Latest news with #YoungWomen
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
People Are Rightfully Roasting This MAGA Influencer After He Told A Young Girl She Should Only Go To College To Get A 'MRS.' Degree
I tend to tune out whatever nonsense comes out of conservative MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk's mouth, but then I remember we live in a country where thousands of people follow him for their political opinions, and I am suddenly curious why someone would do such a thing. My curiosity piqued into action this past week after seeing that hundreds of women, whose values are centered on "faith, family, country," came together for the 2025 Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS), reportedly the "largest conservative gathering for women in the country." The summit was held by Kirk's conservative nonprofit organization, Turning Point USA, which focuses on spreading conservative values to young adults, particularly on college campuses and in the media. And to my horror, but (unfortunately) not to my surprise, a clip circulating on social media shows Charlie Kirk delivering a profoundly regressive response to a 14-year-old girl interested in political journalism asking for his advice on college. First, Kirk asked the audience of teen girls if their top priority is to "get married and have kids." After some hands went up, he said, "Interestingly, I think there is an argument to bring back the M-R-S degree." For those unfamiliar, a "Mrs. degree" is a sexist term that gained popularity in the mid-20th century to mock women who supposedly went to college just to find a husband. But here's the thing: in a time when women couldn't open bank accounts, buy homes, or build credit without a man, marriage was often the only path to security and social acceptance. Women were shamed for seeking the very stability that society limited them to. Higher education was, in itself, a radical act — a way for women to claim independence, knowledge, and autonomy. So, in a way, cheekily calling it a "Mrs. degree" was just a coded effort to try and remind women what they were "really" there for. Not to get their own education and career, and essentially a pathway to some patriarchal freedom, but to find a man who gets to do that instead, so they support his ambitions while being confined to domesticity, reproducing the very system designed to keep them dependent. And yet, here is Kirk, reviving the same tired logic in 2025. After the audience lightly laughed at the term, he doubled down, "NO, seriously. Just be clear that's why you're going to college, right?" He then mocked women who thought they were going to school school. "Don't lie to yourself, like, 'Agh, I'm going, I'm studying sociology,'" Kirk said. "No, you're not, we know why you're here. And that's OK, actually! That's a really good reason to go to college, actually." Related: Gavin Newsom Just Absolutely Dragged Trump's Military Parade, And Trump's Really, Really Not Gonna Like It Then came dating advice. He suggested young women should consider looking for husbands at Southeastern Conference (SECC) schools, in particular. "Like, you will find a husband, if you have the intent to find a husband at Ole Miss. Like, it's just going to happen, OK. Or wherever. Or at the University of Alabama," he said. Keep in mind: this is the same guy who wrote The College Scam, a book arguing that universities are "bankrupting and brainwashing America's youth" with "far-left professors." Yet, here he is, suddenly pro-college, if it means becoming a modern young tradwife. "I say college is a scam, but if you're going to find your life partner, that's actually a really good reason to go to college," he said. He then romanticized college being a great time to partner up because, ya know, "they're at the prime of their attractiveness." He said, "You don't get much better than that. It doesn't get better after college there." Related: "Honestly Speechless At How Evil This Is": 26 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Week Then he delivered this intelligent line: "And, so yeah, you could go learn some stuff, that's fine, I guess, or whatever, just don't listen to your professors." He insisted, again, that the "Mrs. degree" was the real reason women went to college in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and that this is why marriage rates have "plummeted" since. Yeah, sure, Jan, or maybe marriage rates dropped because generations of women got the memo not to spend their lives with men who think Anyway, I'm clearly not the only one screaming into the void. Here's what people have said online: "these creepy weirdos dream of having trad wives because women can't stand them. Instead of self improvement they choose to indoctrinate young girls into thinking they aren't huge losers," one person wrote. "THIS is what grooming actually looks like," another added. "hope the majority of these girls do go to college and gain insight, knowledge, and life experience that allows them to break from this conservative brainwashing <3 i also hope they all actually graduate with a degree, unlike charlie! :)," this user said. (Charlie Kirk does not have a college degree. He attended a community college briefly but dropped out.) Another wrote, "I'm grateful that I grew up with strong men and women who encouraged me to explore the world, seek knowledge, and grow with God. The saints we studied, especially the women, were educated and adventurous. I can't imagine being 14 and told to chase an MRS degree." "This is so weird," one simply put. Some pointed out a broader issue, which is that women are outperforming men in education and the workforce, so "suddenly there's a 'crisis'": "It's obvious that they are afraid of women," one wrote. And then, there was this dad, who kinda made me want to cry to see a man so beautifully see us and future generations of women as human: Well, all I can say is exactly what he said. Our daughters, and all women, are worth far more than the only option being finding a husband to have babies with. We didn't claw our way into classrooms, workplaces, leadership roles, and positions where we make our own choices in life just to be told to sit back down, shut up, and be a good wife. If this is your grand vision for the future of American women, then the real scam here isn't college, it's you. Also in In the News: 31 More Absolutely Hilarious Signs From The "No Kings" Protests Also in In the News: Trump Had A Middle-Of-The-Night Meltdown About... Well... So Many Things Also in In the News: A Clip Of Donald Trump Getting Angry After Being Fact-Checked Is Going Mega Viral, And It Sums Up His Entire Presidency In A Nutshell
