Saie Beauty Is Bringing The Industry Together For A Worthy Cause
While you may have heard of "reproductive justice" before, the term was actually first introduced in the '90s by a group of Black women, who would later call themselves the Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice. At the time, this group from Chicago wanted to fight for reproductive rights and social justice for marginalized communities including women of color and trans people. To this day, the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective still holds that reproductive justice is the "human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities." And nearly 20 years after the phrase was created, the issue is still ongoing.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that women of color have been more affected by the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June by the Supreme Court. Luckily, a number of private companies responded to the SCOTUS decision – including fashion and beauty brands like Lululemon, The Body Shop, and Estee Lauder — by donating money to reproductive rights organizations and/or promising to cover travel costs for employees who have to leave the state to get an abortion, per Women's Wear Daily. The latest initiative brings together three dozen beauty brands in support of reproductive justice ahead of the midterm elections.
100% of proceeds will support reproductive justice
Laney Crowell, the CEO and Founder of the clean makeup beauty brand Saie, is leading the Every Body Campaign. According to the press release about the initiative, which is the largest of its kind in history, over 35 beauty brands are giving 100% of the proceeds from the sale of limited-edition products to the Atlanta-based SisterSong. SisterSong is a national organization which helps fight for reproductive justice on a number of fronts including advocating for politicians who will protect reproductive rights. These limited-edition items will also be packaged in "Every Body Green" – green has become the symbolizing color for reproductive rights around the world, via NPR.
"The Every Body Campaign is catapulting big-beauty to the forefront of the fight for reproductive justice by turning their platforms into battlegrounds that will give consumers a unique pathway to organize against anti- abortion laws," said Monica Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong. Scarlett Johansson, who co-founded skincare line The Outset – which is participating in the initiative with their Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum — said they joined the initiative because they "believe in conscious consumerism and are proud to participate in this effort that highlights and supports the basic human rights that are at stake."
Even co-creator of Keys Soulcare, Alicia Keys, told Glamour that the campaign was important because "collectively we are powerful," and "wellness is to truly care for the whole self — body, mind, and spirit — and every individual should have governance over their whole self."