Glamorous Tzedakess: Meet Chloé Jo

If anyone can save the world one animal, one human, one frizzy-haired girl at a time, all while looking entirely put together, it would be Chloé Jo. Ditching her ankle-length skirts at Yeshiva the age of 15 for a NYC nightlife, Chloé has put her 15 years of networking skills toward repairing the world, and bringing people along with her for the chesed life.

Chloe Joe: Not your average girlie girlNow the founder of Girlie Girl Army, and event planner for Farm Sanctuary, Chloé Jo has only begun to put a mark on the globe. Chloé was kind enough to interrupt her Tony Awards watching to tell me about her causes, and how others can be inspired to go on and rule the world while looking good too.

Your newsletter (soon to be website) The Girlie Girl Army has reached more than 200,000 people. What is the idea behind the newsletter?

The whole gist of the newsletter is you can be fashionable and passionate. You can find out what to do with frizzy hair and what's going on in Darfur. You can live a fascinating, exciting life but also care about the earth. That's what's being fabulous.

Girlie Girl Army - We're badasses that wear prom dresses. We're multi-purposed girls.

I see that you're quite the tzedakess with your causes, specifically animal rights. How did you get involved in that?

I was always, always, always very very outspoken of things that didn't seem fair to me or not right. My grandfather Solomon Trau, a brilliant rabbi, is friends with amazing Elie Weisel who said "Neutrality only helps the oppressor". I think, as Jews, it's our responsibility to act with an especially high rate of compassion for those oppressed - having gone through what we have as a people. We all have a responsibility to really make a difference, and when confronted with wrongdoing, to act tirelessly to create change.

There are on average 800 dogs and cats per state that get put down a day. That's just the average. I feel like it's my mission to educate people. It's a violent industry. I didn't know you should adopt. I fell in love with this dog, and became more opened to learning about animal rights. When my eyes were awakened, I could never turn back.

I find it interesting that you grew up in an orthodox family but later stepped away from that lifestyle. Why the transition?

I grew up orthodox, which is modern in NYC. My family is religious. But I didn't feel it from a spiritual place. I felt very Jewish culturally. I felt like a Jew and I felt like a Zionist. I felt it in my gut.

I admire those who are really involved in their religion; It's such a beautiful tradition to have family day on Saturday - shut off your computer, can't get in a cab and be a busy bee. It can be a really great thing if it's not implemented in a stifling way. I felt like I was always really stifled by Orthodoxy. I wasn't happy in yeshiva, and wanted to be in a rock band. I was always a rebel. Always getting in trouble. I didn't like all the rules. I'm not a rule girl. I'm a rock-and-roll girl!

But I am so culturally and emotionally tied to being Jewish. The first word people would use to describe me is Jewish.

Do you hold onto any of the observant traditions today?

I feel most spiritual and in tune with G-d when I'm working with the animals, or doing something really just; when I'm doing yoga, and thinking of all the ways I want to change the world. I feel more spiritual now than I ever have in my entire life.

My house of worship is where I bring it internally. I see G-d more than anything in nature - the pure and obvious existence of higher power.

So I have to ask how you were able to get a dream job at the age of 15, planning elaborate parties in NYC?

I was very motivated, busy busy busy doing things. A wannabe entrepreneur. I wanted to bring together everybody, which I loved doing. I loved booking bands, and go-go dancers, and planning drink specials.

I left yeshiva for Columbia Prep, a school full of barely behaved New York rich kids. I became culture shocked. I wore skirts down to my ankles and these girls were making out in the bathrooms, doing coke. That's the time I started doing parties and didn't stop till I was 27. Had a good run of it; had great great press.

I kind of do what I did then now, but on a much greater level.

Can you tell us what you do now, at Farm Sanctuary?

Farm Sanctuary is a national, nonprofit animal rescue and protection organization, operating coast-to-coast shelters for abused and neglected farm animals (from Goats to Horses and beyond) and working to enact laws and policies to end factory farming abuses in the U.S. Over the past two decades, Farm Sanctuary has worked to pass the first laws passed in the U.S. to ban cruel factory farming practices, established the country's first shelters for farm animals, and opened the hearts and minds of Americans to their plight.

