Passionate about putting an end to human trafficking, Noor Tagouri is one young woman who is using fashion to shine a light on such a dark reality.

Often referred to as modern day slavery, DoSomething.org estimates that there are between 20 and 30 million people enslaved in the world today as a result of human trafficking.

Let that sink in for a second.

In addition to that statistic, the U.S. State Department is also reporting that 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80 percent are female and half are children. Children. 

And what’s even scarier than the numbers are the things these individuals are forced to do. According to the NHTRC (National Human Trafficking Resource Center), “traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts, or labor services.” The sex aspect of trafficking may involve forcing women and minor children to work in “residential brothels, escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs, and street prostitution,” says the NHTRC. Furthermore, labor trafficking has been found in a variety of settings, including fashion production, as well as large farms, factories, small businesses, and domestic work.

Based on recent findings from the NHTRC, some of the highest reported incidences of human trafficking are happening in California, Texas, and Florida, which for many of us, may hit very close to home. With these epidemic-size proportions in our own backyards, it’s paramount that we put an end to such a frightening, devastating, and heinous violation of freedom and human rights. Although it may seem daunting based on the sheer gravity of the situation, every little bit of care, awareness, education, and activism helps.

Enter Noor Tagouri.

Currently on a quest to become the first hijab-wearing Muslim newscaster in America, this fearless female also has another cause that’s near and dear to her heart. Tagouri collaborated with clothing brand Lis’n Up to create a product line named after her campaign #LetNoorShine that will benefit Project Futures and the victims they help by donating 50 percent of the profits to the charity. Project Futures “is a not for profit organization working to end human trafficking and slavery by empowering individuals to take action in their communities,” with funds supporting victims and survivors through prevention, support services, and empowerment.

Tagouri said, in a piece she wrote for The Huffington Post, that she was inspired by “art, poetry, empowerment, and enlightenment,” especially since her first name, Noor, translates to “Light” in Arabic. Her goal was to create a visual representation of the cause with words and symbols, essentially “turning the people wearing the clothes into walking conversation starters.” Also inspired by the late American street artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and his quote, “I cross out words so you will see them more,” the collaboration between Tagouri and Lis’n Up resulted in a design that features the word “GIRL” crossed out so that they may “see our girls more.” The line is a limited edition collection consisting of shirts, hoodies, beanies, caps, and a varsity jacket, of which only 100 will be made, some of which are already sold out.

With hopes that this clothing will “take a step forward in forcing people to have that uncomfortable conversation of what is really happening to millions of our girls, from objectification, to the buying and selling of bodies for sex,” we’d say she’s doing a pretty great job. The line is modern, wearable, affordable, hip, and thanks to a thoughtful and thought-provoking spoken word piece written by Tagouri, it’s also very inspiring. On the back of every shirt and hoodie reads the following:

The Noor Effect

To ignite the blazing fire that is our girls.

Replace barcodes on bodies with those on books.

You can never sell her soul but society can profit from her thoughts.

Enlightenment and education to break free from the shackles of objectification.

She is a force to be reckoned with.

No longer held back because she has a voice and a passion.

She belongs to no one but herself.

Listen to her. Learn from her. Love her.

And there will be Noor.

With serious and widespread problems like human trafficking, we can’t expect to see results overnight, but we can talk to our loved ones and share the importance of safety and awareness. Until “our girls,” as Tagouri puts it, are kept safe from harm, the next best thing we can do is to help out in our communities and be able to recognize the signs of human trafficking. Check out the NHTRC’s guide on how to identify red flags and indicators of human trafficking. If you see something – say something! Share your thoughts with us regarding this sensitive issue on the EcoSalon Facebook page.

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Image of #LetNoorShine Clothing via Lis’n Up Clothing

The post The #LetNoorShine Campaign Combines Clothing and Activism to End Human Trafficking appeared first on EcoSalon.

All “Mad Man” fans have their favorite characters and are bracing themselves for the show’s last episode. While I’ve always been fond of Peggy (I love quipy writers) and have a strange love/hate relationship with Pete (have fun in Wichita, buddy), I have always been taken with Joan Holloway.

