Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Avon rings death’s doorbell, Reba resurfaces, and the new Wonder Woman movie has lost its female director. Also, I’m sure you heard plenty about wage equality yesterday, but Sallie Krawcheck has one more thing to add: “Ask for the raise!” Enjoy your Wednesday.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• A change of direction. Michelle MacLauren has dropped out of directing the film version of Wonder Woman, due to that old Hollywood chestnut: "creative differences." MacLaren is an experienced TV showrunner and director (she's worked on Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, among other hits), but Wonder Woman would have been her directorial debut on a feature film. She is the second female director to hit an impasse on a superhero film, leading some industry watchers to ask if we'll ever see a woman at the helm of one of these blockbusters. Hollywood Reporter
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• Time for a makeover? Avon reportedly is mulling strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of its North American business. Avon's revenue is down 22% over a three-year period, and CEO Sheri McCoy's efforts to turn things around have flopped. Unless the company makes some big changes, analysts says we'll soon be bidding the Avon Lady adieu. WSJ
• Getting mobile. Can Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer turn the Internet company into a mobile powerhouse? She's been trying, and there finally are some signs that her efforts are paying off. Fast Company
• Taking the charge. EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager has decided to file formal charges against Google for violating the bloc’s antitrust laws. It's still too early to know exactly what that means for the Internet giant, but it could trigger fines of up to $6 billion. Ouch. WSJ
• Reba's world. Reba McEntire's been busy. The singer/actress is dropping a new album, headlining a hunger-awareness concert, and launching a new makeup brand, Reba Beauty. The cosmetic line is an offshoot of McEntire's successful women’s apparel brand, which is sold at Dillard’s. WWD
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Media sales executive Gina Garrubbo has been named president and CEO of National Public Media.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Be the squeaky wheel. Fortune's Pattie Sellers explains why Sallie Krawcheck wants women to negotiate like men. When Krawcheck, who now runs professional women’s network Ellevate, was a big-time banking boss, she says her male reports were constantly bargaining for higher pay. The women did not. Krawcheck says she tried to be fair, but: "People who ask get more money, and people who don’t ask tend to get less.” Fortune
• Equal tweets for equal pay. It was great to see some bold-faced names take to social media to celebrate Equal Pay Day with hashtags like #AskForMore, #78Cents, #EqualPayDay and #HeForShe. Among the familiar avatars I spotted: actors Chloe Grace Moretz, Kerry Washington, Matt McGorry, photographer Nigel Barker, and MSNBC anchor Richard Lui.
• Before 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Biographer Peter Slevin writes about Michelle Obama's career before she became First Lady. No matter her role--lawyer, mentor, community outreach director--colleagues describe her as tenacious, disciplined and inclined to over-prepare. So what will she do after moving out of the White House? According to Slevin, Obama plans to write and continue her focus on education, which she calls “the single most important civil rights issue that we face today.” Women in the World
• Crisis lit. Sheila Bair was head of the FDIC, one of the country's principal bank regulators, during the height of the financial meltdown. Now she has written a young-adult novel about, what else, that very crisis. An excerpt published by Fortune tells the story of Matt, a teen learning that his beloved dog will have to be put to sleep because his family is about to lose their home to foreclosure. Fortune
• Entitled to her opinion, I guess. Cheryl Rios, CEO of Dallas marketing and PR firm Go Ape Marketing, is coming under fire for saying that women shouldn't be president because of "different hormones." Not surprisingly, theses comments, which were posted on Rios' Facebook account, drew plenty of critics. Rios took to Twitter to defend herself, saying: "In this great country we are allowed our own opinions." That part, at least, she has correct. HuffPo
• But will it boost bra sales? Plus-size retailer Lane Bryant has gotten lots of attention for its #ImNoAngel lingerie campaign, which targets the unrealistic body image we know all too well from Victoria's Secret ads. But will the positive buzz actually help juice the company's sales? Fortune
• Kind of a big deal. Asia Alternatives, one of the largest independent Asian private equity fund-of-funds, has closed on more than $1.8 billion for its Asia Alternatives Capital Partners fund. Melissa Ma, co-founder and managing director of Asia Alternatives, says the firm expects to deploy at least half of the fund in China. "Reform in China could potentially provide opportunities," said Ma. FinanceAsia
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ON MY RADAR
When you Google image search "CEO," the first face you see is Barbie NY Mag
How your lies sound when you sneak out of the office for a job interview Fast Company
Cate Blanchett attacks media over awards ceremony dress coverage The Guardian
12 female directors who should helm the Wonder Woman film Mashable
What divorce does to women's heart health Time
QUOTE
What is the 21<sup>st</sup> century woman? The answer is easy. She’s anything she wants to be.
Judy Sheindlin (aka Judge Judy), who was honored at a Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai luncheon this week.