Visiting Farm Sanctuary totally changed my life and perception on the world and everything. Doing these events, when you have a roomful of 500 thoughtful individuals who really care about farm animals, is a really incredible. Watching people celebrate a radical notion, which is not quite so radical anymore.

I don't feel I do enough, but I do what I'm good at and use my skill set to try and raise awareness for causes I'm deeply concerned with. If my being a spokesperson for animals and environmentalism makes people want to learn more, and if I can make learning and caring about activism sexy or exciting sounding, then so be it..

Not a rule girl: A rock and roll girl

You really rock a confidence of being yourself and going for what you believe in - What would be your advice for other girls to better themselves and the world?

I used to be really, really shy. I was an acting major. I forced myself because I was so scared, so shy. Really, really self conscious. I forced myself to be silly, to construe myself to be really silly or weird. Now I have the confidence to walk into a room and talk to everyone and have them want my card.

Being a strong Jewish woman, I have an immense sense of pride. Something about the Jewish women I know just reek of confidence, and sense of know-it-all mamishe in a really good way. Every young Jewish woman needs to find that. Needs to speak up, do too much. Speak to everyone. Talk to every guy that talks to you. Stay open and talk to everyone; everyone has something really beautiful to share with you.

Look for the beauty in each person who comes your way. What can you do to change the world? Do everything! That's the best advice. What are you possibly losing? Coming into yourself, making yourself really confident.If you feel you will be super confident being beautiful, then make yourself beautiful. There is no such thing as ugly women, just lazy ones, Helen Gurly Brown said.

If you are soul searching; read everything you can get your hands on. Don't stay home too much. Go out and try new things. I've tried everything - twice. I want to try everything in this world. I don't think women should be afraid to use their sexuality. The kind of sexuality that you own by batting your eyelashes, a smile that can change the world. I am an incredible fan of young women.

I was lucky enough in my 20s to have these amazing women in their 30s guide me. Anything they said to me was gold. Befriend women in their 30s who have the kind of life you want. In the past, I think I chose friends badly. I chose friends because I thought they were cool, or beautiful. Now I choose friends because they challenge me, because they wow me intellectually, because they are deeply kind. At 31, I feel like I'm 100 because I've lived so many lives, and yet my journey has really only just begun.

So what's next for Chloé Jo?

With her on-air spot on the Booker show in Q102 Philly coming to an end, with more than 500,000 listeners, Chloé is taking her expertise on combining fun with need to the television screen. Her new show called Hot Green Girl is the same concept as the radio show and newsletter, with humor, tongue and cheek.

I think inappropriate humor is fantastic. Compared to the average actor on TV, I know my shit and this is what I care about. Being veg, or being green, or caring about the earth or being philanthropic doesn't mean you're a weirdo. It means you are EXTRA cool.

There are teeny things you can do; recycling your tea bags, buying organic, or using a lipstick that hasn't been tested on animals. (Check out this link for companies that do not test on animals.)

A lot of the problems with people getting really involved in the eco movement is it feels off the grid and too extreme for the average Joe. I'm not perfect. I have the lights on and the TV going right now. But there's a happy medium. Small, simple things we all can do. Tell me what you're really great at and there will be 50 ways you can help the cause you care about without major effort. I wake up in the morning and I ask myself what I can do to help the world. Living in line with our ethics is all we have.

Wow, OK. If that didn't inspire you to go be a superhero, then there is no hope for you. (Hah, I'm just kidding of course). Thanks Chloé! We will definitely take some of your advice.

And before you go, here are some recommendations from Chloé to check out:

Earthlings: The Film
Skinny Bitch
Cunt: A Decleration of Independance

To learn more about Chloé, visit her on Myspace here.  And follow all the beauty trends, events, and global causes by subscribing to Girlie Girl Army.

If you have more questions for Chloé on veganism, animal rights, being sexy, or what Judaism says about all this, write me -- FindMyJewSpot@gmail.com.

[Cross-posted from The Jew Spot]