The beautiful weather is not the only thing to celebrate this week! On Tuesday, the upper house of India’s Parliament passed a new bill that reserves one-third of the seats in India’s national and state legislatures for women. PeaceKeeper is very excited about this bill, as it will provide women with a chance to be more involved in government and take greater action on women’s issues.

However, this vote is only the first of four that must be cleared, and numerous arguments condemning the bill are making it very difficult to get the next three. Some believe that the passing of this bill will only worsen the common problem of powerful men using their wives and daughters as mouthpieces for their own political beliefs. Furthermore, an addendum to the bill states that half of the seats in the lower house of Parliament will be reserved; critics of the bill argue that this will increase competition for the other half, taking power away from poorer areas of India.

As always in politics, however, power goes to the wealthiest bidder; usually, this bidder is male. It makes sense, therefore, to give women, who traditionally are less wealthy and have less opportunities than men, an improved chance of gaining that power which has so long been withheld. Even if most of those seats go to women with highly developed political networks and only a few go to underprivileged women, it is still a step in the right direction; their voices are still being heard. PeaceKeeper hopes that, by the passage of this bill, doors will be opened to new voices and previously ignored issues.

What do you think? Leave a comment below to tell us your thoughts!

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

Spring is here in New York City, or at least that’s how it feels with yesterday’s mid-50’s temperatures. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their sunny, beautiful Women’s Day!

In recent news, the U.S. government has decided to deploy 40 female U.S. Marines to Afghanistan. These female teams will be ‘attached’ to the male units in groups of 4 or 5, and will campaign by talking to the women, who, though they have information that could be valuable to the U.S., have shut themselves off entirely from the largely male American troops. Gaining their trust could mean gaining the trust of the entire Afghan people.

The military believes this campaigning will be beneficial, because women are generally recognized as ‘helpers’, while the men are traditionally recognized as ‘fighters’. This does not, however, mean that these women will be safe. They have been placed in communities free of militants and away from combats, but in a war like this, they must still prepare for ambushes and snipers. In order to keep safe they are told to wear their ponytails out of their helmets to be recognized as women, and use indirect tactics of getting information like playing with the children instead of firing off questions immediately.

A lot of the women being deployed feel it is a good deed, because it will give these women a chance to have their voices heard, and provide the government with a fully comprehensive picture of life during wartime. But will these women actually benefit from this mission? Will they receive proper aid, or will their needs be ignored once their ‘trust’ has been gained? The American women who are putting their lives in danger for this mission hope so, and PeaceKeeper will be keeping an eye on the progress of this mission. We wish them luck on their campaign.

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

St. Patrick’s Day may be an extremely well-known day in March, but it’s not the only important one to recognize. Monday March 8^th is International Women’s Day- recognized all over the world as a day to review how far women have come; it is also a chance for women to network, organize their ideas, and act. March 8^th was designated as International Women’s Day in 1977, and since then women have come a long way, but of course more change must be made.

This year’s International Women’s Day was observed yesterday March 3^rd at the United Nations Headquarters with a breakfast. Since this International Women’s Day lands on the first work day of the week for most people, this weekend should be a weekend to celebrate our progress, celebrate each other, appreciate the difference we are making, acknowledge our contribution to securing peace and equality, and enjoy the company of our beautiful sisters. And after the celebrating, we can put our minds together to further help women overcome challenges like poverty, violence, abuse so that one day, there really will be equal rights and opportunities for everyone.

This is our time to recognize the women who have made a difference–on international levels, but in our personal lives, as well. Cherish the women around you, because we’re working towards the same goals. And what better way to do that then spend an evening together with martinis and manicures and pedicures. Wear the color that makes you feel empowered and excited about this Women’s Day and feel pampered and appreciated!

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

With the people of Chile having seen their share of earthquakes, this past weekend’s 8.8 magnitude quake has devastated the country. While Chile certainly needs less aid than the recent Haiti crisis, due to sturdier buildings and knowledge of handling quakes, people are still finding themselves without shelter and food. There have been 711 recorded deaths thus far, and considering the country is still shaking, the number is expected to rise. Most people have decided to camp outside while the earth is still unsettled.

On Sunday, President Michelle Bachelet- the first woman to hold this position in the country’s history- issued an order to send 10,000 soldiers into the streets to keep order and provide assistance. She also announced a deal with supermarkets to provide food to the needy. They are trying to prevent fearful people from hoarding gas and food, as supermarkets are now bare. Chile has requested mobile bridges, generators, water filtration equipment, field hospitals and surgical centers to aid in the aftermath of the quake. And the UN is currently taking stock of what they can provide.

President Bachelet has definitely kept things running as smoothly as possible in this crisis. Due to hospital buildings being considered unsafe, patients were being treated outside; and Ms. Bachelet said the military will set up field hospitals. Because cellphone communication, medical care, and water distribution depend upon energy, she has also spoken with power companies to make their repairs quickly. Considering the state of the country, most people are behaving rationally and providing aide to one another. Preparation and order are helping quite a bit in the crisis, but even while things settle, a lot will have changed for the people of Chile.  We ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this troubled time.

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

Hello, Everyone!

Beginning on March 1^st and going through March 12^th, the 54^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place in New York City. This meeting is said to be” the largest single gathering of human rights activists”, according to ipsnews.com.

One of the major discussion topics of the meeting is the Beijing Platform for Action adopted in 1955 and its successes and failures. The mission of this platform was to establish shared power and responsibility between men and women at home, in the workplace, and in national and international communities. The ultimate goal is empowerment of women, but other concerns mentioned include poverty, education, health, violence against women, armed conflict, the economy, the environment, and the discrimination again female children, to name a few

Of these, one of the major concerns is the increase in poverty and hunger. With the economy in such a state, progress and help in those areas is slowing considerably, and in most countries, the majority of those in poverty are women. One-fourth of households are headed by women, while many others have women as co-heads of household; these households are among the poorest because women’s wages are so disproportionate to those of men. This means that these women and their children are among the malnourished and uneducated, which makes them prime targets for abuse and sexual trade.

