How could this happen? He’s articulate. He’s talented. He’s handsome. He’s gallant. His eyes are so blue they are neon blue… He’s Captain Kirk. I mean, he’s literally the captain of the Enterprise. He’s team leader. How can you forget him?

The thing is that Chris Pine is a team player.

If he’s wooing Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement (yes I love that movie), he smoothly lets Anne Hathway shine. If he’s working on making wine in 1970s California (as he does in Bottle Shock), he’ll play the callow youth to perfection, and give people like Alan Rickman the room they need to be…Alan Rickman. And if he’s captaining the Enterprise, and he’s working with Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and Benedict Cumberbath….he leads the charge to make sure that he doesn’t upstage anyone in a scene.

When he works with awesome people, he lets them be awesome and that’s part of what makes him awesome.

I’ve worked and hung out with (and occasionally made out with) actors for a long time, and it’s extremely rare to find someone who is charming, talented, and gracious to his or her fellow actors. Everyone who performs has a tiny bit of themselves that thirsts for the spotlight. It’s natural. However, very few people can do their jobs well and put their egos in check so as to share the spotlight with their fellow actors and artists. Chris Pine is a really good actor, but he seems to have the strange disposition where he wants to let other good actors shine, too.

And that’s kind of hot.

A friend of mine compared him to a young Harrison Ford recently and I think she’s totally right.

He’s got this earthy sort of confidence that’s really attractive. He’s not too cocky and he’s not self-depricating. He’s aware that’s good-looking and talented, but he doesn’t need to push it in your face.

His unassuming-ness belies how freaking hot he is.

Um…like…have you seen this photo from Details magazine:

I have the vapors. I have all the vapors. I even have Vicks vapor rub vapors–which are medicinal–but I need medicine to cure me from this sickness called “Pine Flu.” It’s this new disease I discovered where looking at Chris Pine in leather pants gives you a straight up fever.

Also, have you seen him in an apron:

I feel something cooking inside of me.

Have you seen him recently with a beard? He looks like a hot Civil War general. I don’t know which side he’s on–North or South–but I’m on it.

Basically, Chris Pine is empirically hot. Sometimes I’m too focused on Zachary Quinto or Benedict Cumberbatch to realize it, but he is.

Chris Pine is as hot as the volcano that Spock is almost stuck in during the beginning of Star Trek Into Darkness. That’s hot how he is. You need some sort of space age anti-freeze to calm you down.

All I’m saying is I need to talk to someone–even if that person is the internet–about how hot Chris Pine is.

Featured photo via fanpop, photo 1 via Details and photo 2 via Disney

The post Crush of the Week: Chris Pine appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Look, I don’t care if you do or don’t watch Game of Thrones.* I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of the plot.** I just want to say that Richard Madden is by far and away the hottest guy on Game of Thrones.***

Before I go further, I need to make a painful admission that I don’t think Robb Stark is the hottest character in the books. The character I fantasize about most when I’m plowing through endless chapters on the history of Westeros is Jon Snow.

I mean, Jon Snow’s hot. He broods. He’s honorable. He’s tortured. He’s down with the “Lord’s Kiss.” He digs spunky redheads. Jon Snow is my bag.

Now, my preference for Richard Madden over Kit Harrington has nothing to do with Harrington’s performance. Harrington is hot. Harrington has talent. Harrington fully embodies Jon Snow on screen. He’s perfect.

Richard Madden doesn’t perfectly embody George R. R. Martin’s Robb Stark at all. He perfects it. He perfects it by being really, truly, incredibly hot.

See, in the books, Robb Stark is this kid in his early teens who gets swept up in the “Game of Thrones”, and is a brilliant tactician, but makes some immature mistakes because he’s pretty much just a freshman in high school.

On the show, Robb Stark is a hot guy of sex-able age who wears his shirt open a lot so we can see his chest.

Do you understand the difference? One of them is a 14 year old kid playing war games and the other one is someone a 20 something woman could have sex with. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s there.

And let’s talk about Richard Madden as Richard Madden….

