body positivity and encourages women to feel confident in their own skin no matter their size or ethnicity. Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, Catie was featured in Women’s Health’s annual Naked Issue, out May 2022, alongside 6 other women who are creating a space for all women to feel confident in their body types. Her Instagram and Tiktok content has us HOOKED and we love her candid commentary on plus size fashion, influencers, as well as her FIRE outfit hauls. Catie spoke with us about her Women’s Health shoot, what frustrates her most about plus size fashion today, and how she became her own fashion role model after never seeing others like her growing up: "We have a major issue in representation. I don’t think the fashion industry has really made it their mission to include representation as much as they can. Often you only see 1-2 of the same plus girls on the runway and a small selection of diversity. They think by sprinkling in a few, it checks a box and they won’t get called out for it, but we as a community should demand more diversity and representation." Read our full interview with Catie via the link in our bio! 💗 . . . Images taken by Alice Le 📸 #CatieLi #fashion #Model #plussize #Chinese #American #AAPIheritagemonth #AsianAmerican #influencer #representation #diversity #haul #explorepage

Grammy Nominated artist @cherimoon has been at the forefront of the music scene for most of her life and is not slowing down anytime soon. She celebrated her first-ever Grammy nomination under her children’s performer alias @mysnooknuk for her work with the band All One Tribe and their nominated global kids anthem “We’re All The Same”. On March 8th, 2021 in honor of International Women’s Day, Cheri released a female pop anthem entitled “Ain’t I A Woman” which was inspired by the Sojourner Truth speech of the same name, which Cheri was introduced to in high school. Born and raised in the music capital of Memphis, TN, Cheri began singing Gospel with her family choir at just 8-years old. Her musical ambitions eventually drove her New York for 10 years, where her songwriting skills earned her a publishing contract with Producers Timbaland and Jimmy Douglass. Since then, songs from her catalog have been licensed for numerous national commercials and TV shows – including popular soap operas like ‘All My Children’, ‘The Young and the Restless’, and many HBO shows. Cheri is also an actress and has a number of projects in the pipeline, including a scripted audio series, ‘Sonic Leap’, featuring Anthony Anderson, Julie Pacino’s docu-drama, ‘Brainstorms’, which address the challenges families of Veterans endure when faced with traumatic brain injuries, and she is one of the actors in the first-ever film and art series completely financed by NFT’s called “I Live Here Now. We had the chance to ask Cheri about her global kids anthem and what message she hopes to spread with it: "The song breaks down the differences that people may have coming from a mix of cultures or backgrounds. It’s a celebration of those differences. There’s still a lot of discrimination in the world, so if children can be taught at a young age that our differences are what makes us unique and gives us individuality, but we are all of the human race, this would help future generations." Read our full interview via the link in our bio! 🎵🌎 . . . #cherimoon #aintiawoman #grammys #snooknuk #weareallthesame #actress #musician #songwriter #singer #diversity #culture #NFT

During may we celebrate Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and if you are looking for some great children's book recommendations to share with the young ones in your life to introduce them to a diverse array of AAPI themes, then @peachtreepublishing and @holidayhousebks have you covered! Perfect for ages 4 through to 12, check out 8 books we're featuring on the blog today that we've already added to our collection, and you should too. 1️⃣‘Lali’s Feather‘ by Farhana Zia, Illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. A vivacious and endearing story of identification, values, and the rewards in looking closely and thinking imaginatively. 2️⃣‘Boy Who Met a Whale‘ by Nizrana Farook. Set against a vibrant, authentic landscape inspired by Sri Lanka, a fisherboy is swept up in a thrilling seafaring adventure, complete with a kidnapping, missing treasure, and a huge blue whale! 3️⃣‘Chinese Kite Festival‘ by Rich Lo. Animal names and their significance in Chinese culture is beautifully explored for young readers in this book. 4️⃣‘All You Need‘ by Howard Schwartz, illustrated by Jasu Hu Follow a Chinese girl from her first steps, all the way to the moment she realizes a lifelong dream in an exciting new land. 5️⃣ 'Let’s Go to Taekwondo!' by Aram Kim. Yoomi discovers how, with persistence, focus, and deep breathing even the toughest challenges can be overcome. 6️⃣ ‘My Dadima Wears a Sari‘ by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi. An Indian grandmother and her American granddaughter explore culture, imagination, and individuality through a sari. 7️⃣‘Sona and the Wedding Game‘ by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi Experience the magic of an Indian wedding in this story of a girl playing a fun, traditional game on her sister’s big day. 8️⃣'Luli and the Language of Tea‘ by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Hyewon Yum. This book tells a touching story about children from many countries finding a common bond - tea! Head to the link in our bio to learn more about each book! 📚 . . . #AAPIheritagemonth #culture #heritage #childrensbooks #story #diversity #asianamerican #southasian #chinese #inspire #kids #instagood #author #explorepage #reading

