"I give a damn about bodily autonomy. I’ve made it my business to listen to women - witnessing their successes and failures, paying close attention to their voices. I’ve interviewed dozens of well-known thought leaders. I’ve also launched companies that cater specifically to women, servicing thousands of every-day mothers and daughters, getting to know their desires, aspirations and fears. I've been listening and here's what women are saying: The right to control when, where, and how we begin and define our families is critical - to the health of ourselves and to all the people we support. Women carry a unique burden because most of us are mothering in some way - to children, spouses, older loved ones, fragile egos, even entire communities in need. We are the mudsill to all structures - that single piece of wood that runs across the base of every building that supports everything weighing on top of it. If women break under the added pressure of being forced to do things with our bodies we simply cannot sustain - imagine what will happen to the ecosystems we support."

 

Jodie Patterson is the award-winning author of The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation. She's also an activist and mother of 5, recognized by the United Nations as a Champion of Change. Formerly the Chair of the Human Rights Campaign Board, the U.S.’s largest LGBT organization, she speaks on topics of identity, gender, race and radical parenting.

Shop her Look: Jodie is shown here in our Miller Boucle Polo.