Released just in time for Mother’s Day 2019 but being promoted all month long during May, British technology company Elvie’s new ‘A Mother and More’ campaign was designed to challenge the outdated depictions of motherhood. A portrait series shot by Brick Elbank highlights personal stories of 12 unique women beyond their role as mothers, showcasing some of the amazing things mothers are doing in their own right.
The women featured in the campaign represent a wide range of professions, hobbies and backgrounds including an engineer taking on a male-dominated industry, a breast cancer survivor and mentor for the transgender population, a single mom, a public defender helping the underprivileged navigate the criminal justice system, an entertainment reporter who has closely reported on the #MeToo movement, a former-Olympic skier, and more.
Eboni Wyllie is a registered nurse at the NYP Children’s Hospital of NYC, working in the paediatric intensive care unit. Growing up working with children at summer camps, it was then she decided she wanted to go into nursing as she wanted the opportunity to make a difference to children’s lives. She has just returned to work after having her first child Mackenzie, who is now 7 months old. Working night shifts and caring for her baby in the day has been, as she described, very double-duty but Eboni loves her job, and she couldn’t wait to get back to work. Eboni has just a year and a half left studying to become a nurse practitioner which is a long term goal of hers.
“My mother was an inspirational woman, a kind woman, who raised me on her own in later life so I have so much admiration for the strength of mothers,” said Brock Elbank. “I was really excited when Elvie approached me with this project because all my work is about diversity and every mother has a different and powerful story to tell.”
Brock Elbank is a portrait photographer known for his bold and distinctive approach. Following early success in fashion photography, Elbank has since moved from shooting professional models, to exploring everyday subjects, with a particular focus on the beauty of imperfection and diversity. He is most well known for his photo series #Project60, which showcases 60 unique beards and facial hair, in addition to campaigns such as #Freckles, #Vitiligo, and #HowDoYouCMeNow, which challenge stereotypes around skin “conditions” and celebrate the beauty and uniqueness of one’s skin.
Jasmine Katatikarn is a senior lighting artist & published author in the animation field who has worked on a number of feature films including Ice Age, Peanuts and Rio. In an industry that’s more than 80% male dominated it’s an incredibly interesting career to be in that combines both artistic and technical skills. Although now a mother of two, Jasmine struggled with her own fertility issues, given a less than 1% chance of having children, which spurred the launch of a social media channel following her personal journey. Now the channel has seen rapid growth, Jasmine wants to use it to empower women to be able to do whatever they want, and teach them not to be blocked by obstacles, using a designer mindset. Jasmine wants to
battle the stereotypes around working and becoming a new mom and feels that she is working harder now, than ever before, and with greater purpose. Jasmine’s goal for the future is to prove through her social voice you don’t have to make a decision between work and motherhood. You can do both very successfully by designing your own perfect imperfect life. Imperfect is perfect.
“Brock’s work is known for sparking meaningful conversations and challenging stereotypes, which made him the perfect partner to bring this campaign to life,” said Tania Boler, CEO, Elvie. “We want to change the idea that once a woman becomes a mother, it is the only thing that defines her. Being a mom is an important part of many women’s lives, but it’s not the only aspect, and especially around Mother’s Day, it’s important that we celebrate women on an individual level — their successes, their strength, and their passions, in motherhood and beyond.”
Founded in 2013, Elvie’s first product, Elvie Trainer, is an award-winning app-connected Kegel trainer that helps women strengthen the pelvic floor via fun, five-minute workouts. Most recently, the femtech company launched its second innovation, Elvie Pump, the world’s first silent wearable breast pump, making breast pumping as easy, streamlined and flexible as possible for moms.
Latham Thomas AKA Glow Maven is a celebrity wellness/lifestyle maven and birth doula- transforming not only how women give birth to their babies, but how they give rise to the best version of themselves. Named one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100 – an enlightened group of leaders elevating humanity with their work – Latham is helping women embrace optimal wellness and spiritual growth as a pathway to owning their power. She is the founder of Mama Glow, a lifestyle brand and highly regarded website and women’s center in Brooklyn, NY, offering inspiration, education, and holistic services for expectant and new mothers. Mama Glow boasts a DOULA IMMERSION program that is globally recognized and attended by women from all corners of the USA and 6 continents. A graduate of Columbia University, Latham serves on the TUFTS University Nutrition Council as well as their board for Entrepreneurship. She is a two-time best-selling author. Latham’s highly anticipated second book, Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning The Queen Within is currently in its 4th reprint. Latham is leading a revolution in radical self-care teaching women everywhere to “mother themselves first”. Along with these amazing achievements, Latham is mother to 15 year old son Fulano.
