A Better Morning After - The Short Film | Julie

Why Julie is called Julie

According to founder Julie Schott, the eponymous brand’s name comes from a place of:

Accessibility and friendliness... “I remember asking my parents ‘Why did you name me Julie?’ And they said it was a really unpretentious and timeless name,” she said. “That was interesting. Unpretentious was a really interesting word to me and when I thought about the retail landscape that felt really important, it felt accessible and friendly.”

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…and discretion. “You may be holding this in your hand and run into your neighbour, and it’s not going to scream out what it does,” she explained. “Even to have it in your home, maybe you live with your parents, maybe you’re a young person, so being able to offer that is important to us.”

The other co-founder told the Wall Street Journal that the name was intended to sound like a “big sister or younger aunt who’s there for you.”

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Fun fact: Julie is available in bars, coffee shops and restaurants

As part of the donation program, some of Julie’s community partners across the country have been connecting with local businesses, especially in states where abortion access is restricted, to keep the emergency contraception pills ready to be distributed.

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For instance, in Louisville, Kentucky—where abortion is nearly completely illegal—Trouble Bar keeps a basket of Julie next to the basket of tampons in the bathroom. The Old Louisville Coffee Co-op in the city also stocks the pills to give away.

Like running the bright, colorful social media campaigns, stocking Julie in everyday places—away from staunch healthcare institutions and professionals—is another way to normalize its use. “We want you to be able to go get EC wherever, but feel good about doing it. There’s no shame. If you are in a bar and you might have sex that night, don’t forget your EC,” Morrison, a Black woman from the South who says she represents one of many demographics whom health care ads and innovation don’t really reach, told Cosmopolitan. “That’s just as empowering a decision as ordering what drinks you want or choosing to go out in the first place.”

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