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LDS Church releases first of its kind book on Young Women's organization
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — is releasing a full-length history on the church's Young Women's organization. According to the Church, it will be the first of its kind. Young Women's originally started as the Young Ladies' Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association by the second president of the LDS church, Brigham Young in 1869. The organization includes all girls baptized into the church that are 11 to 18 years of age. According to the Church Newsroom, this is the first full-length history of the organization. 'This book is the first to address and contextualize the place of young women within the organization of the Church, tracing the growth of Young Women from a small group of Brigham Young's daughters into today's global organization,' the church said in a news release. Pope Francis marks important milestones this week as he recovers from pneumonia The church says this is part of the Church's growing initiative to digitize and advance the body of work of Latter-day Saint women's history and on women, religion, youth and childhood. Lisa Olsen Tait, one of the authors of the book, called the book a 'landmark publication.' 'Joining the department's growing body of work on the Relief Society and the diaries and sermons of women over time, 'Carry On' deepens and extends our commitment to women's history,' she said in a press release. Tait says the book 'provides a new perspective on Church history through lenses such as generational dynamics, female leadership, institutional development and cultural change.' The book is set to follow leaders like current Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, Ruth May Fox and Ardeth G. Kapp in their efforts to shape the organizations that engage the young women in a growing global church. The book is currently available on Amazon, and is on pre-order at Deseret Book along with other retail outlets this week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Dozens of women found to have increased cancer risk in Sarah Harding study
Dozens of young women have found out they are at increased risk of breast cancer as part of the study named in memory of singer Sarah Harding. Harding, who was part of the pop group Girls Aloud, died from the disease aged 39 in 2021 and one of her final wishes was to find new ways of spotting breast cancer early, when it is more treatable. Early results from the study show that 58 woman aged between 30 and 39 years old have been identified at increased risk and have been given information on steps they can take to reduce their odds of being diagnosed with the disease. They will also be offered yearly check-ups until they reach the age when they are eligible for NHS breast cancer screening at the age of 50. The news comes as her bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts said they 'miss Sarah every day' and 'will do everything in our power to support research in her name'. The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women (Bcan-Ray) project, which is being run by experts at The Christie Hospital in Manchester where Harding was treated, hopes to identify which women are at risk of getting the disease in their 30s. The study, funded by The Christie Charity's Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, began in May 2023. The initial phase of the project aims to recruit 1,000 women aged 30 to 39. Women who take part are asked to complete a questionnaire, have a risk assessment mammogram and provide a saliva sample for genetic testing. Information from the mammogram and the genetic test are then combined with other factors such as when a woman's periods started, alcohol consumption and use of the contraceptive pill, to provide a personalised breast cancer risk score. To date, 500 women have been recruited. Some 404 have been given their risk score, with 88 found to be at 'increased risk' and 316 at 'average risk'. Some 58 women at increased risk have been contacted so far. 'We're really confident that we have a system that is working, from the results so far, which is great news,' said Dr Sacha Howell, who was also Sarah Harding's consultant when she was being treated at The Christie. 'These findings mean that we may be able to offer personalised ways to predict and prevent breast cancer more widely in the population in future. 'We have expanded the recruitment sites for this study beyond The Christie hospital to other cancer units at Lancaster, Wirral, Bolton, Tameside, Leighton, Wigan and Macclesfield. 'In five years' time we would like to see the risk prediction for breast cancer in young women rolled out across the UK so we can reduce the number of deaths and improve lives.' In a statement, Harding's bandmates said: 'Before Sarah passed away, we promised her we would fulfil her wish of raising as much money as possible for vital breast cancer research. 'Too many young women who have no reason to believe they are at risk of breast cancer are dying from the disease. 'We miss Sarah every day and will do everything in our power to support research in her name to reduce the chances of other women going through what she experienced.' It has also been announced that a senior research laboratory post will be named after Harding. The Sarah Harding Young Women's Breast Cancer Fellowship post will focus on work around breast cancer risks for women in their 30s. Dr Howell added: 'We have made great strides in the first phase of our Bcan-Ray study, and 'The Sarah Harding Young Women's Breast Cancer Fellowship' will bring us a step closer to achieving Sarah's goal. 'Her wish was that no other young woman should experience the shock and devastation of a breast cancer diagnosis when they have no reason to think they are at risk and have no family history of the disease.' Around 2,300 women aged 39 and under are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year.