Richard Madden has hair the color of early morning sunlight hitting autumn leaves. Richard Madden has sapphire eyes that betray a kind soul. Richard Madden looks good with or without facial hair, but since his facial hair is also the color of early morning sunlight hitting autumn leaves, I prefer him with facial hair.

That’s just his head, guys. I haven’t even started swooning about the rest of him.

He looks tall on television which means he’s probably not shorter than me. He’s in good shape. He wears open shirts well. He’s Scottish, which means when he speaks, it sounds less like English and more like a masculine purr.

Do you see how he’s getting better and better?

I would like to add that Robb Stark has a wife on the show that a lot of fans dislike because she’s very different than she is in the books. I don’t like her because she’s not me. In real life, Richard Madden has a girlfriend named Jenna-Louise Coleman. You might know her as “Clara Oswin Plot Device Oswald” on Doctor Who. I like Jenna-Louise Coleman because she and I both enjoy talking fast and buying avocados. I can’t think of a logical reason why I would bring any of this up, but it’s amusing to me and somehow makes Richard Madden hotter.

Oh, and lest I forget, Richard Madden is poised to be more than just Robb Stark. He was just cast as Prince Charming in Disney’s live action version of Cinderella. So, on top of everything else I’ve just said, the man is literally Prince Charming.

If after all this, you still don’t think Richard Madden is hot, you’re probably a Nikolaj Coster-Waldau fan. Or a Peter Dinklage fan. Or a Jason Momoa fan. Or a Kit Harrington fan. Or a Natalie Dormer fan.

All of those are great, but none of them are Richard Madden.

*That’s not true. I care deeply about whether or not we both love Game of Thrones.

**Well, I might. I haven’t finished writing this yet.

***Actually, I could make equally good cases for Kit Harrington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Finn Jones, Sean Bean, Jason Momoa, Peter Dinkladge…okay, Donna Meagle from Parks and Recreation is right. Everyone on Game of Thrones CAN GET IT.

[Photo Credit: HBO]

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It’s me…again.

I’m not sure if you ever got my last bit of correspondence. I posted it on the Internet so I know tons of strangers saw it, but strangely, I never heard back from you directly. Perhaps I was too overwhelming in my praise. Maybe I was too verbose. I suppose it’s possible you never read it, but you said something this week that seemed a direct reply to the very first thing that was in my note.

See, in my original letter, I started off by saying: “You have to stop. Just stop. It’s getting to be too much.”

And I’m worried you stopped reading right there and didn’t get to the part where I took it all back because you told the Associated Press this week that you were going to take a long break from acting.

Okay, just to be clear, that was not at all what I wanted you to do.  I wanted you to stop creeping into my mind in the last moments before I fall asleep. I wanted you to stop being so gallant that Prince Charming looked like a creep next to you. I wanted you to just chill out a bit, you know? Like, clearly being as perfect as you are takes some sort of focus. At the very least, constantly focusing on your perfection tires me out.

I never, ever asked you to stop acting.

Here are three very serious reasons why you can’t skip out on being a movie star right now:

1) The last thing we need is a “break” from you.

Your exact words to the Associated Press were, “I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does.” And while I totally get that it must be draining stopping fights in the middle of the street and hanging out with your mom on red carpets and being the epitome of class…someone has to do it.

You’re like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, but instead of a ring you’ve got to destroy at Mount Doom, you’ve been given the burden of being the greatest person alive. We’ve been through this before, but do you get how perfect you are? You’re gorgeous. You’re talented. You’re kind. You like women as people and not as objects. This is your burden to carry alone, but we all want to help you. We’re like the Fellowship of the Ring, but we’re the “fans of Ryan Gosling”. How many of us are there? A lot, because EVERYONE IS A FAN OF YOU, RYAN GOSLING.

2) We are also very big fans of your dog.

When you step out to promote a new movie, you usually bring your dog, George with you. Now, George is as perfect a dog as you are a human being.

