When people with a shared mission join forces, they can solve some of the world’s most complex problems. This is what Amanda E. Johnson, Julie Schott and Brian Bordainick — the founders of Mented Cosmetics, Starface and Plus — are aiming to do. The trio got together to create a new FDA-approved morning-after pill company called Julie. The brand aims to remove stigmas around such forms of contraception and make them more accessible to marginalized communities within the health and wellness space.
Julie is now available in all 50 states and can be purchased for about $42 at Walmart. The product contains emergency contraceptive Levonorgestrel 1.5mg, which is an FDA-approved, progestin-only emergency contraceptive.
This couldn’t be a more timely product considering Roe v. Wade was overturned earlier this year, resulting in new abortion bans nationwide. This means women, especially women of color, may have less access to family planning options. The ban could also exacerbate existing disparities in healthcare.
In addition to that, Julie comes at a time when the CDC states that non-Hispanic Black women are less likely to use emergency contraception (7.9%) than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic women (11%). Their studies also find the use of emergency contraception increases the more educated women are. Julie co-founder and president Amanda E. Johnson, also co-founder of Mented Cosmetics, says the product was created with Black women in mind.
“I think I want to change the face and narrative of women’s healthcare,” Johnson tells ESSENCE, saying she’s looking to also do away with stereotypes connected to it. “For so long it has been a type of woman who has access to innovation in healthcare or a type of person who even needs emergency contraception.”
What could also use the boot include the the many stigmas around using contraception in the Black community, like some people mistaking morning-after pills for abortion pills.
“Emergency contraception is used so that you don’t get pregnant whereas the abortion pills are used to end a pregnancy and existing pregnancy,” Johnson clarifies.
A second myth she mentions is one about the belief that repeated use of morning-after pills can cause infertility, as research has found that a large number of people believe that. Johnson says you can use it multiple times and it does not affect your fertility. That said though, it shouldn’t be used as daily birth control.
But aside from shifting the messaging around morning-after pills, Julie is also making them more accessible through partnerships at state, regional, and national levels. They have a donation program in place where money from every Julie purchase goes to donating their product to organizations concerning every issue from domestic violence and indigenous groups to HBCUs and more.
“We’re in all of these segments and it allows us to not only have the conversation and the education, but also actually just give out the drug,” she says.
Getting the pill out there also means being honest about all aspects of it. As with every morning-after pill, Julie has side effects too. Some common symptoms of emergency contraception includes nausea, dizziness, fatigue, headache, bleeding between periods, or heavier periods. The brand wants to be transparent about these side effects and also normalize them in a way that obliterates any shame about the use of these products as a whole.
“I think that’s what we need to do as a 21st century pharmaceutical company,” says Johnson. “Actually just talk about what normal looks like.”