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!"#$%"&%"%!'(!) BY JACKIE BRYANT ACCORDING TO Tootris founder Alessandra Lezama, the fight for childcare is also one for women’s rights: Thanks to an ongoing national childcare crisis, more than two million women have left the workforce since the onset of Covid. That number will likely increase with the recent drop- off in federal funding previously allotted for childcare providers (92 percent of whom are women and 44 percent of whom are people of color). Far from being a pandemic- specific issue, childcare has been a stressed industry for decades. San Diego Montessori-teacher-turned- technologist Lezama experienced this as a single parent trying to climb the corporate ladder while feeling increasingly anxious about securing care. Lezama, who helped grow four tech companies before turning her sights on childcare, was sure that her experience could help disrupt one of the most fraught industries in the country, which in turn would help keep women in the workforce. From that hunch, Tootris took shape. Founded in San Diego in 2019 and now operational in all 50 states (and in many cases partnering with local governments), Lezama’s platform claims to be the only technology solution uniting all key childcare stakeholders— parents, employers, agencies, and more than 200,000 providers— in one interface. This helps care become more accessible, affordable, and on-demand, and ensures that providers have the management tools to effectively run their businesses and retain employees. Previously, all of these entities had no streamlined way of interacting, which created significant gaps in the marketplace and further fueled the high turnover and low pay in the industry.
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others carry a heavy load. On top of the day-to-day duties of sustaining life for small humans, as their daughters grow, mothers must be there to guide them through the vicissitudes of womanhood. There’s menstruation, general patriarchy woes, the wage gap, body-image issues, heartbreak, and, yes, camel-toe. Nika Cleaver and Tanys Evangelisti, the mother-daughter team behind Del Mar–based brand Jiv Athletics , are fighting the good fight—down there. They specialize in underwear that removes any visible outlines of the female nether region, better known and reviled as “camel-toe.” The concept for Jiv Athletics came in 2018, when Cleaver and Evangelisti resolved to find a cure for the uncomfortable tugging and sliding that underwear poses during workouts. A spin-off of athleisure, their line of undergarments is designed to be worn under yoga pants to keep everything near the sacral chakra looking smooth before, during, and after exercise. Their two products—a mid-rise and a high-rise thong—wick sweat, lack tags, and never roll to provide comfort whether you’re downward dogging, downtown jogging, or powerlifting. A breathable insert at the gusset wards off any awkward overexposure. Though more costly than most undies on the market (they top out at $35), theirs is a small price to pay for peace of panty mind. Their thongs are available for purchase through their website and at a few brick-and-mortar locations in San Diego. Jiv Athletics aims for women to feel supported always—but especially in their spandex.
NO MO’ CAMEL - TOE
BY DANIELLE ALLAIRE
71 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE
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