George has a mohawk. George has a happy face. George will sit at your feet while you get interviewed by Jimmy Fallon.

George is the best.

If you stop acting, we’ll stop seeing George. The way you love George is the way we love George which is the way we love you so love yourself the way you love George.

Don’t hide your light. Let it shine.

3) You make really interesting choices and that’s important.

We live in a world where most people want to be famous for no good reason. Forget being known for doing good work. People want to be famous for being on a reality show or starring in a sex tape or for just showing up to parties a lot. But not you.

You’re not in it for the limelight–or the money. Like, you started out on The Mickey Mouse Club with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, but unlike them you shied away from being a pop star or taking endorsement deals for massive amounts of press and money. You dug into indies and you’ve stayed in indies. You don’t go on the audition circuit hoping to get picked for a blockbuster film; you choose the projects you feel passionate about.

This means that when you are in a movie, the audience knows that no matter what, it will be a different kind of movie that we’d see otherwise. If you take a break from acting, how will we know what kind of cool stories are out there for us outside of the mainstream?

Oh. You’re taking a break from acting to be a director? Oh. That’s actually super awesome. I am excited. Oh God, you’re still so perfect. Why? WHY?

Okay, you know what? Disregard everything I just wrote. You’re doing fine. We’re still going to have you hanging around.

Just please don’t stop being you. Keep being you. Always be you.

(Oh, and please let us see George more often.)

Sincerely,

Me

Featured image via Warner Bros., photo from Gangster Squad via Warner Brothers, photo from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon via NBC, photo from The Place Beyond The Pines via Focus Features

The post Dear Ryan Gosling, Part 2: Please Don’t Leave Us appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Boiled down it was this: “Theo James has been cast as the male lead of Divergent. He’s greatly attractive to the female eye. His voice is sexy.”

Actually, let me quote her. She said: “Meghan. This guy, Theo? HE IS GORGEOUS. AND HIS VOICE IS PURE SEX.”

And I was undone.

I’m still undone.

I mean, I was kind of already undone.

Anyone who’s read Veronica Roth’s Divergent series has got to be madly in love/lust with the male lead of the book, Four. In fact, amongst my group of friends who read YA novels as a totally respectable adult pastime, Four is generally accepted as the hottest male lead in any contemporary YA book. Of course, you can dispute that. Everyone has their own jam. However, there’s something really, really, incredibly, amazingly sexy about Four that’s hard to articulate precisely, except to say that FOUR IS PERFECT.

Another thing that was also distracting me? I’ve actually been aware of Theo James for a while. After all, he was Kemal Pamuk on Downton Abbey. You know, Mr. Pamuk? The hot Turkish guy who wooed Lady Mary in a most scandalous way and then proceeded to die in a most scandalous way. Not to mention, he’s all over the television screen stateside in ads for CBS’s Golden Boy, where he plays the titular “Golden Boy”. However, he didn’t yet have that role that really defined him as “totally crushworthy.”

Much as young ingenues need an iconic role to make them breakout as real movie stars (think Rachel McAdams in The Notebook or Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde), hot young British actors still need a defining role that latches them into your fantasy life forever. For Tom Hiddleston, that was Loki in Thor. For Benedict Cumberbatch, that was the titular role in Sherlock. And famously, for Colin Firth, it was Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice. It’s not enough to be young and hot and British and talented. WHO ARE YOU PLAYING FOR ME TO FANTASIZE ABOUT? I NEED A CHARACTER.

Some of you may not care about Theo James because you have never caught “Downton Fever”*, nor have you read Divergent. You’re entitled to make these life choices, but I feel as sorry for you as I feel sorry for ancient hermits who chose to stay inside dark caves alone and miserable even though someone told them that outside was the sun. Enter the sun. Enter the Theo James.

Theo James is ridiculously good looking. He’s tall. He’s toned. He has a face modeled on classical Greek statuary. In fact, he’s kind of what I imagine when I think about the term “Greek God”. Maybe it’s because he’s half Greek. I don’t know. I just know looking at his face is like slowly entering a soothing hot bubble bath: your entire body is slowly consumed by warmth.