This meeting of the Commission of the Status of Women is taking place to reflect on what the platform has done and what more can be done in the future to decrease poverty, raise education opportunities, and give women the power and the voice to make change. In a crisis, it is important not to slow progress, but instead campaign even harder. PeaceKeeper is sure that with so many active minds coming together at the Commission, solutions–smart, powerful, effective, long-lasting solutions–will be  found.

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

We have come a long way since our mothers and grandmothers began working. As of right now, working women make up half the workforce!  Unlike previous generations where women were expected to give up their careers upon marriage and starting a family, today women are expected to hold careers– even after they start a family.

However, despite the improvements, it has been quite a battle and negotiations will need to continue. While half the workers are currently women, they are getting paid far less than men and this is something that has yet to change. On average, women make roughly seventy-seven cents to every man’s dollar, and the gap increases as the education required for the position gets higher. While some women own businesses, the majority of companies are still run by men and it takes longer for women to be promoted. And when they are, the women in top positions make roughly thirty-three cents to every man’s dollar. 

                Some of this could deal with adapting to the changes more slowly than they happen. For a lot of women, they still face a challenge when starting a family. The American lifestyle has adjusted to having two incomes provide for a household. But through all of the progress, women are the ones who have had to learn to balance their career and parenthood, more than men.

                There is, however, another new change sweeping the nation. With the recession, a lot of men are being laid off, more so than women; probably due in part to the fact that women cost less to employ, while still providing great results.  And while men are struggling to find other jobs, a lot of them are becoming stay-at-home dads in the meantime. Times are certainly difficult for a lot of families while they adjust to women as the sole providers (with a smaller income), but this could be our chance to prove our worth once more, and really express what we are capable of in the workplace.

 In appreciation for all we have achieved thus far, I say we paint our nails a pretty shade- I suggest Paint Me Stunning, in this case- and show off our hardworking yet beautiful hands, as we continue to negotiate and advocate for each other.

Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

We are knee deep in the heat, here in New York City.  The hot, steamy days of August are upon us, therefore so is the looming Fall.  Are you asking youself the same question we are: “Where did Summer go?!?”  It seems like just yesterday was the First Day of Summer and we were embracing the warm weather.  We have had a jam-packed Summer of excitement around here.  PeaceKeeper just came back from a super successful trip to Las Vegas for the Cosmo Prof Trade Show.  We made many great new friends and enjoyed spending the weekend with some of our grand ol’ buddies.  It was delightful and rejuvinating, getting to meld minds with some of the great geniuses in the field and we are very excited about upcoming PeaceKeeper news!  We can’t share too much just yet, but make sure you keep one eye on us and both of them peeled for new and wonderful things coming soon from your friends at PeaceKeeper!

We are a very blessed little company.  PeaceKeeper is so grateful everytime someone raves about our products.

cybelesays is a not your average beauty blog.  Her philosophy is short and sweet, “We feature products we’ve tried, loved, and like a good girl, want to share with you; our friends. From big companies or small ones, we don’t care as long as they are good. Because we are just like you, an everyday girl who just happens to love learning and trying out new products.”

Sounds just like PeaceKeeper!  We love the earth and we love beauty.  Keep it simple!  Let’s squish them together and make something magical.  Let’s try to save Mother Earth while saving mothers, sisters, nieces, aunts, and grandmothers all across the world.

www.cybelesays.com reviewed our Perfect As Is Lip Balm as a must-have new product for this summer.  Thank you, Cybel!!  We feel that you have the must-read blog for the summer!

In today’s issue of Real Simple magazine, author Lisa Whitmore wrote about our new line of Lip Balm, in an article called Beauty That Gives Back.

We are so proud to hear about an article like this.  We love everyone who can appreciate working towards Women’s Rights all over the world.

Thank you Real Simple! We follow your magazine, so much love and peace right back to you!

In March, our friend Jamie Ervin at Eco Child’s Play, a website geared toward “Green Parenting for Non-Toxic, Healthy Homes”, was kind enough to blog about our Eco-Easy Nail Polish Remover.  We are proud to say that it got rave reviews!  According to Jamie, “Finding a less toxic (less odorific) polish has been a huge challenge in our house…I’m very excited to have found this line of Cause-Metics, now I can feel even better about having pretty fingers and toes.”

We LOVE hearing that moms are enjoying our “cause-metics” while keeping their little beauties toxic-free.  We feel that it’s important to not only spread the message of love to our young lovelies, but to teach them to be socially conscious about their beauty choices.  According to market research firm Experian, 43 percent of 6 to 9 year olds are already using lipstick or lip gloss; 38 percent use hairstyling products, and 12 percent use other cosmetics.  This statistic is astounding and it means that we have many chances to educate girls to think about where their lipsticks, lip glosses, and nail polish come from and how they can benefit others.

While talking about role models, it’s also important that girls and women realize their self-worth.  Recently, author and doctor,  Cheryl Saban was featured on “The View” and “The Today Show,” talking about her new book, What is Your Self-Worth; A Women’s Guide to Validation. In the words of Dr. Saban, “My mission is to make a difference in women’s lives. To inspire women to understand, grasp, actualize, and vocalize their worth; negotiate a better deal for themselves; take more responsibility for themselves; and to spread this message to our youth.”  We could not agree more with Dr. Saban and hope that women around the world can identify their core of self-worth and help spread the message of Peace and Love to everyone in their lives.