Did you know that every year millions of girls and women in developing countries will miss up to 50 days of school/work because of their periods? Now we’ve all experienced how debilitating our periods can be, now imagine if you had to suffer through this without the proper sanitary tools. Unfortunately, this is actually a reality for the majority of women in developing and underdeveloped areas.

However, I just learned about a great new organization that is involved in aiding this dilemma. SHE (which stands for Sustainable Health Enterprises) has launched an initiative to assist women in these areas create their own businesses to manufacture and distribute affordable, quality, and eco-friendly sanitary pads. Additionally, the products will look to use local raw materials to ensure affordability and accessibility.

SHE is just another example of how women can create positive changes in regards to their menstrual cycle, a concept applauded wholeheartedly by Maxim. To learn more, visit their website here.

Earth Day, Maxim Style

We’re a little late on the Earth Day Post, but we were definitely not amiss on the streets and schools of New York in celebrating our favorite holiday of the year.

Maxim was honored to be amongst several booths at several different schools in our hometown of New York, showcasing what students can do to lead greener lives. During the events, Maxim was able to demonstrate how our products are better for the Earth, and the body too!

At Hofstra University…

We took a spot at the quad in front of Hofstra University’s trendy Bits n’ Bytes Café where Earth Day was all abuzz, as The Center for Civic Engagement hosted an eco-friendly festival. Other booths included PETA, Progressive Students Union, Organic Foods, Anthropology club, Green Career opportunities and so much more!

At New York University…

We were set up under a tent outside on a cold spring NYC day on Washington Place, right smack in the middle of NYU’s most trendy metropolitan campus, where we got to meet some trendy NYUers who were blown away by what we had to say about what was lining their pantiliners. Other fun booths included Honest Tea, POM, Sustainable NYC, and Earth Celebrations.

At East Islip High School…

The gymnasium was converted in to an “earthasium.” Students were bussed in from the elementary and middle schools to take part in the districts dedication to keeping the youth informed about their responsibilities to the earth. You would think youngsters at this age would be shy or giggling about learning about tampons, but they were not only overly enthused, but quite serious about what Maxim had to say about the content of their tampons, pads and pantiliners.

Maxim and V-Day

Maxim is always looking to take part in events and affairs that focus around women's health, awareness, and well-being. It's funny how many women's events revolve around vaginas; lucky for us, as given the nature of Maxim products, that's right up our alley. Last time it was the Vagina Festival; most recently Maxim was pleased to have participated in Hofstra University’s production of The Vagina Monologues. The performance is part of an annual "V-Day” campaign hosted on college campuses across America to end violence against women.

With the shared value of women’s health and security in mind, Maxim happily supports the cause and donated two different gift baskets to be raffled off at the end of two of the performances. Each gift package contained fun spa packages and a selection of Maxim’s 100% Organic and Natural Cotton Products. Proceeds from the raffle went towards the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The performance is a fun, thought-provoking, provacative and sometimes emotional showcase for exploring some of the issues surrounding women’s rights, issues and perceptions, but it wasn’t the only hit and excitement for the evening. As seen in the picture above, Maxim shared a table with Planned Parenthood, educating students about other related women’s issues. Students were pleasantly surprised as they got handed free Maxim samples on their way in to the theatre. Student, Megan Walker, was beaming as she emerged from the ladies room stating, “It honestly feels healthier.”

With women’s health and security in mind, Maxim was honored be included in such an important event.

For more information on V-day, click here.

Recession Retail Madness Ctd: Organics Will Prevail!

My Recession Retail Madness experience at Saks, described in the last post, is a rare opportunity, a spur of the moment occurrence based on the thrill of getting fashion for less, not anything like an organic shopping experience. Organic shopping comes with deep value. Values live beyond a sale or fashion trend. It's not like fashion where "one day you're in and the next day you're out." It's more like, once you go organic you'll never go back.

But, what are the numbers saying and do numbers outweigh values and trends?



The past four to five years have seen the largest growth in organic sales, anywhere from 20 - 30%. Here are some pre-recession statistics about the growth of organics that will tickle your green pickle:

- A study by the Soil Association shows retail sales of organic product sales at over $4 billion in 2007, with an average annual growth rate of 22%.

- “Sales of organic personal care products rose last year almost 20%, eight times the rate of overall sales of cosmetics and toiletries, according to some research.” (PLMA Scanner Spring 08)

- A survey of organic industry leaders by the Organic Trade Association forecasted that everyday use of organic products of all kinds would be both accepted and routine by the year 2025. Such a forecast is evident in the OTA’s 2005 Organic Non-Foods Category Sales Percent Growth figures provided below:


Organic Non-Foods Category Share, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------------
05 Sales % Growth
Organic Categories ($Mil) 2005
------------------ -------- --------
Organic Supplements $238 29%
Organic Personal Care $282 28%
Products/Cleaners $ 19 29%
Organic Pet Food $ 30 46%
Organic Flowers $ 16 50%
Organic Fiber (Linens & Clothing) $160 44%
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total Organic Consumer Non-Foods Sales $744 32.5%


Here are some recently sited in-recession statistics that aren't so ticklish:

- Nielsen, a consumer marketing research company, reports "While 52-week dollar sales of UPC-coded organics are up 21% vs. last year, the most recent four-week period ending October 4, 2008, shows growth of only 11.2%. Last year, organics saw 27.1% sales growth during the comparable four-week period ending October 6, 2007."

