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Career, Family, Hollywood

The Arrangement on E!

Years ago, I was a bartender at this hotel. Jonathan Abrahams would pick me up in his beat up Jetta at 2am and I’d put my feet on the dash and count my dollar bills. That Jetta had permanent moisture in the windshield. Even when it was dry outside. It made no sense. How did it get there? How could he even drive that thing- you couldn’t see out the damn windshield! Anyway…

the arrangement, jonathan abrahams, e!, hollywood, television, writer

He doesn’t have the Jetta anymore, but twelve years later he does have a giant mural for his TV show on the side of the building.   Continue Reading…

Career, Women

The Pie Life… and How I Found Balance

I loved being a stay-at-home mom. For years. The nursing, the middle-of-the-day cuddles, how the smallest activities turned into big, big adventures. And then one day I didn’t love it so much anymore. In fact, I found myself very depressed. My life was completely out of whack.  Continue Reading…

Career, DIY, Makers

Correcting Yellowface Interview on CCTV

I’m going to be honest. I’ve never been more nervous in my life than I was on the set of CCTV America talking about my project Correcting Yellowface. OK, doing the Today show was pretty nerve-wracking, but at least I had a gazillion things to demonstrate and it was only 4 minutes. This was a sit down interview. In a high-tech studio. With a women I’d never met. Talking about a heavy subject. FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES. May Lee introduced herself to me beforehand and even though she was super cool and personable- someone I’d want to hang with outside of work- meeting her didn’t take away the anxiety I had about speaking publicly about my project. CCTV is broadcast all over the world, in millions of households, and it’s super-broadcasted (that means I don’t remember the numbers but it’s ridiculously high) all over China.

However painful, this I learned: I did not die. Yet again, I put myself out there and I. did. not. perish.

If I can do it, you can too. Put yourself out there today. Do the scariest thing you can imagine. ‘Till your pits sweat and you sincerely think you might pass out.

Tell me about it after. You’ll be able to. Because you won’t be dead. xox

Beauty, Career, DIY, Women

My Adventures Correcting Yellowface

OK you guys. This might be my favorite DIY project ever. It’s personal. And it’s weird. And I’m a little giddy about it. Excuse me while I go giggle behind my delicate Asian hand. 😉 It’s called Correcting Yellowface.

correcting yellow face, michelle villemaire, asian, diversity, hollywoodA few weeks ago, in a fit of frustration over the history of Hollywood whitewashing, I felt an urge to do something. I started taking pictures of myself. Not just random pictures. I took pictures of myself as Asian characters who were played by white women in film. And it felt sooooo good.

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