
Glamorous Tzedakess: Meet Chloé Jo |
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by Monica Rozenfeld, September 10, 2008 |
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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]