Fairly Foul Part I: The Phantom Menace

The chemicals in our cosmetics really are a phantom menace!  Byproducts aren't on the labels (hello formaldehyde), fragrances are "trade secrets" and greenwashing is everywhere!  These sessions with girls have been a great space to talk about the issues around cosmetics: our consumer power, self esteem, the environment, and our health!

The first Girlz session went well!  The girls had tons of questions, ideas and lots to discuss!  In this session, we talked about everything from where our soap suds go when we wash them down the drain, to which chemicals to watch our for, why, and where, to our buying power!  We watched a (very) short youtube video about the chemicals in cosmetics (check it out here!).  The messages in the video definitely make space for further discussion: wearing makeup that is better for your health is great, but doing it to get attention (in this case from boys) may not be the best reason!  We talked about choosing to wear makeup for yourself, not for others and empowering yourself through knowledge.

After this we did a Toxic Treasure Hunt of sorts.  The facilitators brought in products that they use, and we lined them up for the girls.  We made sure to include products meant for children, and some labeled as "organic" and "natural."  Armed with a toxic chemical checklist, the girls went over the ingredient lists (in groups) to see just how bad these everyday products were.  The conclusion? They told us we really need to switch up our routines!  They also found a plethora of toxic chemicals in the "organic," "natural" and kids products (including coal tar! Yuck!).

After a break, we finished up with an "Artsy Smartsy" session inspired by FemmeToxic.  I had been collecting old makeup from fellow employees and a few of the girls brought in their own stuff.  This is a great activity!  A few notes for those of you hoping to try this:

• Eye shadow can be really tough on your paintbrushes, so don't use anything fancy!
• Creamy foundation can be difficult to get off surfaces (you may need a degreaser)
• Nail polish definitely belongs outside!

The session was tons of fun, please feel free to comment if you have any questions or are doing something similar! I would love to hear about it!

Peace. Health. Harmony.