As part of its celebration of Women’s Month, the global beauty company that is Avon will embark on a number of activities aimed at giving women a voice and will rally its NGO partners and media houses to help encourage women to share their stories of hope that document how they have triumphed over adversity. These stories could be about little steps forward or big leaps, because each step creates a path that another woman hasn’t walked before.
The centrepiece of this Call to Action campaign will be the launch of a special edition Eau de Toilette fragrance aptly named Herstory, which embodies the campaign’s objectives and ethos of giving women a voice.
The submitted stories will be shared on Avon’s social media platforms where they will serve as a repository of content that women can use as a source of inspiration, encouragement and motivation.
“We believe that millions of women will draw inspiration from these stories and see fragments of themselves in the lived experiences of others. Stories can be used to empower and humanise. And through this initiative, we believe that millions of women, and men, can draw strength and fortitude. Stories can heal, both the teller and the listener. We will be looking out for those women who bravely step to the front of the room to share their own story!” says Mafahle Mareletse, Managing Director of Avon Justine.
As part of its celebration of women and documenting their stories, Avon will be working together with its Representatives and long-standing partners, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANCA), the TEARS Foundation, People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), Wings of Hope and Look Good…Feel Better to encourage survivors of gender-based violence and breast cancer to share inspirational stories of how they overcame abuse and breast cancer.
“Avon believes that many women can draw hope, strength and inspiration from women who have had first-hand experience of being subjected to the trauma of domestic abuse and diagnosed with cancer. By sharing these stories, we seek to inspire women and infuse them with renewed vigour to overcome any adversity and fight for a better tomorrow for them and their children,” says Mafahle.
As part of the Call to Action campaign over Women’s Month, Avon will partner with Power FM, and Eldos FM to empower women with stories which in turn can encourage them to share theirs.
“At Avon, every day is Women’s Day but in August we take the opportunity to show our support and create a platform for stories for women’s empowerment. In South Africa, women and girls are still unable to fulfil their dreams or have the freedom to be who they want to be. We are inviting our Associates, Representatives, NGO partners, media and customers to share their stories with pride, whilst leaving a trail of inspiration for others. There is no better time to get this conversation going than on Women’s Day which celebrates the achievements of women in South Africa,” says Mareletse.
As a guideline, Avon is encouraging participants to document the video stories in line with any one of the properties that symbolises each of the key ingredients of the Herstory EDP, using #AvonHerStory, these are:
- Pink pepper which represents passion: Potential story tellers should document a story about having reached their dreams at the time when they thought they were unattainable. In the top notes the Bourbon Pepper represents a woman’s energy and stamina to fight for her dreams.
- Courage is represented by the Iris: Tell us about where you have been courageous and overcome obstacles. The noble Iris flower symbolizes wisdom, courage and feminine confidence.
- Personality isrepresented by the Patchouli: Tell us about how you have risen despite all the challenges you’ve faced. Patchouli Prisma reveals elegant and powerful wood tones which encourage a woman to write her own story.
Mafahle says the Herstory fragrance commends the long lineage of women who have helped shape the present and celebrates the experience of being a woman, opening the conversation for women to share their own authentic story of the past and present, whilst coming together to write the stories of the future.
These inspirational stories should be shared on social media (Twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook) tagging a friend and using the hashtag #AvonHerstory between the 1st and 31st of August.
Avon customers, Representatives and Partners can share their stories using the hashtag #Avonherstory.
“We will share the stories we receive on social media with the world on our digital platforms and will be randomly gifting customers with credible stories with hampers including the Herstory EDP.
For Avon, improving a woman’s life has a powerful impact on her family, community and the world. When we are empowered and believe in ourselves, every goal can be achieved,” says Mareletse.
Avon customers can buy the Herstory EDP directly from an Avon Representative or from the Avon website at https://my.avon.co.za/ and get their orders delivered directly for FREE with a spend of R600 or more.
So, what’s your story?