- Mintel, a leading tracker of consumer product intelligence, reports "the price of all food at home increased more than 7% in the past year. “To cope with higher prices, many shoppers are simply opting not to buy pricey organic or premium brands,” explains Mogelonsky," a senior analyst at Mintel.


It's funny that this year Mintel is projecting a slowing of organic sales, when just last year they were predicting steady growth in organics as reported in "Organic Becomes Mainstream," showing that no projection or report could have ever predicted the recession were in now. This doesn't mean that "Organics are Recession Proof," but I would say they are trend-proof.

Sure organics have been on trend for the past few years, which is what some analysts are saying caused the tremendous sales growth indicated in the "ticklish" statistics first presented, but organics go beyond trends, especially when it comes to necessities and clear health threats, like the dangers of dioxin and the irritation caused by synthetics in conventional feminine hygiene products (had to plug my products here because they really do serve as a good example). Some women have no choice but to stick with organics because of the confirmed negative repercussions of choosing otherwise.

In observing and speaking with the people around me I feel confident in saying "organics will prevail!" Just today I spoke with a Sales Associate in the Organic and Natural department at NYC's very busy and bustling Fairway Market who described the mood of the Organic Shopper as extra conscious on where her dollars are being spent but not sacrificing her need and value for organics specifically in places where it really counts, like feminine hygiene. I was also very happy to see one of my close friends whom I know lives paycheck to paycheck is still stocking his Method, naturally derived biodegradable cleaning products; for him it came down to a re-prioritizing of his spending habits, like his own coffee in the morning instead of stopping at Starbucks on the way to work.

Like the way organics make us think twice about what we're putting inside and on our bodies or the way we're treating our environment, the recession is making us think twice about where we're spending our money. For many people it's a great time "re-access" their spending habits. The only difference is a recession is like a fashion trend, "one day it's in and the next day it's out." This recession will pass, just like tube socks died with the 80s, but Organic lifestyles are more intrinsic and here to stay because they are value driven.

Recession Retail Madness - The Positives In Fashion

I used to love to shop; that was before I started paying all my bills, had the time to browse through the racks for good deals and as of late, before the recession (or so I thought on this last point)....

Never in my young shopping years have I seen so many sales and great deals, especially before the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. If I get one more email about my favorite retailers' special sales, I will begin the unsubscribing process. All of a sudden I'm every retailers' "friends and family." I remember when that discount actually applied to friends and family only and made you feel special. Thanks to the recession we are all special now...I urge you to TAKE ADVANTAGE of this one ironic double edge sword positive of the recession as I did at Saks Fifth Avenue yesterday.


Now I'm not your typical Saks Fifth Avenue Shopper. Once in a blue moon I might treat myself to that incredible designer dress (Diane Von Furstenberg is my woman of choice) or impossibly unique item that can not be duplicated by any design imposter retailer wannabe, whom my wallet and need for style are extremely thankful for. My typical shopping experience at Saks involves what I like to call "fashion shopping," browsing the beautiful windows and floors to get a taste of the latest trends and styles and then heading to H&M, the more affordable design imposter wannabe retailer, across the street to find them at an eighth of the price. That all changed yesterday when Black Friday came a week early with Saks sales prices equivalent to that of H&M. I'm talking up to 70% off almost all their inventory!!!!

The funny thing is that Saks' sale is the one email I didn't get and when I asked the sales associate about it she said "we're relying on word of mouth." Are times that tough that a huge retailer like Saks can't even afford advertising or emails about their huge pre-Black Friday sale?

According to an article published in the New York Times at about the start of Saks' huge sale, "Saks lost $42.8 million for the three months that ended Nov. 1, compared with a profit of $21.6 million for the period a year ago" or another way to look at it is "Saks sales fell 11.5% for the period compared with a sales gain of 11.4% for the same period last year."

Yes, these numbers are scary, but as always in life let's look at the bright side as I did yesterday when I left Saks with my Diane Von Furstenberg purchase that totaled $65.00, originally marked $325.00.

In my next article we'll take a look at how this recession is affecting less superficial fashion values in the world of organic and natural living, but in the spirit of Black Friday and Thanksgiving I wanted to make sure to share this sale information with you and extend some sort of thanks for once for the recession.

Happy Turkey Day!

W.A.T.C.H. Your Toys

The trend and demand for increased awareness on content labels started with food. It's easy to understand how food is the primary focus in how the content of our everyday products can be affecting our health and standard of living. Everyone loves to eat and eating is so obviously internal, but what about the toys our children play with and toddlers chew and suck on while teething???