Joan is one of the first women in the “Mad Men” universe to break into the ad world’s boys club. We meet her on the show’s first episode as she coaches Peggy, the “new girl,” on how to behave in a busy, sex-crazed, and booze-fueled office atmosphere. Joan is firm, elegant, and it’s obvious that all the men in the office are smitten with her. But does Joan care? No. Joan cares about her job and getting work done, no matter how many disgusting advances she gets every day.

Over the years, Joan’s character has become increasingly intricate and deep. She’s been through multiple unpleasant encounters with men, been married and divorced, and has seen many promotions come and go. All the while, though, she has remained distinctly “Joan.” To celebrate this amazing female character, we’ve highlighted a few of the many things we adore about Joan.

1. She isn’t afraid to be feminine

Joan has a style that is all her own. She wears vibrant colors, beautiful jewelry, exquisite heels, and her radiant red locks are always perfectly styled. So, why is her appearance so important? Because it is intimidatingly female. Her looks are so uniquely hers that Joan is able to stop male clients in their tracks, and get the attention she deserves. She understands that she could never be a man, or win at being a masculine woman because that just isn’t her. Joan embraced her killer feminine instinct and grabbed the ad world by the balls, and demanded to be noticed for her smarts.

2. She uses her wit and accumulated wisdom to own all the haters

Now, Joan has had it rough many times. She had to deal with people thinking that she was just a pretty face, or that she was a “good time girl.” More often than not, Joan has had to use her wit and wisdom to get her point across. Joan’s superpower over the years has been putting dumb-dumb ad executives in their place and showing them what’s what, and we love her for it.

3. She’s a woman’s lib mover-and-shaker (and she doesn’t even know it)

Joan is an incredible feminist in her home life and at work. At home, she got out of a marriage that was terrible by telling her then-husband to take a hike when he wasn’t honest with her. She embraced being a single, working mother with grace and serenity.

And at the office, Joan knew that women weren’t taken seriously in the ad world, but she was able to expertly work the system many times. Sure, sometimes she had to play nice to get what she wanted, but she knew how to play the ad man game. Most recently, Joan lost her job because she stood up to her boss and told him she didn’t want to be sexually harassed in the work place. She ultimately lost her battle with the company, but her speech about women‘s lib and rights was truly inspiring.

Now, we know Joan wasn’t without faults, but really, who is? It’s the characters who screw up along the way and learn from their mistakes who really intrigue and stick with us long after a series ends.

Let’s raise a glass to Joan, and hope that we get to see many more female characters like her in the future.

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Image: Joan shot from “Mad Men” Facebook page

The post 3 Awesome Ways Joan Used Her Womanly Ways to Crush the ‘Mad Men’ Ad World’s Masochism appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’ve always loved Urban Decay for multiple reasons. The company doesn’t test on animals, it has a vegan line, and it consistently releases insane colors the make my inner-makeup weirdo smile. And recently, the company announced it’s going to embark on a new campaign that makes me love these makeup slingers even more.

Vanity Fair reported that Urban Decay launched “The Ultraviolet Edge,” an appropriately named global initiative that will fund women’s-rights organizations. Wende Zomnir, Urban Decay’s chief creative officer and brand co-founder, formed this ambitious initiative to “empower women and bring women’s inequality issues to the forefront.”

To help get “The Edge” up and running, Urban Decay will donate $3 million to various causes over the next five years (and pledges to donate $500,00 in its first year) and will partner with the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund for its initial donation.

In addition to the brand’s generous donations, Urban Decay will also publicly recognize inspiring women who it feels are making a difference. The first woman the boisterous makeup makers are recognizing is a person who is as colorful as the makeup it sells: Gwen Stefani. This is the brand’s reasoning for making Stefani its first notable woman:

Gwen Stefani. Like us, she has a history of breaking down barriers and hails from Orange County, California. (Fun fact: She and Wende, our founder, met back in the early days of No Doubt and UD.) We dig Gwen’s innate ability to set trends and defy expectations. She also shares our passion for empowering women and will help give this initiative the attention it deserves.

If you’re an Urban Decay fan, you can get in on the ladylove action, too. All you have to do is purchase it’s limited-edition hue, Enigma. This eye shadow primer is priced at $20 and 100-percent of your money will go to Decay’s Ultraviolet Edge.

