Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Lizzie Grubman is back, airlines can kick you off a flight for wearing short shorts, and Elizabeth Holmes’s net worth has plummeted—to zero? Have a wonderful Thursday.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• How short is too short? After a women was stopped from boarding a JetBlue flight because her shorts were deemed too short, I looked into an airline's legal right to boot a passenger if the crew doesn't like her ensemble. It turns out that carriers have wide leeway when it comes to who can fly, thanks to the vaguely worded "contracts of carriage" passengers must agree to in order to buy a ticket. Fortune
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• From hero to zero? The Forbes annual list of America’s richest successful self-made women features a slew of big names—think Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Marissa Mayer—as well as some you may be less familiar with. Among the 2016 newcomers: Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso and Honest Co.'s Jessica Alba. But perhaps the biggest change this year: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who topped the list in 2015 with a reported net worth of $4.5 billion, is nowhere to be found. In fact, Forbes went to so far as to lower their estimate of her net worth to, well, zero.
• The network effect. What's the real cause of tech's persistent gender gap? Blame the network-driven nature of the industry, writes Fortune's Erin Griffith: "Venture capitalists citing pipeline problems aren’t connected to many female founders, so they assume there aren’t any worthwhile ones out there." Fortune
• Power ink. At a news conference for her latest film, cameras captured what appears to be a tattoo of the “woman power” symbol on the arm of actress Taraneh Alidoosti—who has been called "the Natalie Portman of Iran." Alidoosti responded to the ensuing commotion over the tattoo and its meaning by tweeting,“Keep calm and YES I’m a feminist.” New York Times
• As seen on TV. Randi Zuckerberg—yes, sister of that other Zuckerberg—is joining American Dreams, an HSN show that invites inventors to sell their wares on-air. The company is hoping that Zuckerberg will help pitch tech gadgets to millennial women. Fortune
• Lizzie's rearview mirror. Remember Lizzie Grubman? The power publicist became tabloid fodder back in 2001, when she backed her dad's Mercedes S.U.V into a crowd of people outside a Hampton's nightclub. Now she's back and ready to talk about that notorious incident—and what she's been up to for the last 15 years. “I think I’ve matured," says Grubman. I'll let you be the judge of that. New York Times
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• What next, Watson? Despite overseeing 16 consecutive quarters of declining revenue, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty—No. 3 on Fortune's list of the Most Powerful Women—says she's confident that her company's bet on artificial intelligence will ultimately pay off. “We will solve some of the world’s greatest problems," she says. Fortune
• U.S. Soccer plays defense. The United States Soccer Federation is fighting back against claims of pay discrimination brought by female players, arguing in court papers that the soccer pay gap is result of "factors other than gender." WSJ
• File under: Not surprised. A new report reveals that Donald Trump's campaign staff is 75% male—and that the top male staffers are paid more than their female counterparts. Huffington Post
• Parking in the pink. Are women-only parking spots sexist? An area in China’s Hangzhou province now offers female drivers pink parking spots that are 50% larger than usual. The reason: women are worse parkers, according to an official. I guess now we know the answer to my question. Fortune
Share today's Broadsheet with a friend:
http://fortune.com/newsletter/broadsheet/
Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.
ON MY RADAR
Victim of Rio gang rape speaks out as police bungle her case Washington Post
Sheryl Sandberg denies Facebook involvement in Peter Thiel vs. Gawker Fortune
5 big takeaways from Mary Meeker's annual Internet Trends report Fortune
Bethany Hamilton: One-armed shark attack survivor beats world's best surfer in Fiji BBC
QUOTE
I just hope they find a friend.
Melissa McCarthy on online trolls complaining about the upcoming all-female <em>Ghostbusters</em> reboot
