The Broadsheet: December 23rd

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• The pink penalty. A new study compares the prices of the male and female versions of nearly 800 products, finding that items marketed to girls and women cost an average of 7% more than similar products sold to boys and men.  Washington Post

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• Fashionable foes. This story digs into a behind-the-scenes battle fought over the merger of retailers Yoox and Net-a-Porter. The combatants: luxury conglomerate Richemont, which was the majority owner of Net-a-Porter, and early Net-a-Porter investor Carmen Busquets, who believes that Richemont sold it for far too little. New York Times

• Fallen hero. Air Force Maj. Adrianna Vorderbruggen was one of six U.S. troops killed Monday in Afghanistan, making her the military's first openly gay woman to be killed in combat.  The Daily Beast

• Iconic interview. Feminist legend Gloria Steinem talks to Fortune about her secrets for successful organizing, her take on whether the U.S. is finally ready for a female president, and her belief that American feminism has reached a make-or-break moment.  Fortune

• Better luck next time. Comedian Chelsea Peretti will host the annual Crunchies Awards—a big deal in Silicon Valley's tech world—in February. I expect Peretti to be a big improvement over last year's host, Silicon Valley star T.J. Miller, who called one female audience member a "rude bitch." TechCrunch

• Erase Alzheimer's. Hillary Clinton announced a plan to invest $2 billion a year toward curing Alzheimer’s by 2025, should she be elected president. Time

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group has named Lauren Dillard as head of its Investment Solutions business segment and a member of the firm's management committee. Stephanie George has left Fairchild Fashion Media, less than a year after joining the company as vice chairman. Previously, she was one of the top female execs at Time Inc.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• A steely lady. Meet Sanga de Almeida, the woman behind ADA Steel, Angola's first-ever mass production steel mill. Fortune

• Trump's new low. Donald Trump turned his sexism dial to 100 at a rally on Monday, saying of Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful 2008 presidential run: "She was favored to win, and she got schlonged." He also mocked her bathroom break during Saturday’s debate, saying, “I know where she went — it’s disgusting."  New York Times

• Rey of light. EW's Nicole Sperling writes about taking her two daughters to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens for one reason: to see its heroine Rey, who Sperling describes as powerful, resourceful and never sexualized by the movie's creators. EW

• Carey's carols. New York Times culture critic Wesley Morris argues that singer Mariah Carey is pursuing “winter dominion.” His evidence: Her 19-year-old song "All I Want for Christmas Is You” is still dominating Billboard’s Holiday 100 chart, she just completed a holiday concert series in New York City, and she directed and starred in the new Hallmark Channel movie, A Christmas Melody.  New York Times

• The elite 18. TechCrunch rounds up a juicy list of 18 female founders—including StyleSeat CEO Melody McCloskey and TheSkimm co-CEOs Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin—who made a big impact on the tech industry in 2015. TechCrunch

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ON MY RADAR

Model Lauren Wasser lands her first major campaign since losing her leg  People

The worst moments for working women in 2015  Refinery29

Melissa Rivers on playing her mom in Joy  Vanity Fair

Is it time to set weight minimums for the fashion industry?  NPR

QUOTE

I want to prove that the Iraqi woman has her own existence in society, she has her rights like men. I am afraid of nothing, because I am confident that what I am doing is not wrong.

Shaima Qassem Abdulrahman, the first woman to be crowned Miss Iraq since the event was canceled in 1972.