Also, he has a mouth of magic. As my friend insists, his voice is like sex–husky, playful, dangerous and fun. And his lips? I spent about three minutes unable to work today because I was staring at a photograph and I could move my glance away from his lips.

Somehow, I actually found some girls on the “Theo James” tumblr tag that said he was “too ugly” to play Four. I mean, sure. He’s ugly compared to fan art and angels and the “men” who show up in manga. But have you interacted with human beings lately? Because on the humanity scale, there’s ugly, there’s plain, there’s pleasant and there’s attractive. And then there’s Theo James ranked at the top.

There are also some girls who say Theo James is too old to play Four. Movie magic can do a lot in that department. Not to mention, Four is supposed to be young, but he has to possess innate maturity. He’s not a pretty, clean-shaven boy in a pop band, guys. Nor is he an adorably slight and scrawny youth. He’s a full grown man who has survived hardship. He’s suffered pain and earned wisdom. He’s someone who’s fought to get where he is. He is a full grown man–which is what Theo James is and what a lot of the young dudes supposedly up for the role weren’t.

Plus, he’s 28. He’s younger than Andrew Garfield, who’s playing Shailene Woodley’s teen love interest in the Spiderman sequel. So calm down.

Embrace the sun. Embrace the Theo James.

* A condition that afflicts a person when they decide to casually watch a few episodes of Downton Abbey and halfway through their third episode find they must continue watching every available episode or else they’ll explode. See: my mom over Christmas break this past year.

Featured image via, image 1 via, image 2 via

The post Crush of the Week: Theo James (aka Mr. Pamuk on ‘Downton Abbey’, also aka Four In ‘Divergent’) appeared first on HelloGiggles.

This week I feel that way about the 2010 Season of X Factor UK.

Or in layman’s terms, I’m obsessed with the reality show that formed One Direction.

I know I’ve talked in the past about how I didn’t “get” One Direction or how they look like urchins or make me feel old or something, but that was before I understood their origin story. Have you seen their origin story? It’s amazing!

Liam was coming back from being rejected the year before. Niall was almost dropped at the first audition round. Harry had beautiful curls that baby doves wanted to nest in. Zayn pouted in bootcamp and almost gave up because he didn’t want to dance. Simon Cowell literally sought him out backstage and had a “Boy, why are you crying?” moment. Oh, and Louis just showed up and was always genuinely excited to be there.

And of course, they were all cut initially and then brought back on stage and told that they would be Frankensteined into a boy band.

There’s additional drama, too. Someone cuts his foot on a sea urchin. Someone else’s elderly relative dies. Daniel Radcliffe says hello to them once. It’s really, honestly, truly, incredibly amazing to behold.

Look, I get it now. I get the majestic beauty of five British teenaged boys hopping around, singing harmonies and enjoying their youth. I get it now.

That’s what X Factor UK did for me. It explained One Direction.

But Series 7 of X Factor UK has done more than offer the creation myth of One Direction. Like, this is the weird part–One Direction is just one tiny part of an almost perfect season of reality television.

You also get the story of Cher Lloyd. She has a little bit of a pop/rap career in the United States, but she was a massive deal in this particular season of the X Factor. Of course, one reason why she was such a big deal is that she made the live shows even though she completely messed up her judge’s house song*. The thing is she did legitimately have tonsillitis and she did legitimately come back in the live shows like a tiny, cheeky, rapping phoenix and sort of proved in her first live performance that she had what it took to be a star.

The other girl who got into live shows even though she botched up her judge’s house audition was this girl named Katie Waissel who had a voice like Ellie Goulding and wore a weird robot costume for her first live show. No one liked her so she cut her hair and dyed it brown like Cleopatra in HBO’s Rome. What is that? That’s amazing.

Also, the reason the public disliked both Cheryl and Katie was because they got through and this really adorable, incredibly talented girl named Gamu didn’t. Gamu was also in London because her family was trying to escape the political situation in Zimbabwe. I mean, this season is full of drama. (Editor’s note: Gamu has an amazing new single out, finally, so it didn’t hurt her too badly!)

