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long during May, British technology company Elvie’s new ‘A Mother and More’ campaign was designed to challenge the outdated depictions of motherhood.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.
Independent singer songwriter and producer @itsnylaxo delivers her highly anticipated single “Done Being Sad,” on August 10th following her most recent 2020 release, “Summer Days.” At its core, “Done Being Sad” is a lifeline for listeners to cling to in moments of sadness, depression, and self-doubt that can oftentimes leave us feeling stuck and hopeless.
Nyla created “Done Being Sad” over many months worked closely with her husband, who led production for this project, to cultivate the empowering and energetic feel on the final mix. The two were proud to create “Done Being Sad” from start to finish in their personally owned Chicago studio, Mix Kitchen, with everything from the writing, to the production, to the visuals created in-house.
“Done Being Sad” gives listeners the inspiration to lift themselves up out of the trenches, even if only for a moment, and say “you know what? I’m done being sad too.” We spoke with Nyla about the track, and how music can be a source of healing during tumultuous times:
"I like to think of this song as a declaration that things will be ok...I wrote this song as I was coming out of a season of depression where I had felt lost, unmotivated, and just really really sad Even when I declare “I’m Done Being Sad” in the chorus, I’m writing from a perspective of not having all the answers, but holding on to the hope that I have the power to come out of the place I was in. So don’t feel like you need to be perfect or change overnight, be patient with yourself. I hope that my honesty makes someone out there feel less alone in what they’re feeling."
Head to the link in our bio to hear 'Done Being Sad' by Nyla XO! ❌⭕️
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#NylaXO #donebeingsad #music #artist #independentartist #chicago #mentalhealth #depression #pandemic #healing #feeling #honesty #hope #instagood #WCW
Today on the blog we're featuring an empowering guest post from @nutritionbylizzy who is an International Expert Nutritionist, Wellness Coach and Author. She is here to cut through the BS of diet culture and empower us with knowledge to help us create a healthy mindset toward our bodies.
"The diet industry is working against you, in more ways than you think. Not only are you wasting your time and money on products and programs with results that last just a couple of months (or worse; no results at all), they’re selling you the belief that you’re ‘not good enough’ as you are. And in buying into this lie, you’re reinforcing a subconscious belief system (or what I like to call ‘subconscious BS’) of not being enough that’s keeping you trapped in hating your body."
Lizzy gets candid in sharing her own 10 year battle with an eating disorder, in order to help us "discover the rebellious act of trusting your own body’s wisdom when it comes to your food choices so that you can rebel against the diet industry and finally feel good."
Because of her ED, she developed severe bone loss which forced her to make a drastic shift in the way she treated her body, and thought about herself.
"The heartbreaking thing is, so many of us have given away our power to individuals and companies that don’t want us to love ourselves. I know it’s scary to trust yourself with the decisions you make over food. Yet you were born with the intrinsic ability to nourish yourself correctly. Be rebellious and turn your back on this crap. Learning to trust yourself with food requires time and practice, so be patient and kind to yourself throughout your journey."
Read more of Lizzy's wisdom via the link in our bio! 💓
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#food #nutrition #selflove #eatingdisorder #dietculture #dietindustry #bodyimage #mentalhealth #rebellious #healthy #mindset #lizzycangro #instagood
If you pick up a copy of Sports Illustrated these days, you might be surprised what you see when it comes to the diversity of models being chosen to grace the covers. Taking note of the cultural shift that is happening in the wider beauty and fashion worlds, the magazine has been making a huge effort to be inclusive.
One of the models recently featured was @Kellyhues, whose image went viral for a very special reason. The model from Miami, FL, broke barriers in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue being the first model to highlight her cesarean section scar, which has never happened in the magazine’s 58-year history!
Along with being one of this year’s most talked about swimsuit models, Kelly is also a single mother to her 3-year-old son as well as the founder and designer of HÜES jewelry, worn by numerous A-list celebs.
Kelly has also partnered with ESTAS Beauty to start the #ScarLoveChallenge on social media to spread a feeling of empowerment and change the societal stigma around scars.
We had the opportunity to chat with the model mama about her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shoot, how motherhood changed her perspective and mission in her modeling career, and what she hopes everyone with scars will love about themselves more after reading her story.