As the world tentatively begins to open up again, one of the most exciting things many of us have been looking forward to is in-person events. If you are lucky enough to live in NYC, you are in for a treat because the team behind @batsunyc, a unique entertainment experience hailing from Japan originally, is bringing people back together using food, humor and physical comedy. The batsu game is a Japanese style of comedy that features a series of challenges, where losers face hilarious punishments. The BATSU! NYC experience is a cultural fusion that merges this Japanese game with American comedy when four warriors face off in comedic challenges to avoid painful, humiliating, and ridiculous punishments. BATSU! NYC is a majority AAPI-owned business, and a proud collaboration between @faceoffunlimited and Kogame. The New York City-based comedy group and Japanese restaurant are using their platforms to promote positive international fellowship through the fusion of food, comedy, and culture. Since May is Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we had the chance to speak with Noriko Sato, founding member and co-host of BATSU! NYC about her role within the game, her journey from NCAA basketball to NYC comedy, and how this unique entertainment experience amplifies Japanese culture and fosters community through comedy: "It really does bring people together. We want people to forget all the negative stuff at least while they’re there, so they’re just in the moment with us instead of worrying about, you know, paying the rent or getting groceries. We just want to focus on the comedy and the laughter. While audiences get to experience BATSU! with their eyes, ears, mouths, and beyond – we are also focused on increasing accessibility for folks living with disabilities. We believe that laughter is a universal language. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, laughing is universal." To learn more about BATSU! NYC, head to the link in our bio! 🐔👘 . . . #AAPIheritagemonth #batsu #batsunyc #norikosato #comedy #japanese #american #fusion #laughter #community #cometogether #food #entertainment #game #culture

Today on the blog we have a special guest post from Hayley Mundeva, writing about how Rwandan journalist Yvonne Nkaka Uwicyeza is redefining what is possible for people with disabilities in her country. Yvonne was born with a visual impairment, and works as a journalist for @GirlEffect Rwanda. In Rwanda, according to the World Health Organization, approx. 400,000 people are living with visual impairments, and 1 out of every 100 children are born with visual impairments. To ensure equal and fair opportunities, the government has worked to promote the rights of people living with disabilities, including visual impairments. Because of the special measures and programs put in place by the government, Yvonne's parents were able to take her to specialist doctors that helped her go from a complete visual impairment at birth to now having limited visibility. She was also able to attend a school designed for visually impaired students. With all of this support growing up, Yvonne was able to realize her dream of becoming a journalist, and today is the the first employee living with a physical disability–at Girl Effect Rwanda. She has experienced her share of setbacks and skeptics, but Yvonne is prepared to tackle those head on. She’s been asked questions before like, “How are you a journalist?” or “How are you going to ask me questions if you’re visually impaired?” She’s quick to respond, “Oh…eyes can’t talk and ask. So I’m going to use my mouth.” 🗣 Yvonne has some advice for others living with disabilities and/or visual impairments, who look up to her inspiring career achievements: "Ask yourself, ‘Why not you?’ You can do that. You can even do better than me.” Read the full piece via the link in our bio! 🎧📝 . . . @ninyampinga #girleffect #disability #visuallyimpaired #rwanda #journalist #inspiration #youth

