Category: Bad Ass Babes

Emily Kate on Facing Addiction and Opening an Alcohol-Free Bar One Step At a Time

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By Nicole Mitchell
Photos by Whitney Young

When Emily Kate started bartending at 21, it didn’t take long for her to start dreaming of opening her own bar one day. Years later, she’s journeyed to sobriety, but that didn’t squash her dreams to open a bar—instead, those dreams morphed into a concept that matched an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Thousands of people participate in annual Dry Januarys, lent, sober springs, and the occasional “cleanse” from alcohol, but for many, sobriety is more than a month without bar trips and post-work happy hours. It’s no secret that the service industry and alcoholism are closely intertwined.

According to Alcohol Rehab Guide, an informational online guide that provides properly researched resources for anyone battling addiction, the service industry has some of the highest rates of alcohol abuse and addiction of any profession. This includes workers in the hospitality and tourism industry, automotive services, retail workers, and those who work in food services—including servers, hosts, cooks, bartenders, etc.

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Instagram Influencer and Model Katya Karlova on Body Dysmorphia and Learning to Love Yourself

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By Sophia-Joelle Oswald

According to Mayo Clinic, body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition that causes the person affected to carry endless thoughts about what they believe to be flaws in their appearance. These “flaws” tend to be small or non-existent to others, but in their own minds they are constantly feeling defeated, embarrassed, anxious, or even unlovable for those same things.  

Body dysmorphia is different from person to person, but it tends to suck up so much life out of those affected. Some people avoid social events and spend hours in front of the mirror focusing on what they don’t like about themselves. Others may spend tons of money on products designed to cover these perceived flaws, sometimes even seeking surgery. 

Body dysmorphia doesn’t discriminate based on gender, race, age, or other factors. Sadly enough, it has been found in children as young as 5 and in adults as old as 80. Studies find that BDD impacts between 7% and 2.3% of the general population. 

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Hosts of The JerseyGirls Podcast On Sexism in Sports, Women’s Rights

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By Erin Gabriel

Austen Hilt and Paige Feikert have a long history of bonding over sports. The two friends grew up playing softball together, and now the pair is hosting a podcast elevating women’s sports and advocating for an even playing field for all genders.

The podcast, JerseyGirls, @jerseygirlsict on Instagram, was inspired after Hilt and Feikert started conversing about the lack of coverage for the women’s NCAA basketball tournament coupled with the observation that Wichita State University’s Women’s Softball team was having an amazing season, yet producing very small crowds at games. 

With loads of experience in sports, Hilt—a former collegiate softball player who also played volleyball, basketball, and golf and has coached a variety of girl’s softball teams—and Feikert—also a former collegiate soccer player who also played softball and is a former sports journalist—use their air time to discuss topics such as coverage of women’s sports, how sports can power successful careers, life lessons from a NCAA Division 1 Athlete attending an HBCU, and more.

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Brenda Howard—The bisexual activist you need to know

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By Nicole Mitchell

“The next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride marches exist or why Gay Pride Month is June tell them, ‘A bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.’” — Brenda Howard

While it’s true that the first pride was a riot, many credit bisexual and LGBTQIA+ Activist Brenda Howard for continuing the fight and making June officially known as Pride Month—therefore awarding her the name of “Mother of Pride.”

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Author Alice Faye Duncan Reflects on Activist Opal Lee, Meaning of Juneteenth

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By Sophie Oswald

In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South, but the decree wasn’t fully enacted until two years later on June 19, 1865, when news reached enslaved people in Texas that they were free. 

Since, June 19, or Juneteenth, has marked celebrations of the end of slavery, but it wasn’t until last year that Juneteenth became a federal holiday through a bill signed by President Joe Biden. One of the people in the room that day was Opal Lee, the focus of Alice Faye Duncan’s newest children’s book, Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free. 

Opal Lee, also known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” played a key role in making Juneteenth a federally-recognized holiday.

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