To celebrate International Women’s Day in 2017 we launched “Bye Bye Perfect” removing every instance of the word ‘perfect’ from product descriptions on our website. Who needs it?
Following on from “Bye Bye Perfect”, we are celebrating the natural beauty industry #femalefounders and their defiance of beauty industry ‘perfections’ – asking them what they love about themselves, that the mainstream beauty industry portrays as an imperfection.
Rose-Marie Swift of Rms Beauty
“My thin hair. I used to have tons of curly hair and actually did a few hair modelling jobs back in the day. My hair is very thin on the top and I hear constantly that I should use ‘this’ and use ‘that’ but no way am I putting any of those chemical concoctions on my scalp.
The reason why I have my brand is all because of my thin hair. I did a hair, urine and blood test years ago to find out what was wrong and the lab asked if I work in the cosmetic industry. Thank you thin hair for creating Rms Beauty and thank you little black cap that suits me.”
Imelda Burke of CONTENT
“I’m covered in ‘sun-spots’ (pigmentation), but I feel affectionate towards these little and large brown marks, rather than wanting to remove them. Each one reminds me of a summer holiday in NZ with family and since most often this type of sun damage is done when you are a child (we were much more of a Piz Buin family than a zinc one) I’ve carried them with me for years… They are a reminder of my beach filled past.”
April Gargiulo of Vintner’s Daughter
“As I have grown older my hands have come to look more and more similar to my mother’s and grandmother’s. They each have led extraordinary lives and looking at my ageing hands always reminds me of their accomplishments and I am grateful.”
Annee de Mamiel of de Mamiel
“For me it would be a small patch on my eyebrow that never grew back after chemotherapy – every morning it reminds me that today is a gift, to be savoured.”
Sharon McGlinchey of MV Skincare
“I guess my grey hair! I stopped dying my hair 4 years ago and talk about liberating. But until a year ago, it was often looked at as an ‘interesting’ choice. Journalists would meet me and say “Wow, I love your hair” then follow with “I wish I was brave enough to do that”. And on the other side of the coin, young men commenting on how much they loved my hair – yep, young men! I found it all quite amusing really.
But hey, what a difference a year makes!! Instagram accounts abound with ‘silver foxes’ – supporting all women who want to go ‘au naturel’. While actors including Jamie Lee Curtis and Diane Keaton are giving the bottle of dye the flick too.
I’m very happy it’s now become so much more acceptable to go grey because it really is incredibly empowering. Especially in a world where ‘fake’ has now become the norm.”
Laura Schubert of Fur
“I have always had really fine, straight hair and it’s impossible to create volume and the beachy waves we see on TV, but I actually like that it’s so soft and healthy and my young daughter loves to brush it.”
Michele Scott-Lynch of Boucleme
“Wild, unruly, unmanageable, demanding are some of the words used to describe curly hair within the industry, however this is slowly changing. I love my perfectly imperfect curls, they’re youthful and have a mind of their own just like me.”
Read More: Inspiring Women Environmentalists We Love