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Image via Urban Decay Cosmetics’ Facebook page

The post Urban Decay Plans to Empower Women with ‘The Ultraviolet Edge’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

Karl Lagerfeld hosted a staged protest feigning support for women’s rights during the highly-anticipated Chanel catwalk show during Paris Fashion Week last month. Was he making a mockery of women? Or truly embracing the issues women face today?

Rightfully so, it’s hard to take anything Karl Lagerfeld does seriously. After all, he once said: “Everything I say is a joke. I myself am a joke.” No one would dare argue with him over that. But he’s also made crude and insensitive remarks, particularly about women, like dismissing their concerns over size-zero models as nothing more than the whinings of “fat mommies with bags of crisps,” reports the Guardian. He’s said “no one wants to see curvy women” – a blanket statement that shows his prejudice and insensitivity.

So, what then was he doing in Paris sending Cara Delevingne out onto the catwalk with a megaphone and plopping a banner reading “Women’s Rights are More than Alright” into Kendall Jenner’s hands? Emma Watson’s He for She campaign, designed to help the world understand and support the principles of gender equality, was also represented in the show. “To a soundtrack of Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman broadcast from transistor radios on classic Chanel gold chains, which swung from the young women’s shoulders like the brand’s signature 2.55 bags, models including Gisele Bündchen and Georgia May Jagger came in two or threes, smiling and chatting. The mood this set was very different from the usual silent, single-file parade, which as a rule exudes about as much joie de vivre and personality as a queue for airport customs,” reports the Guardian.

The looks just happened to match the protest theme, even with a masculine edge to them: “[P]sychedelic, with paint-splatter coats, rainbow tweeds and pastel tie-dye bags, worn with peacock-toned eyeshadow and flat gold shoes. The protest theme was hinted at in accessories: a crystal-studded whistle worn as a pendant, nestling among strands of pearls; a bag printed with the legend Make Fashion Not War.”

What everyone seems to want to know is whether or not Lagerfeld has truly developed a sensitivity to women’s issues, or could he just be co-opting them to sell more products?

“I think he was harking back to Coco Chanel’s feminist values – she was very much a strong and empowered woman. I think this just shows that fashion, feminism and empowering women do not have to be mutually exclusive,” Trish Halpin, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire told the Guardian.

Yes, Coco Chanel was a strong and empowered woman. Karl Lagerfeld? Not so much. Plus, in its post-Coco iteration, the Chanel brand has scored an “E” rating—the lowest possible sustainability rating from the group Rank a Brand. In other words, while Coco may have stood for female empowerment, it’s not a hallmark credential in manufacturing its products today. Cara Delevingne may get a megaphone with her makeover, but what about the woman who sewed her Chanel bag? Does she even get a lunch break?

Co-opting feminism to push a runway agenda, which perpetuates a number of myths about women, isn’t a boon for empowerment. It hides the inequality going on behind the runway–the horrors the fashion industry creates for all women—from those forced to create the products, to those forced in other ways to buy them season after season. If Lagerfeld really wanted to send a message of empowerment for women, he would have sent the signs out onto the runway all by themselves, and sent the models out for ice cream.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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The post Karl Lagerfeld’s ‘Feminist’ Protest During Paris Fashion Week: Real or BS? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Bali recently hosted the first Summit on Women and Climate. It’s all about raising women’s voices and women’s leadership on global climate change. It’s an issue that will impact everyone but for indigenous women who are the primary farmers, foragers, and cooks throughout much of the world, it will have an especially harsh impact.

“For indigenous women, the relationship with the environment is very important – it has such a high impact on [their] lives,” Mariana Lopez, program coordinator for the International Indigenous Women’s Forum said to Grist. “They have a very close relationship with the cycles of nature. But with climate change altering those patterns — well, when nature is unpredictable, it’s very disruptive to their lives.”

Women like Ursula Rakova are also in control of moving their communities in places like Tulun in Papua New Guinea because the ocean has eaten up so much of the farmland that growing their staple taro is no longer possible. She’ll be moving her entire community to Bouganville, a nearby island. She’s on the front lines of action and reaction.

Global Greengrants, one of the hosts of the event, has been documenting women’s roles as the planet warms. They’ve already distributed 700 small grants in more than 80 countries this year to get people working on critical local issues. In all, 24 percent of these grants will go to women led organizations.