I haven’t even mentioned Mary Byrne, this adorable middle aged supermarket worker from Dublin, or Rebecca Ferguson, who had a smooth soul voice but absolutely no self esteem.

I haven’t talked about Storm Lee, whose name was “Storm Lee” or a duo called “Diva Fever”.

I haven’t even brought up Wagner, the oldest finalist, who was this weird guy from Brazil (no, he was just weird) who had a bloodshot eye and sang off key in vibrato, but somehow almost ousted One Direction from the competition.

And I don’t want to spoil you with who won, but hint-hint, One Direction was beaten by a guy who looked like Chris O’Dowd in a painter’s cap.

The entire thing is amazing! I’m obsessed! Everyone should watch this season of X Factor UK. I wish some American network would buy the rights and air it in the summer. It would be the best heat wave viewing ever. It’s already the best chilly March weather viewing.

The post Crush of the Week: Series 7 of ‘X Factor UK’ (aka THE ONE DIRECTION SHOW) appeared first on HelloGiggles.

He reportedly had a terrible birthday because a London club wouldn’t let Bieber bring his 14-year-old friend, Jaden Smith, in, so he had to celebrate the night at McDonald’s. Olivia Wilde mocked him for not wearing a shirt in public. And finally, his own fans turned on him when he was two hours late for a concert.

Through it all, Bieber has vowed to stay positive, but yesterday, he took to twitter for a 13 tweet long rant:

rumors rumors and more rumors. nothing more nothing less. might talk about them 1 day. rt now im just gonna be positive. cant bring me down. im focused on the good things in life. im blessed and not forgetting it. im giving back every day for it. cant phase me. fake stories to sell papers i guess are part of the job. but im a good person. i know that. u cant tell me different. we know the truth as long as my family, friends, and fans r with me u can say whatever. we are all equal in God’s eyes & we have a responsibility to each other. So make up stories about fake fines and make no mention of the positive….or say when i came out of my show with my shirt off because after performing for 2 hours i might be sweaty i was going into a club (really?) or any girl i stand next to is my girl or that i dont care, or that i dont feel, or that a 19 year old going to a club in europe is wild… and be careful of the judgement u pass but know this…im only judged by one power, and i serve him. so yeah I will continue being me. i will continue to serve, to perform, to care, to love, to smile, to dance, to play, to sing…and u are welcome to join, because i carry no hate. We got to much love for that. Im about the music. Gonna enjoy the day and keep smiling. so should all of u. Much love. i see u #beliebers = i love u. now back to this music.

Some people are calling this a meltdown, but it looks to me more like a temper tantrum.

Here’s the thing about Justin Bieber: he’s had a fairly sheltered life.

I don’t mean that he’s been kept away from sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. I mean, he’s clearly been kept away from criticism.

He was a child prodigy who was encouraged to follow his dreams. His manager discovered him and flew him across continents to record demo tapes when he was 13. He became world famous when he was 15. He was young and cute and talented and popular and there was no reason for him to be harshly criticized by the media. Picking on a tween makes you look like the evil one. But as Bieber puts it, he’s 19 now. He’s a man. He is at an age where he can be held responsible for his words and actions, and from what I gather, that’s a new thing for Bieber.

I’ve heard rumors from multiple sources over the years that Bieber can be kind of a brat to work with. Don’t worry, Beliebers, he’s a nice guy, but he tends to pull pranks on stressed out adults who don’t have time to laugh about being locked out of a control room or enjoy being sassed by a world famous pop star. There’s a New Yorker profile on Scooter Braun, Bieber’s manager, that includes the anecdote that Bieber was jabbing Braun and members of The Wanted in the crotch and was shocked when one of The Wanted members joked about jabbing him right back. Like, it was shocking to Bieber that if he kicked someone in the balls, they had the right to kick him right back.

