Women command the spotlight
The past few weeks have been buzzing with viral stories and it just happens that powerful women have been at the center of most, from the sports and entertainment industries to fashion and society, resulting in an predominantly female-tastic social media roundup.
ELISSA’S FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER BRINGS ONLINE COMMUNITY TO TEARS
Lebanese pop star Elissa broke the stigma around breast cancer and sent a powerful message of empowerment to the online community with her latest video clip, in which she revealed her personal struggle with breast cancer and journey towards healing for the first time ever, bringing fans and fellow artists to tears and taking the internet by storm for days after its release. It all started on August 7 when Elissa posted the Youtube link to her new song titled ‘To All Those Who Love Me’ alongside the words ‘You are the reason I am strong and healthy ... you are my strength. And this story is a thank you’. Fans spotted the true meaning of the release within seconds, realizing the video is actually about Elissa’s real-life experience as a breast cancer survivor. Directed by Angy Jammal, the video clip start with a scene of a woman inside an MRI machine who is informed that she has an early stage of breast cancer and then goes on to show the singer in multiple settings including home, the hospital and the stage, featuring a real recording of Elissa talking to Jammal followed by a voiceover where she narrates her battle against the disease. Initially diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2017, the singer had kept it secret all the way through, even after collapsing during a concert in Dubai [footage of the incident is featured in the video]. “I do my radiotherapy session, I go to the studio, I finish another session, I rest for two hours and go to the studio again,” she describes her journey in the voiceover. The song reaches its peak in the chorus, which urges people to sing and be happy no matter how hard life gets. The video heavily impacted the online community, with fans, friends, politicians, journalists and fellow artists flooding Twitter and other social networks with their full support and admiration of the singer and how she utilized her art to deliver an important message about early detection and sharing their pictures with her. International media outlets were also quick to report on the release through touching headlines and videos, most of which were gradually retweeted by Elissa, being one of the most active and followed Arab celebrities on the platform.
FRENCH TENNIS FEDERATION UNDER FIRE OVER SERENA WILLIAMS' CATSUIT BAN
In anticipation of next year’s French Open, the French Tennis Federation issued a stricter dress code, banning catsuits from the court. “I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far,” president Bernard Giudicelli explained, singling out Serena Williams’ Nike attire in the process. “It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.” And while the reason behind the ban remains vague, the tennis champion had worn it with good reason to the tournament shortly after giving birth to her daughter the birth, in order to prevent blood from clotting in her lungs. The Internet was eventually not happy with the news, as tweets supporting Williams and tearing apart the official decision began to flood the platform. And it did not take Nike longer than 24 hours to craft the perfect response. “You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers. #Justdoit” the sports giant tweeted alongside a branded image of Williams. The tweet visibly delighted users, earning over 110k retweets and 251k likes in less than a couple days.