"I think we still have a long way to go for the entire industry to truly embrace the change so the more we continue to show diversity and continue this conversation representing all women and bodies, there will be a long-lasting impact that changes people from the inside out. I think it will change people’s idea of what beauty is."
Read more about Kelly's personal C-section story and see more of her stunning images via the link in our bio! 👙💪🏻
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#kellyhues #sportsillustrated #swimsuitissue #motherhood #scars #beauty #fashion #bodyimage #diversity #representation #embrace #women #bodypositive #Csection #mama #jewelry #designer #entrepreneur #model
@iamevitagiron, freelance writer, blog and author of the best-selling children’s book “The Girl with the Magical Curls” announces the launch of yet another exciting and inspiring children’s book titled, “30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids” (out July 28, 2022). Evita is also the founder of the brand, Curlyvita: Crowns Come in All Colors.
Her new empowering book contains 30 powerful positive statements of declaration to help raise and build up the self-esteem of kids with curly hair, and fits right in line with Evita’s overall literary theme of wanting to encourage body positivity and self-love.
If you have been following the movement happening around The Crown Act, we are seeing a number of US states and territories enacting this into law to stop the onslaught of discriminatory incidents around hair, especially among Black youth in schools. While legislation to stop and prevent discrimination is important, what Evita is doing is creating a powerful resource to instill confidence in the lives of young kids who may come across cultural negativity about their hair, or the way they look.
We spoke with Evita to learn more about her mission behind ’30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids’ and which affirmations personally spoke to her as a woman of color with curly hair herself!
"When I created my first book I thought, “wow, I wish I had a book like this when I was little.” Now I’m teaching my daughter and other children the power of loving yourself and knowing that you are special and beautiful just the way you are. They can carry these principles into adulthood and start early knowing that affirmations are their armor against negative talk, whether from themselves or someone else."
Head to the link in our bio to grab a copy of ’30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids’! 💜💗💙
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#affirmations #crownact #curlyhair #girls #blackgirls #bodypositivity #loveyourself #confidence #womanofcolor #EvitaGiron #bestsellingauthor #bookstagram #childrensbooks #instagood
When we read the description of author @charlenethomasbooks’ new novel ‘Seton Girls’ – “a debut YA that starts off like Friday Night Lights and ends with the power and insight of Dear White People” we were hooked. Out August 30, 2022, ‘Seton Girls’ is an examination of the beautiful nuances of female friendships and the complex intersection of race, class, and gender.
Seton Academic High is a prep school obsessed with its football team and their thirteen-year conference win streak, a record that players always say they’d never have without Seton’s girls. What exactly Seton girls do to make them so valuable, though, no one ever really says. But the team’s quarterback, the younger brother of the Seton star who started the streak, wants more than regular season glory. He wants a state championship before his successor, Seton’s first Black QB, has a chance to overshadow him. Bigger rewards require bigger risks, and soon the actual secrets to the team’s enduring success leak to a small group of girls who suddenly have the power to change their world forever.
We had the chance to talk to Charlene ahead of the book’s release about the intersections woven throughout ‘Seton Girls’, casting Black female leads as whole and nuanced characters, and why it was important for her to “flip the script” with this story:
“I wanted readers to find Black girls as main characters—being the pretty ones, the popular ones, the heroes—because we still so rarely get to see ourselves cast in those roles. I wanted to remind girls everywhere that they’re more than what boys decide they are. That they are full, capable humans within their own right. That they are bigger than the adjectives that the world uses to describe them. That they are nouns.”
Get familiar with 'Seton Girls' via the link in our bio. 💗🫦
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#SetonGirls #blackgirls #blackfemalelead #protagonist #femalecharacter #YAfiction #race #teens #friday #book #bookstagram #author #Charlenethomas #flipthescript
Many women today who identify as witches associate more closely with feminism than burnings at the stake or boiling potions with an eye of newt. These women are a part of collective consciousness, harnessing the power of the occult to foster spiritual growth and authority over their lives, on their terms.
Ashley Ryan, also known as @pythianpriestess, a practicing occultist, and teacher of magickal practice, is at the forefront of this trend. Ashley’s path to the occult was borne out of disaffection with traditional religion. Raised in a strict Catholic environment, Ashley rebelled against the rules and practices that she felt from an early age limited her ability to find and be her true self. As she sought out a spiritual identity of her own, majoring in theology in college, the teachings of the occult resonated with her. She knew she’d found her path.