EcoWatch documented the work of one particular women on the front lines:

‘Mama’ Aleta Baun, an award-winning Indonesian environmental activist, was the first grassroots woman to speak at the recent Summit on Women and Climate. This diminutive yet powerful indigenous leader organized women in several communities to fight against land grabbing by mining companies in her region of West Timor. They successfully kept four mining enterprises out by blocking their access to sites, sitting each day for months and weaving the traditional cloth that her people wear as turbans and skirts.

The summit outlined other qualities that show why women may be our best hope for fighting global climate change:

• Women are most often directly responsible for feeding their families.
• Indigenous women are often closer to nature and see the impact of global climate change first because they are farming, foraging, and fishing.
• Women are on the front lines of peaceful protest against the destruction of their traditional territory.
• Women are particularly strong at working together toward a common solution which means they’re better able to network with other associations.

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The post On the Front Lines of Global Climate Change and Women’s Rights appeared first on EcoSalon.

Hobby Lobby isn’t the only company that thinks not paying for contraception is good for business. Popular organic food brand Eden Foods is seeking similar rights.

The Michigan-based organic food company, Eden Foods, has been fighting the U.S. government for more than a year over whether or not its employee insurance program must cover contraception for women.

Sound familiar?

Even though this reads an awful lot like the recent Hobby Lobby case, the Supreme Court separated the suits, and in its recent ruling, vacated a judgment against Eden Foods. The suit is now heading back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for review.

Eden Foods says that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is violating its religious beliefs about contraception. “We were convinced that actions of the federal government were illegal, and so filed a formal objection,” the company said in a statement on its website. “The recent Supreme Court decision [on Hobby Lobby] confirms, at least in part, that we were correct.”

Founder and CEO of Eden Foods, Michael Potter, is a devout Catholic who compared contraceptives to “lifestyle drugs,” reports the Los Angeles Times. Potter does not believe companies “should be forced to fund insurance that includes that coverage.”

Regardless of where the Supreme Court stands on Hobby Lobby or Eden Food’s position, the discussion brings up a lot of questions about insurance and employees rights (and what in the world is wrong with employers these days). But no question seems more looming than whether or not we should still support these companies. In particular, should we still buy Eden Foods’ products? While Hobby Lobby may have its devoted consumers, Eden Foods’ story is of a different ilk. One that matters a little bit more to a progressive future. Or at least, used to.

One of the “original” natural and organic food brands  (the company claims to be the oldest natural food brand in North America), Eden has long honored a commitment to organic farming practices. In fact, it is so picky about organics that it refuses to put the USDA organic seal on its products claiming that the National Organic Program doesn’t do organics justice. It supports local farmers when it can and was one of the first brands to remove BPA from its canned goods. It has taken a stand against GMOs, and Eden Foods is one of the last privately held organic brands of its size (annual revenues around $50 million). It has long stood for integrity and quality in the organic food sector. It’s Facebook page header reads “Organic agriculture is society’s brightest hope for positive change.” But now maybe it should read more like “Now leaving the Organic Garden of Eden, please dispose of your apple cores in the compost bin.”

So perhaps the better question here is: What matters most to Eden Foods? Is it an employer’s right to not pay for contraception or is it integrity in our food system? Because I’m guessing Potter and Eden can’t have it both ways. Even Potter admits that most of the feedback has been negative. The organic customer comes in all shapes and sizes, but if you average her out, chances are good she wants the right to do with her body whatever she pleases. And if that means buying her black beans and soymilk from another brand to safeguard that right, I’m guessing she’s going to leave Eden… for good.

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The post Eden Foods’ Hobby Lobby Approach to Contraception: Not Exactly Organic appeared first on EcoSalon.

On 19 January 2014, the official One Billion Rising 2013 documentary short premiered at Sundance.

The campaign highlights the fact that one in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That amounts to one billion women. So in 2013, one billion women and men danced together around the world to end violence against women and girls. The campaign is calling on men and women to rise again this year on February 14th. Watch the touching video below and for more info, visit OneBillionRising.org.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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The post This is What One Billion Women Dancing Together Looks Like [Video] appeared first on EcoSalon.

