“There are a lot of new women and young girls who want to start skating, and that’s definitely a completely new thing to happen. All at once, we’re getting a ton of little girls out to our lessons and the majority of them are four to seven-years-old… So, there’s a lot going on all at once with this whole movement of the skate community.” ~Stephanie Battieste ATTENTION! Lieutenants she.lace are reporting for duty in the army of empowerment. Today’s mission is to show the world how strength in numbers can yield an army of support, AND vice-versa. Yes, we at she.lace can certainly think of ours ..read more

When I started Roller Derby I can honestly say I was the worst person on the track. And there was no lack of people saying “You can do this, you can get up and get out there. I know it’s hard now, but you will get it.” It was that constant encouragement, and there was nobody ever left out. It’s a sport that welcomed me! Everyone was built up and I loved that, that’s why I was really inspired. ~Iris Bigornia Waxed floors. Elbow pads. Cheering fans. Mouth guards. Master of Ceremonies. Helmets. T-shirt giveaways. Aggression. Referees. Body checks. Play-by-play commentators. “Sneakers… with ..read more

“Really?! I’m surprised to hear that…” “I would’ve never guessed…” “Interesting…” accompanied by an incredulous look “You don’t look like the typical…” In your opinion, what’s the common denominator in those inferences above? If you’re thinking “offensive statements”…you’re not completely wrong. If you’re thinking “uninformed ignorance”… you’re certainly on to something. BUT, she.lace is doing you a disservice by not providing the all important CONTEXT of the above responses…it’s a very important layer. So imagine this plausible scenario: a woman goes to a networking event designed to connect ..read more

“The one thing I learned in terms of almost having my life taken away from me is that nothing is promised. But, also just to cherish things as much as you can…it sounds cliché, but tomorrow isn’t promised. I mean, the next 20 seconds aren’t even promised – everything happened so fast that I was just taken aback at how much things can change so quickly. There’s always going to be a point when things are crappy but there’s always something that you can admire and appreciate.” ~Fern “LIT”…”Turn Up”…”Amped”! In today’s urban vernacular these terms can have several meanings, depending on the cont ..read more

“I’ve never felt like I’ve had to acknowledge ‘I’m a woman and I’m going to be treated differently.’ I think when you change your thought process on approaching different things that are going on in the world, or just approaching everyday life, you don’t let things hinder you or set any type of barriers for yourself. We all need to change our mindset in that direction and it will eventually turn into a world without boundaries when it comes to gender. In my perfect world, people aren’t looking at the areas of life that are holding them back they’re just happy and grateful to be alive. They’re ..read more

“When you consider the objective of the blog, it’s to empower women. However women can’t be the only ones working on empowering women, that’s like losing half of the potential supporters of the cause… At the end of the day, we need everyone on board [to] reach more people.” ~Yan Imagine if there was an international law that stipulated: when, where, what and why an individual could gain knowledge. Well, not only would that law be unjust (in accordance to she.laces’s moral radar) but it would be virtually impossible to enforce. It would beg one very important primary question, and a subsequen ..read more

“It’s important for me to empower other women, young and old to chase after their dreams, to not filter what they want to say, to not apologize all the time, to not soften their speech, to continue being assertive and that it doesn’t make them a “bitch” and to always be unapologetically themselves. I realize that the backbone to society  is women. That being an educated and outspoken women is not a shame and being unapologetically yourself is beautiful. That you can stand for social justice but also love fashion and makeup.  I try my hardest to tear down stereotypes and to shut down ..read more

“I’ve sought balance all my life. [Living] on two different continents and trying to be accepted by both meant that I had to find a point where I could marry both sides of the story into one book…I was raised in two beautiful cultures that have shaped my personality and how I see the world. It has allowed me to feel at home while I travel because I can communicate in so many different ways. Most of all though, I think growing up with so many labels has taught me empathy. I think the fact that I’ve had to learn to switch from one culture to another, or one language to another has allowed me to ..read more

“We’re all about individuality! And, I feel like, when you own who you’re as a person it’s a strength that nobody can take away from you and upcycling is part of that. It’s your own spin on something that was already created, but now it’s yours officially. I love that!” ~Renée, The Original Smiths Normally, she.lace doesn’t make statements that could be insulting, so we apologize in advance: if you’re “normal”, you’re boring. Please don’t take offense…after all, we know if you read these blogs and support the movement you have an affinity for defying norms . To be fair, we have to credit tha ..read more

“I think there are various ways to create theatre. You can pick up a script and start staging scenes, or you can come together with a group of people (no script/no base), and say, ‘So… what now?’ Or you can do both…To be a theatre creator is to do any and all of those things. To “create”. I see such a freedom in that word. I love the process and freedom of having a voice in the room and making the ‘impossible’ possible. And every time I choose a project, that is what I look for. The possibility and the freedom to create.” ~Winnie Nwakobi   Theatrical Creation , what melodramatics is she ..read more