You may be familiar with @Sukhmanimusic’s work if you are a GTHQ avid reader, as we recently featured a track she collaborated on with ‘Ash + Bone’, confronting gender inequality in the music industry. Now, she has tapped into the whimsical world of self-reflection on her debut EP ‘Here’, released on April 1. As one of first female tabla players to emerge from the U.K, she has toured and recorded as a percussionist for years, playing on stage at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Sukhmani was born into a Punjabi immigrant family in the United Kingdom, and grew up in Leeds where she was surrounded by the sounds of her Punjabi Sikh family, the Afro Caribbean community, and the city’s thriving music scene. She now brings her rare understanding of rhythm and percussion to her own music, delivering sultry vocals over deep, driving beats. Her latest project gave her the opportunity to “say the things we might be afraid of voicing out loud in the hopes it might speak to someone and encourage them to do the same.” We had the chance to talk with Sukhmani about her debut, and the meaning behind some of the tracks such as "Not Your Exotic": "I have been called “exotic” in my life more times than I can count, and although I understand that the intention can be complementary, I wanted to point out that by calling someone exotic you are measuring them against a standard that is white. I wanted to offer an alternative to otherizing, and instead call for us to appreciate and celebrate ourselves as well as each other, honoring diversity whilst acknowledging our inherent oneness." Listen to the EP "Here" and read our full Q&A via the link in our bio!🕶💓⛓ . . . #Sukhmani #punjabi #sikh #southasian #indian #tabla #musician #percussion #here #notyourexotic #immigrant #community #british

Aussie Plus size clothing brand @TakingShapestyle recently launched an exciting new collection with award-winning Indigenous designer, Elverina Johnson, whose mission it is to preserve the Indigenous Spirit through the arts. A highly respected Gungganji Gurugulu woman from Yarrabah in Far North Queensland, Elverina is one of the Nation’s most recognizable and accomplished artists who was awarded the 2017 Nation NAIDOC Artist of the Year. Her belief is that arts can empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and restore a genuine sense of pride in their culture and communities. Like Taking Shape, Elverina takes her role of empowering women seriously. Her family name – Bunya Badjil – means ‘good woman’. Elverina is passionate about making her unique prints available for all women to enjoy. Elverina spoke with us about the Taking Shape partnership and what it means to her personally: "Representation is extremely important for me as First Nations woman in Australia. The diversity that Taking Shape is already projecting in terms of catering to plus size women of all shapes and sizes and ethnicity has now become more inclusive of First Nations women who will identify and feel extra valued," she told us. "I love this partnership with Taking Shape because of their openness to learn and understanding what the stories are about. Their willingness to be agents of changes and inclusiveness in a society where First Nations people have to work extra harder to even get a little recognition, is great." Read the full piece and peep the brilliant Elverina X Taking Shape collection via the link in our bio.👚🌊🇦🇺 . . . @yarrabah #takingshape #clothing #style #fashion #indigenous #designer #australia #firstnations #collection #queensland #yarrabah #artist #reconciliation #plussize #diversity #inclusion #change #empowerment #women

#TBT to that time you did that BADASS thing ⚡️🙅🏽‍♀️ Check out this quote from our founder @ashadahya, shared recently on @the.storyofwoman podcast. Posted @withregram • @theknow.media We had to share these words of wisdom from @girltalkhq founder @ashadahya on the @the.storyofwoman podcast! We recommend tuning into the episode 'Woman and Those Changing the World: Asha Dahya, Today's Wonder Women' for all things empowerment on this Wednesday 💛 #badass #beyourownhero #shero #inspire #podcast #ashadahya #todayswonderwomen #rolemodel #hero