Furthering Elvie’s mission of breaking stereotypes and changing the conversation around motherhood, A Mother and More follows Elvie’s campaign for UK Mother’s Day, #FreetheFeed, where five giant inflatable breasts decorated London’s skyline in order to fight the stigma around breastfeeding and pumping in public. Elvie is also fresh off a $42 million Series B fundraise, which was the largest investment the femtech category has received to date.
It’s clear the company is hitting the right note with this campaign and the many ongoing conversations it is having around gender stereotypes. We have included some of the individual stories highlighted in the ‘A Mother and More’ portrait series within this article.
Joanne Booker is a pediatrician who is passionate about public health. She works in schools in the most disadvantaged areas of NYC that have some of the highest rates of childhood asthma and teenage pregnancy in the country. Many of the children and families that she helps live in shelters and cannot afford to maintain a functional phone number. As an advocate for health equity, Joanne firmly believes that your zip code shouldn’t determine your health outcome, and that every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. As a first generation Latina who was born and brought up in NYC, Joanne identifies and connects with the families she works with. Joanne has studied for the last 12 years to become a paediatrician and recently returned to her job at the NYC Department of Health after 3 months of maternity leave for her first child.An actress, fitness trainer and doula, Rachel Lyons is a role model for every multi-passionate mother. With the support of her own mother, husband and supportive circle of friends and family she is able to commute between her home in New York City and Chicago, where she is performing in Hamlet. In fact, Rachel’s career is busier than ever since having Samuel Otis 18 months ago! When not acting, Rachel brings her infectious and fun attitude to her classes for MIRROR, as well as her work as a doula, empowering new moms. Rachel is proud to be in a PSA for Every Mother Counts about maternal health. Rachel is passionate about advocating for the maternal health of black women, which is often tragically neglected.
Looking for a new book recommendation? We highly recommend pre-ordering @abigailhingwen’s forthcoming novel ‘Loveboat Reunion’ released Jan 25 through HarperCollins. In case you’ve been living under a rock, this book is the sequel to Abigail’s YA fiction bestseller ‘Loveboat, Taipei’, which has its own exciting update: the book has just been optioned by the same production company, Ace Entertainment, who made author Jenny Han’s ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’. ‘Loveboat Reunion’ follows fan favorites Sophie Ha and Xavier Yeh on a new adventure as they take control of their own futures. They're what some would call a tumultuous past. It’s a classic tale of girl-meets-boy, boy-meets-other-girl, heart-gets-broken, revenge-is-plotted, everything-blows-up. Spectacularly.
As if being a NYT bestselling author and now movie producer weren’t impressive enough titles, Abigail is kind of a badass in a number of areas. She is a rare woman-in-tech leader specializing in artificial intelligence, a new filmmaker as well as a wife and mother of two. She writes and speaks about tech, AI ethics, women’s leadership, implicit bias, equity, and transforming culture.
We had the chance to catch up with Abigail before her new book release to talk all things ‘Loveboat’ and why representation in literature, entertainment and tech, matters:
"For many years, I didn’t know that an Asian American girl could be the main character of a novel, let alone a movie. And now I do. Representation is so important for two reasons: one that Asian Americans can see our authentic stories on the screen and know our experiences matter; and two that everyone can see people playing different roles and living out unique personalities regardless of race. They can be leaders, artists, slackers, they can be funny, emotional and brave. I’m so grateful to be part of this movement breaking those old stereotypes at long last."
Pre-order your copy and get familiar with the 'Loveboat Reunion' crew via the link in our bio! ❤️🛥
#loveboatreunion #loveboattaipei #asianamerican #abigailhingwen #representation #hollywood #YAfiction #love #womenintech #NYTbestseller #friday #instagood #best
Today on the blog we're sharing an exclusive excerpt from @girlswithsole founder Liz Ferro's new book "Finish Line Feeling". This uplifting memoir tells the story of the author’s journey from foster child and sexual abuse survivor to founder of the nationally recognized running organization, Girls With Sole. With brutal honesty, Liz Ferro writes about her own experiences of trauma, and how running, biking, and swimming pulled her through the toughest times imaginable, always reminding her of her own strength and worth. Her story proves that with resiliency, anyone can be rewarded with the euphoria she calls the “finish line feeling.”
"Rejection is never a good feeling, but the sting is lessened when it is experienced on your own terms. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the beginning of a cycle that would continue on in my life for many years to come. This would be my approach and “M.O.” for the majority of my future relationships: Leave them -before they leave me.
In many different ways, and on many different levels, my life has revolved around running.