So, I don’t think Bieber’s Twitter “meltdown” is a psychological meltdown on par with Britney shaving her head. I think it’s just growing pains. Bieber is finally having to realize there are consequences and that there are critics, and adults have to deal with both.

If you ask me, I think the real reason why child stars so often go off the rails is that they are never taught to be normal adults.

If everyone around you is treating you like a special commodity at an early age, there’s less pressure to make sure you have the emotional capability to handle setbacks, disappointments, responsibilities. No one’s teaching you that maybe you’re not special because you’re beautiful, talented or famous, but that you’re special because you work hard and make the people in your life happy.

I hope Bieber does focus on all the good things he has in life. He’s certainly had more blessings than most people. And I hope he does continue to work on his music and grow. But most of all, I hope that he realizes that if he wants the media to look at him like an adult, he has to act like an adult.

And adults deal with setbacks with grace, and not twitter rants.

Image via DigitalSpy

The post Is Bieber Breaking Down?? appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Like, it’s hard enough making choices in life. We have to choose careers, when and how we want to have families, whether or not to text back that guy who messaged you at 2:13 am with “Have you ever seen The Wonder Years?”.

Life is all about making decisions and dealing with the consequences.

When it comes to crushes, the heart is usually loud and clear as to what it wants. Sometimes, though, it gets indecisive and you can’t rely on intuition to lead you to your next dreamboat. Sometimes you are the one who has to intellectually make a choice between two loves–and it’s hard.

It wasn’t easy for Bella to choose between Edward and Jacob and it was even harder for Katniss to decide between Gale and Peeta. As for me? Well, it’s been literally impossible this week to choose between Aidan Turner (from Being Human, The Hobbit and the upcoming The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones) and a random red panda I found a photo of on the internet.

I mean, here is Aidan Turner:

Observe his wild and romantic hair. Observe his pensive brow. Observe the curve of his lips. Observe his stubble. Observe his sideburns. Observe his nose. Observe his chin. Observe him.

But then, take a gander at this red panda I found through a Google image search:

LOOK AT ITS FACE. LOOK AT ITS CUTE FACE. I WANT TO SQUISH IT RIGHT NOW BUT IT’S KILLING ME.

So, you understand my conundrum, right?

My heart is torn in twain this week between Aidan Turner’s undeniable hotness and the unbelievable cuteness of red pandas.

Some people out there would smartly suggest that I make an excel sheet where I could list the pros and cons of both Aidan Turner and a random red panda side by side in columns. Furthermore, I could assign numeric values to the different pros and cons Aidan Turner and a random red panda have.

So I did that.

Noting that Aidan Turner is Irish and therefore has a sexy accent gives him a +3.

Noting that a random red panda is a mammal and therefore covered in adorable fur, also gives the red panda +3.

So far they are equal.

Aidan Turner has a girlfriend, which is a -7 for significant other, but a +4 for the fact that they are unmarried.

A red panda has a +5 for also being a type of raccoon, and I find raccoons cute, so that’s another +1.

However, raccoons are scavengers and sometimes have rabies, so a big -9.

Except, Aidan Turner is a person and not an animal, and I can have sex with a person.

So, Aidan Turner gets a +10 for being a person.

However, a red panda can’t get me pregnant, break my heart or disappoint me with revelations of amorality and men can do all of these things. +7 to the red panda and -3 for Aidan Turner.

And so on….

Here is my excel sheet so far:

So, it’s pretty close. Adian Turner seems to have a slight lead and I think it’s because of his amazing nest of mahogany colored curls.

Part of me wants to see this further. I want to do deeper research and stare at Aidan Turner’s face and gifs of red pandas more. I feel compelled to decide between them.

But there’s another part of me, guys. See? I’m split down the middle. Half of me wants to pick between them and the other part wants to have it all.

Why can’t I love both?

Why can’t I have both?

Why can’t both Aidan Turner and a red panda be “Crush of the Week”?

I don’t have an answer to any of those questions. At least, not a good one.

We don’t always have to choose between two awesome things. Sometimes we can take everything we want.