When it comes to storytelling, film is a powerful medium. With visuals, we get pulled into the heart of a story; we take part at the same time that we learn. Skilled documentary filmmakers know the art of getting across a complex idea in a tangible way, one that’s not only informative but also touching. They can make us cry, they can make us laugh, most most importantly, hopefully they inspire us to take action.

If you care about women and women’s rights, there are some excellent documentaries out there, not only about women, but also directed and produced by women. That’s a good thing, because while the world of media is male dominated, with top grossing films often directed by and depicting men, the independent documentary world is more balanced, with women more likely to work on independent films and documentaries. In fact, 39 percent of directors working on independently produced documentaries in 2011-2012 were women.

Compare that with the dismal statistics of women and girls around the world: “Sixty-six million are currently out of school; 150 million are sexually assaulted each year; and in the past 30 seconds, about 13 were forced into arranged marriages,” as PureWow recently pointed out. We can’t have enough films about these topics. Films that addresses the state of women around the world are essentials to helping us pave the way forward.

The more films by and about women, the more we support women in general. Here are some excellent ones to start with.

1. Miss Representation

Why do we have certain images of women in the media? Miss Representation takes a look at that question, showing the link between gender inequality in power positions in media, and how that perpetuates stereotyped gender roles in our culture. Produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom – who we interviewed around the time the film cam out – it is a compelling look at the under representation of women from media to politics, and a call to action for those of us who want to make change.

2. Girl Rising

The format of Girl Rising is unique: it’s a film about the stories of nine girls from nine countries written by nine writers and performed by nine actresses. The equivalent of a short story collection, each segment features the real girl acting out an episode of her own life, giving us an intimate view of what girls around the world are up against.

3. To Educate a Girl

In 2000, 110 million children in the world were not in school—two thirds of them were girls. Moved by this statistic, two filmmakers Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky traveled to Nepal and Uganda to find out what it actually takes to educate a girl. To Educate a Girl is a look at the lives of young women who are working hard to achieve their dreams despite living in situations of conflict and poverty.

4. Invisible War

Soldiers in the military are up against a lot, their everyday jobs often being physically and emotionally taxing. But for some it’s even worse than that. In fact, a female U.S. soldier in a combat zone is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. Invisible War is an investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, a difficult topic, but one that’s necessary to talk about.

5. Half the Sky Movement

Not a traditional big screen film, Half the Sky Movement is a four-hour PBS series that was shot in ten different countries to show women and girls living under the most difficult circumstances imaginable, yet fighting to change them. Inspired by the powerful book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, the film isn’t just a film, it’s a call to arms to end the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.

Want more? The National Organization for Women has an excellent extensive roundup of films about global women’s rights that are all well worth a watch.

Image courtesy of Miss Representation

The post 5 Essential Documentary Films for Anyone Who Cares About Women appeared first on EcoSalon.

How will social media and technology change our future?

“If you try something for 50 years and it doesn’t work, for God’s sake, try something else.”

This unabashed statement from Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, was the first indication that the Social Good Summit was going to be a swift kick in the pants.

Thousands of people took part in the three-day event at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. They came to learn how innovative thinking and new technology can solve the world’s greatest challenges. They came not only to ask ambitious questions, but also to provide equally ambitious answers.

Organized to take place alongside the UN General Assembly meeting, the Summit was an inspirational “meeting of the minds,” with world leaders, celebrities, techies, activists, academics, and philanthropists gathering to exchange ideas about how to build a better future. A short message from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened the Summit, encouraging attendees to take advantage of opportunities to harness new technologies that strengthen societies, support women’s health and rights, and soften the impact of climate change.

“A revolution in social media is helping people everywhere take part in a global conversation about how we can work together to advance the common good,” said Clinton. “We are living at a time when anyone can be a diplomat. All you have to do is hit send.”

The format of the Summit was similar to TED conferences with the event featuring the creme de la creme of Hollywood, international advocacy, universities, and media giving short, compelling speeches as to their solutions to family planning, child poverty, obesity, and human trafficking. The heavy topics were nicely balanced with interjections of levity, such as a first-day speech from 14-year-old author and activist Adora Svitak entitled “How Millennials Will Save The World.”

Although visibly nervous, Svitak overcame her fear by decimating stereotypes about apathetic youth in her 5-minute speech. She cited example after example of how she and her friends are using social media to feed the hungry and advocate for reproductive rights. “We want our world to have more than a nominal confidence in us,” she softly chided the adult attendees. “We want to transcend our boundaries, as much as we may be weighed down by them.”