“For a time all I could do was try to run away. Then I ran into trouble. As time passed, with endurance and tenacity, I ran with the idea of helping girls in need and haven’t stopped since.
“In August of 2009 I founded the nonprofit organization, Girls With Sole, that uses free fitness and wellness programs to empower at-risk girls and those who have experienced any type of abuse. Turning a negative into a positive, I have made it my life’s mission to instill strength, self-confidence and pride in girls, and to help them embrace running -for all the right reasons."
Read the full excerpt and get a copy of "Finish Line Feeling" by clicking the link in our bio! 🏃🏼♀️
.
.
.
#Girlswithsole #trauma #girls #fostercare #survivor #sexualabuse #running #lizferro #empower #inspire #fitness #strength #power #instagood #value #selfworth #love
In 2017, author and photographer @nancyfarese visited Bangladesh to photograph the Rohingya refugee crisis, which forced over one million people into temporary camps as they fled the genocide in Myanmar. As she documented the toll of extreme trauma and the most violent tendencies of humankind, she was drawn to the irrepressible laughter of children as they fashioned sticks and rocks into toy cars and turned plastic bags into kites.
Captivated by the joy, resilience, and creativity she witnessed, she turned her camera on children at play, capturing their natural instincts to adapt, heal, and thrive despite the darker forces surrounding them. ‘Potential Space: A Serious Look at Child’s Play’ is her new photography book which brings together over ninety of Farese’s stunning, full-color images of children engaged in play that she took over 7 years in 14 countries, including Burkina Faso, Cuba, Haiti, Jordan, and the U.S.A.
Nancy’s photos of children at play beg the question: Where does play sit in our own lives, and how do we ensure that children, everywhere, are allowed to play their way into a healthy adulthood, and a more just world? Here's what she told us:
"On a global level, The Right To Play is a guaranteed Human Right of the United Nations, but on a personal level I hope these images remind us of our common humanity, and a fundamental tool of well being and resilience that we all possess to address stress and uncertainty in our world today...In a perfect world, parents will say to their kids- you can’t do your homework till you’ve gone out to play!"
See more of her stunning photos and read our full interview via the link in our bio. 📸
#play #children #space #happy #joy #photography #potentialspace #humanrights #nancyrichardsfarese #image #global #humanity #instagood
All images courtesy of Nancy Richards Farese and @mweditions.
Today on the blog we have a powerful guest post from Eden Robinson, aka @fangirlfit. She is a body-positive feminist, personal trainer and the co-producer of @queerfitnesspod. She started her business, Fangirl Fitness, to help others feel strong and empowered in their bodies, and dismantle toxic shame around body image messages aimed at women, something which she has personally experienced in her life as a queer woman.
"Toxic shame is shame that is directed at a core element of who we are (our race, gender(s), sexual orientation, body, passions, joys, etc). It paralyzes us, trapping us in spirals of self-doubt and self-loathing. Instead of showing us our mistakes, toxic shame convinces us that we ARE the mistake. It convinces us that self-erasure is the only solution," she writes.
Her sexuality and femininity were often called into question, and it made her feel so much shame because of who she was.
"Growing up, I felt deeply ashamed of both my queerness and my femininity. I was a young lesbian in a small and traditional religious community. At the same time, I was grappling with the many contradictory expectations our culture has for women and girls. Have enough girly interests to be feminine, but not so much that you’re superficial. Be smart, but no one likes a know-it-all," she writes.
Fitness became a way for her to tackle the shame, and in turn help others.
"I started working in the fitness industry because I recognized how much my workouts were helping me connect and heal internally. I want my career to be helping others experience that shift too. Internalized objectification and shame are both things I’m still unlearning, but reconnecting with my body through movement has been a huge part of that healing journey. I named my brand “Fangirl Fitness” because being a “fangirl” is about unapologetically loving something or someone. And we deserve to apply that same energy to ourselves."
Read the rest of Eden's piece by clicking the link in our bio! 💪🏾
.
.
.
#shame #healing #fitness #queer #toxic #bodypositive #feminine #bodyimage #empowered #women #instagood
Pingback: Elvie’s ‘A Mother And More’ Campaign Breaking Stereotypes & Changing The Conversation Around Motherhood – The Womens Edge
Pingback: Motherhood Is Excellent Preparation For Launching A Startup - GirlTalkHQ
Pingback: No, My husband Does Not Run The Finances And Yes, I Own This Place! - GirlTalkHQ
Pingback: Breaking Down The Dismissive Sexism Behind The Statement "She Just Wants Attention" - GirlTalkHQ