As host of the @theoccultunveiled podcast, Ashley just launched the 2nd season, and walks us through a rare insider’s look at secret rituals. It mostly turns long-held assumptions about ‘the dark side’ on their head.
Here's what she told us about dispelling myths about the occult:
"The Occult and witchcraft have been seen as “devil-worshipping”. Even working with herbs was condemnable! This is because whenever women or any minority is given a form of power (in this case, supernatural), it is seen as a threat. Each one of us, regardless of race, gender, or age, can practice magick; it is our birthright. I think the mass exposure to the occult is a turning point in history."
Read the rest of our fascinating interview via the link in our bio! ⚫️✨🔮
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#occult #podcast #witchcraft #pythianpriestess #ashleyryan #theoccultunveiled #magic #spiritual #rituals #evil #good #spirit #power#thedarkside
We know the world is a dark place to exist in right now. But put down your phones, step away from the doom-scrolling on your newsfeed, and pre-order a copy of @annickadelle’s debut comedy album, Between Two Worlds, set for release August 12, 2022 on Blonde Medicine. Trust us, this album will provide the exact type of medicine we all need – comedy!
The album explores what it means to live between two worlds in various ways: between ‘corporate America’ (where Annick worked before standup) and the arts (now working as a comedian); being German-bred while residing in the USA, and embarking on the gender journey and living on the spectrum between male and female.
Annick made the decision to pursue comedy full time, and “infect more people with laughter” during the pandemic when things looked bleak. The result is ‘Between Two Worlds’, which was recorded in front of an unassuming Fargo, ND audience at The Cellar at the Front Street Taproom. We spoke with Annick about her album, and she told us about an unexpected reaction she got from one audience member after the show:
"We sometimes underestimate our impact. Here I was joking about my gender journey and the weird side effects and the funny things that happened to me. And after the show a woman approached me, in tears saying she was so thankful I talked about these things. She has a trans kid and said “Representation matters. Tonight you represented them. So thank you.” I guess I underestimated what things mean to people."
Listen to snippets of her show and order the album via the link in our bio! 🤣😹🎤
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#comedy #standupcomedy #comedyalbum #AnnickAdelle #betweentwoworlds #gender #culture #funny #German #american #representationmatters
If you are planning on attending the upcoming @thedinahshore festival, September 21-25 in Palm Springs CA, then hide your girlfriend because Siena Liggins is coming to bring down the house with her infectious brand of pop/EDM/hip-hop blend that will have you weak at the knees.
The Dinah Shore is the world’s largest queer/lesbian/non-binary/trans event founded by Mariah Hanson, attracting some of the biggest names in past years such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Bebe Rexha, and Lizzo who all graced The Dinah stage before becoming international superstars. This year’s event will see exciting queer female voices in the lineup including @sienaliggins who will be headlining.
In two years Siena Liggins has gone from an unknown songwriter to one of Billboard’s Top Ten Rising LGBTQ+ artists (2021). Siena’s much-anticipated debut album, “Ms. Out Tonight,” has surpassed 2.5 million streams with features on playlists across every streaming platform. The project’s title is an affirmation of Siena’s arrival, a celebration of her identity, and a warning to those unready to envision the next generation she represents.
We had the chance to chat with Siena about ‘Ms. Out Tonight’, being considered one of the biggest rising queer artists on the scene, and why all attendees should be prepared to “hide your girlfriend” come September!
"It’s so refreshing to see so much queer talent taking up space in the mainstream and creating space for more folks who live within the margins. Personally, I think it’s important to continue pushing for more of us in more positions on and off stage, in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes," she said.
As for what Dinah attendees can expect to see during her performance...
"I can’t give away too much, but I’ll tell you what I expect to see– all the hottest babes at the front of the stage. And if you haven’t already heard… hide ur girlfriend!"
Get to know Siena via the link in our bio! ✌🏾🕶💚💋
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#TheDinahShore #SienaLiggins #MsOutTonight #Blush #queerartists #LGBTQIA #music #event #hideurgirlfriend #queertalent #instagood #blackwomen #blackqueerartists
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