What better time of year for us to be more aware about the toys we are purchasing to celebrate the lovely upcoming gift-giving holidays, christmas and chanukah. Thanks to the non-profit organization, World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (W.A.T.C.H.), which is dedicated to educating the general population about the dangers lurking in some toys, we can be more confident in the purchases we make this holiday season.

W.A.T.C.H. published their 2008 top ten nominees for the "10 Worst Toys" based on "examples of packaging and labeling which fail to give the consumer fair warning of dangers that are known, or should be known, by the manufacturer." The "Pucci Puppies" Toy, photographed above, is listed on W.A.T.C.H's top ten because the packaging does not indicate that the small parts that come with the toy could be easily ingestible by a child.



Now if I was browsing the aisles for a toy for my little cousin Ariana, the "Pucci" Pup would stand out as the perfect gift for her because she has a real pup named Pucci; she also has a little baby brother running around under the recommended age for this toy. In seeig this item on the shelf I would probably get so excited by the idea behind the toy I might not think twice about the fact that the bite size accessories might be choking hazards for little baby brother.

In this case maybe a label would make me think twice about purchasing this toy for Ariana and I am thankful for non-profits like W.A.T.C.H. that look out for my sometimes thoughtless shortcomings.

W.A.T.C.H. is fighting for our labeling and safety rights, but manufacturers and consumers also need to take more responsibility in our product purchasing and production habits. If manufacturers take more responsibility in being more conscious about what they're producing and consumers take on the responsibility of accepting their product choices instead of suing companies for accidents that unfortunately do happen and are unforseeable, maybe this list of ten would be more like five.

Happy Responsibile Shopping!

26 at 81 and Running the NYC Marathon

At 26 years old, the thought of running 26 miles scares, so when I hear of 81 year olds, like defending 80-and-over title winner, Joy Johnson, running the 26 mile New York City Marathon without a complaint, I feel so lame.

Johnson finished this year's Marathon in 6 hours, 5 minutes, and 58 seconds, nearly an hour faster than her time last year!

I am so curious to know where her true motivation comes from. I would have to guess a part of her motivation this year came from a desire to keep her title against newly turned 80 year old competitor, Bertha McGruder who completed the race last year in 6 hours and 15 minutes. McGruder finished this year at 7 hours, 9 minutes and 31 seconds, so not only did Johnson finish before McGruder this year, but she beat her time from last year.

Although victory is sweet, no matter who won,loss or finished before the other yesterday, I truly respect all 40,000 participants for setting such high goals.

Special kudos though to my most inspiring 80 year old females!

Vagina Festival - Conversation 1 - Fahimeh Vahdat

In my last entry I told you about my conversation with Alexandra Jacoby, which was probably the most all-encompassing one that really pieced together the whole weekend and Vagina Festival for me.

It was the conversation I had with exhibiting artist, Fahimeh Vahdat that really hit close to home in a personal way through the connection we share as Femal Persian/Iranian Americans. I hadn't yet gotten the chance to view the art in the gallery room at Vagina Festival when my sister ran over to me in a frenzy excited about a piece of work that had farsi script written on it. She dragged my dad over to translate and of course I got stuck at the Maxim post.

I sat at my post excited and waiting my turn to view the artwork of a fellow Iranian American Woman and I thought to myself "wow, a Persian Woman Artist on exhibit at the Vagina Festival?!!??!!" Why the "wow" you may be asking?

Even as the very priviliged first generation Female Persian American that I am, in coming from a culture where women were and in some cases still are treated as second class citizens and have no sense of self or opportunity other than being a homemaker(not that there is anything wrong with being a homemaker if that is what you so desire and not something that is forced upon you), I am still impressed and excited by women who have overcome the traditional boundaries faced by their ancestors and other woman.

An artist who is free to express herself however she wishes is truly free. Through her artwork, Fahimeh Vahdat has reached the ultimate freedom; not only has she personally broken the chain of traditional female supression plaguing many Iranian women, but she is using her talent to inspire and inform others about the work that remains to be done to free all women.



In "The Soldiers are Coming" piece photographed above and exhibited at Vagina Festival, Vahdat depicts the threat of violence experienced by the women of Iran. Although Vahdat's focus on terrorized women lies with her experience and connection to Iran, she is quick to note that "violence against women is a worldwide phenonmenon, not limited to country, type of government, ethnicity, race religion or class." "The Soldiers are Coming" is only one of a series from "What will Befall Her?" that explores Vahdat's interest in addressing the other forms of gender opression women face around the world, which include but ar not limited to the killing of female babies, bride burning, "honor killing", rape camps, female genital mutilation, sexual trafficking in women and children and incest. With women like Vahdat on the forefront encouraging people to have conversations about the tortures women face on a daily basis, we are well on our way to free other women.

I'm not much of a talker, so although I say I was lucky enough to actually meet and have a conversation with Vahdat at the Vagina Festival, it really wasn't as much of a verbal conversation as I wish I could have had. It was the visual conversation I had with her piece of work that moved me the most and said more than any number of words could possibly say.

Thank you Vahdat for your work and inspiration in creating conversations!