On the second day of the Summit, Brooke Loughrin, the first-ever U.S. Youth Observer of the UN, echoed Svitak’s sentiments. “Youth are using social media…to bring our communities together and address issues,” she said. “Some people are stating that youth are taking over, but I would make the argument that we already have.”

Many attending celebrities whose advocacy work was given a spotlight were also celebrated at the Summit. During a conversation with Jeffrey Sachs and Hans Vestberg, of Columbia University and Ericsson respectively, Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker spoke passionately about the organization he founded, the PeaceEarth Foundation. He explained that working for peace isn’t just for other countries:

“I come from an environment where there was a lot of conflict. There was the birth of the gangs in my community when I was a young kid. I witnessed and was affected by losses due to violence. As a result, I started to do work [on peace]. We have to not just open our eyes to what’s going on in other places; we need to open our eyes to what’s going on right in front of us.”

Actress Maria Bello explained why she got involved with supporting women’s anti-violence activism in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and pointed to a key piece of advice that changed her life: you serve best doing the thing you love most. Bello said that what she loves most is using the resources she has to make positive changes in the world.

Television stars America Ferrera and Alexis Bledel also shared their global experiences from a recent trip to Honduras they went on together with ONE, a grassroots organization that helps women and girls in impoverished countries develop economic opportunities that benefit their families and communities.

“I wanted to go on this trip because I felt really impassioned about shedding light on issues that are happening in Latin America,” explained Ferrera. “These people aren’t looking for handouts or charity; they are looking for tools.”

Bledel agreed. “Having met these women, it’s clear that they want to do for themselves,” she said. “They had such good ideas. They could see the problems really clearly and know the solutions.”

Bledel and Ferrera encouraged the audience to learn how they can invest in women and girls who live in developing countries because, as Ferrera stated, women play a critical role in the success of their communities and countries.

In addition to the Summit gathering in New York, thousands more people were able to take part in the conversation through meet-ups in 237 communities. From San Francisco to São Paulo, the Summit talks were livestreamed and simultaneously translated into six different languages to reach and engage audiences worldwide in a Global Conversation.

It was humbling to spend time among so many talented and inspiring everyday citizens who are committed to tackling global problems. If you’re not inspired enough already, pick through the videos at Mashable for motivation and information on how you can become the change.

Images: Mashable

The post How Is the Social Good Summit Changing the Future? appeared first on EcoSalon.

The next four years could be like a bad episode of ‘Mad Men.’

I’ll admit it: prior to attending the Democratic National Convention earlier this month, I knew very little about what was at stake for women’s health this election season. Sure, I had heard rumblings about Republican Sen. Todd Akin’s legitimate rape blunder, rolled my eyes when hearing about Republican Rep. Mike Callton’s squeamishness over the v-word, and laughed at the ridiculous conservative notion that women can technically become pregnant two weeks before even doing the deed.

But by the end of DNC, it was very clear that the rights I have taken for granted my whole life are at risk. November 6 doesn’t just present a choice between Obama-Biden and Romney-Ryan. It presents a choice about women’s rights, particularly those involving our health.

Throughout the three-day convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, women took center stage, both figuratively and literally. During the televised speeches at the Time Warner Arena, nearly every major speaker forcefully advocated for women’s rights, to raucous applause. Down the street, enthusiastic cheers from the over-capacity Women’s Caucus meetings echoed through the Charlotte Convention Center. There were panel discussions and workshops, mixers and meetings. On the city streets, pink-shirted Planned Parenthood volunteers, male and female, distributed condoms that read: “Protect Yourself from Romney & Ryan.”

“I never thought I’d see a week when men and women hit the stage time after time and talked about women’s issues,” said Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, at a Women’s Caucus meeting on the last day of the convention. The crowd went wild.

In 2012, as in 2008, women voters will decide this election. Women make up approximately 51 percent of the nation’s electorate, reports CNN. Plus, we vote in greater numbers than men. In 2008, 65.7 percent of women turned out to the polls, compared with 61.5 percent of men, says USA Today.