Sometimes we can have Aidan Turner and a red panda, too.

The post Crush of the Week SHOWDOWN: Aidan Turner vs. A Red Panda appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Along with Maureen Herman, Gina Loukares, Kelly Overby, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, Sarah Thyre and Lizz Winstead, Plimpton founded A is For — an organization that fights for women’s reproductive rights in an era where they are being threatened.

Tonight, A is For is joining with the Upright’s Citizens Brigade to present special shows on both sides of the United States to promote A is For and spark laughter. Lena Dunham and Lizz Winstead are guests in the New York show and Busy Phillips, Julie Bowen and Martha herself are doing the Los Angeles one. 

I was lucky enough to chat with Martha about A is For, the importance of speaking up and the UCB shows.

Meghan: For people who may be unfamiliar with the organization, what exactly does “A is For” stand for?

Martha: The A in A is For is the Scarlet Letter in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book of the same name. In the story, it’s a symbol of shame worn by a Puritan woman, Hester Prynne, who has had an affair out of wedlock and borne a child. When she is expelled from her community, and forced to sew the A for “adulteress” onto her breast and wear it for life, she raises her child in isolation from her family and the life she knew, and forges a life of extreme independence and fortitude.

A is For seeks to use the symbolic A, which is recognizable to many people as one of shame and humiliation, as a symbol of strength, pride, and independence, much the way Hester Prynne changes its meaning in her life as the story progresses.

When we wear the A, it can mean whatever we want it to mean: Activism, Authority, Allegiance, Anything.

Meghan: You’re one of A is For’s many awesome founders…do you mind sharing the backstory of how you ladies were inspired to get together and start the campaign for women’s reproductive rights?

Martha: Back in March 2012, a few of us women got together to talk about what we could do in response to the insane verbal assault that Rush Limbaugh laid down on Sandra Fluke when she testified in Congress on the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. It really pissed us off. Here was a smart, very well-informed law student and private citizen who had been called to testify – and she was initially turned away when she showed up, in favor of an all male panel. None of whom were doctors, just FYI. She was there to talk about the reality that contraceptive care is basic health care for the majority of women in this country, and that it should be covered by our insurance, that we pay for.

Millions of women use contraception. It is basic preventive health care, as defined by pretty much anyone who knows how it works. There are many, many reasons why women use birth control, and here was Limbaugh, and a growing chorus of ignorant bullies, calling Ms. Fluke a prostitute and a slut who wanted taxpayers to pay her to have sex.

It was completely appalling. Not to mention ignorant, to put it mildly. And it just released this hideous floodgate of woman-hating. Even from other women, which is always depressing – women hating on women is a sure fire tool of misogynists to keep us from unifying.

Anyway, here they were piling on this woman who had done nothing more than exercise her right and privilege as a citizen. She had DARED to speak, and she was being excoriated for it. She was being put in her place, if you will. It was enraging. So, finally, people were starting to pay attention to the fact that hey, wait a minute, there are LAWS being passed preventing us from exercising our Constitutional rights, every day, in states all over the country.

This moment is just the tipping point, really. What Rush did was finally reveal to a national audience what is at the heart of so much of the current conversation about women’s health: a deep seated and virulent misogyny. For that alone he deserves some credit.

We wanted to respond to this in a way that had lasting meaning, that would be instantly understood by anyone who saw it, and we wanted to do it in a way that would directly aid those who work every day to protect and provide women with access to their Constitutional right to abortion and reproductive health care, like the Center For Reproductive Rights.  So we we got a bunch of wine and some quinoa salad and we talked long into the night. Call it a modern consciousness raising session like they used to have in the 70s. We brainstormed. We already knew that it was in the zeitgeist, as it were. People were already saying things on Twitter like, “Why don’t they just slap a scarlet A on us and be done with it?!” And we thought, “Hey, that’s actually not a bad idea. Why DON’T we all wear a scarlet A and show these morons just how many of us there are?”

So that’s where the idea came from and it’s how we got started.

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