bring our 'full selves'
Hi my friends,
I’ve missed you!
Last week I unpacked my suitcase after two months of travel, and as I looked through the variety of business suits & cocktail dresses, formal wedding gowns & sequined disco pants … I found myself reflecting on how we consciously choose to show the world distinct parts of ourselves in different times, scenarios and spaces.
This, is of course, not a new topic. Especially during the pandemic, when the move to virtual meetings prompted a wave of blurred lines between our work alter-egos and at-home personas. As toddlers took over keyboards, cats pounced in the middle of presentations and wi-fi went out whenever a storm came through; these moments of our ‘behind the scenes’ selves crept in and created a new level of intimacy in our work relationships.
As I traveled from UNGA week in NYC to my dear friends’ wedding in Italy, I had several experiences of overlap and a small epiphany that I was actually at my best, when I showed up fully with ALL the hats on.
A female entrepreneur, I have felt that in order to be successful and taken seriously, I have to keep my feminine side, my spiritual side, my dance at the wedding until the DJ shuts us down side, neatly tucked away. Full integration was not something I was comfortable with.
I keep going back to a conversation I had with President Clinton and Ann Mukherjee, CEO of Pernod Ricard, at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in September. We spoke about the post-pandemic workplace and how women are returning with their ‘full selves’; learning to integrate our feminine side rather then trying to be ‘one of the guys’ so that we can show up more aligned with our day-to-day lives.
I share all of this with you as my friends and colleagues and clients, because I am curious if this has shown up in your lives too? By bringing each other into our homes, we created a new level of connection; and we aren’t ever going back to the way things were. Showing up as our ‘full selves’ is what is needed to be able to relate to one another and get shit done!
Natalie
WHAT THE FRIDAY!
A few weeks ago, I attended an eye-opening event in NYC for International Day of the Girl that was focused on the issue of child marriage and the startling stats that it’s on the rise! Hosted by Michelle Obama, Melinda French Gates and Amal Clooney, the trio came together to announce a collaboration to advance gender equality and end child marriage.
When you hear the term ‘child marriage,’ I bet a few images come to mind. A religious cult on the outskirts, a developing country without contemporary rules and regulations …or maybe Jerry Lee Lewis, the infamous American rockstar who married his 13-year-old cousin in 1957.
It’s easy to disconnect the issue from modern society and file it away as a tragic pastime. Unfortunately child marriage still happens with overwhelming frequency, remaining a leading barrier to the advancement of economic opportunity for adolescent girls all around the world.
As of today, child marriage is still legal in 43 US states. Between 2000-2018, nearly 300,000 American children as young as 10 were married – predominately young girls wed to adult men.
And according to the organization Girls Not Brides, an estimated 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 each year. That’s nearly 1 every 3 seconds. In developing countries, 1 in 7 girls are married under the age of 15.
Just in the amount of time it takes you to read this newsletter, another 100+ adolescent girls could be forced into marriages with much older men, traded for money or other favors as if they were property or livestock.
dive deeper
According to UNICEF’s latest report an estimated 10 million more girls will be forced into marriage over the next decade because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the lowest income countries, 40% of girls are married before they turn 18, and 20% are married before age 15. Check out UNICEFs resources.
Unchained at Last shares that before 2017, child marriage was legal in all 50 US states and remains legal in 43 states. Between 2000-2018, nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were married in the states.
Girls Not Bride’s Theory of Change created a four-part approach to empower girls, mobilize communities, provide services and implement legal and policy frameworks to progress gender equality and end child marriage.
do something
Child marriage has deep roots in poverty, socio-cultural norms, low access to education and patriarchal systems that inherently portray girls as inferior to boys and men. While protective legal frameworks will play a huge role in eradicating this issue, we need to take a holistic approach by supporting global solutions that provide equal access to quality education, health care and economic opportunity as well as tackling social norms around girls’ potential.
Inspired! Take action by educating yourself, joining the alliance, donating and helping spread the word.
Join The Obama Foundation’s Get Her There campaign and their network of grassroots organizations dedicated to educating and empowering adolescent girls to ensure that no girls are left behind.
Support organizations such as Girls First Fund and the Girls Not Brides, global networks of over 1600+ civil society organizations committed to ending child marriage.
Share! It is also as simple as telling one person about it. I didn’t know how bad the issue had gotten post pandemic! We must bring this back into the public sphere.
something cool
In a tribute to their female founder Madame Clicquot, Veuve Clicquot brought on art historian Camille Morineau to bring together 10 renowned female artists to create artwork inspired by their female entrepreneurship heritage and Madame Clicquot’s inventions which revolutionized the world of champagne.
Meet the artists and book a visit to the exhibit in Los Angeles here.
Don’t forget to visit the on-site café for a glass of champs hosted in partnership with Re:her that is working to accelerate gender equity in the restaurant industry.