That still leaves more than one-third of women who don’t vote. With so much at stake, that’s simply unacceptable. Here are some of the most resounding women’s health battle cries from the DNC, which will hopefully convince those undecided few of the need to stand up and vote.

“We can’t see a reversal of Roe v. Wade.”

The historic piece of pro-choice legislation has set the tone for the abortion debate in America since 1973. But if recent Republican-led initiatives are any indication, this may not always be the case.

The official GOP platform states that “the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed” and supports a strict ban on abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, and when the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. According to The Guardian, a staggering number of Republican-led state initiatives have attempted to further restrict abortion rights over the past year. Ohio’s “Heartbeat Bill,” for instance, would ban abortion at as early as five weeks, while Mississippi’s “Personhood” initiative would outlaw abortion, the morning-after pill, hormonal contraception like the pill and the IUD, and even in vitro fertilization.

Such attempts to revoke a woman’s right to choose aren’t just archaic and regressive – they’re downright scary. “It’s like we woke up in a bad episode of Mad Men,” said Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards on night two of the convention.

“Birth control decisions should be left to women, not to the government or their employers.”

President Obama’s Affordable Care Act makes it mandatory for health insurance providers to cover all forms of birth control, without co-pays or deductibles. Previously, birth control coverage was a decision made by state agencies or individual employers.

In comparison, Republican efforts to shut down Planned Parenthood and abolish sex education are aiming to restrict information and access to basic reproductive health services.

Unsurprisingly, men are at the helm of these efforts. In a Republican hearing on contraception earlier this year, not a single woman was included on the panel. The Democrats, who were allowed one witness, chose to present student activist Sandra Fluke. She was dismissed for being “unqualified,” then famously called a slut and prostitute by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Politicians across party lines, including President Obama, sprung to Fluke’s defense. Romney was notably silent.

“During this campaign, we’ve heard about the two profoundly different futures that could await women – and how one of those futures looks like an offensive, obsolete relic of our past,” Fluke said on day two of the convention. “Warnings of that future are not distractions. They’re not imagined. That future could be real.” 

Richards echoed that notion at a Women’s Caucus meeting. “This is 2012 and we are still actually arguing over whether women should have the right to birth control in America. That is absolutely unbelievable.” She shared a story of meeting older women who had participated in the women’s rights movement while on the campaign trail. “They carried signs that said: ‘I can’t believe I have to fight this shit again.’”

“Being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition.”

Before the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies could deny health coverage to women because of “pre-existing conditions” like having breast cancer, being pregnant, or surviving domestic violence, according to Slate. Insurance companies were also able to drop women’s coverage due to pregnancy or sickness, and charge women more for coverage solely because of gender.

“Under Obamacare, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against women,” said Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, on the first night of the convention.

 Before, some wouldn’t cover women’s most basic needs, like contraception and maternity care, but would still charge us up to 50 percent more than men—for a worse plan. They said women who had C-sections or survived breast cancer or even domestic violence had “pre-existing conditions” and would deny them coverage. But this president made it illegal to discriminate against women and ended the practice of insurance companies charging women higher premiums than men for the same coverage. This president ensured women’s free access to preventive services like breast cancer screenings. Being a mother is no longer a liability, and being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition! That’s what change looks like.

“We need a president who respects women.”

Many are familiar with the famous Ms. Magazine cover featuring a Photoshopped President Obama wearing a t-shirt that reads: “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like.” Judging from actions and remarks made over the past several months, it’s obvious that his opponents have a long way to go.

Sebelius hit the nail on the head when she voiced her observations on the Republican National Convention.

I must say I wouldn’t have known it unless they told me over and over again that they love women. That’s what they said: ‘We love women.’ That their mothers were women, that they’re married to women, their sisters are women. But if you watch what they do, they don’t like women very much, they don’t respect women very much and they’re not looking out for us very much.

According to Fluke, “that’s not the America we should be.”

We’ve also seen another future we could choose. First of all, we’d have the right to choose. It’s an America in which no one can charge us more than men for the exact same health insurance; in which no one can deny us affordable access to the cancer screenings that could save our lives; in which we decide when to start our families. An America in which our president, when he hears a young woman has been verbally attacked, thinks of his daughters—not his delegates or donors—and stands with all women.

Again, the crowd – male and female – went wild.

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Images: Jessica Marati

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