Spotlights are where I'll be sharing incredible, interesting, or intriguing things I've seen this month.

Usually Spotlights are a round-up of the last month. But WAY too much time has gone by for me to play catch-up on everything I’ve liked, read, watched, and listened to. So instead, I’m going to focus on a few of the most important things that have really stood out for me over the last few months…

Black Lives Matter

Reflection…

A few months ago, the Black Lives Matter movement became louder than ever, getting the attention it’s deserved for too long. It really felt like there was a chance for change.

Unfortunately, it seems like it’s now dwindling.

I hope I’m not naive to believe that maybe people are posting less about BLM on social media because they’re doing more for it in their actual lives.

Because I think that’s the important bit to remember.

As a non-Black person, you can learn, feel saddened, and feel enraged as much as you want.

But what are you doing to make a difference? Challenging your local MP? Signing petitions? Holding your bosses accountable? Teaching young children in your life?

Posting on your Insta Story can be a helpful prompt to remind someone about the importance of the movement or teach them something new. But that’s not where your activism should end.

“Black Lives Matter Resource Hub”, Proximity London

Action…

Along with a few other colleagues at Proximity & RAPP London, we’ve been working on how we can educate, but more importantly celebrate, different races and cultures in our agency.

There are a few other things that we’ve started too.

Like working with our leadership team to make sure being anti-racist and having fair opportunity for all is truly embedded in our agency’s everyday actions (not just a clause in a contract).

We’ve created spaces for people of colour to come together to share experiences and ideas, and most importantly, discuss the change we want from our agency and industry with our leadership team.

I’m not going to make it sound like this is all amazing or the level you should be striving for. Frankly, it’s embarrassing it’s taken this long for companies to start having these conversations.

And I’ll be honest. It is bloody hard. And draining. And frustrating. To get people to listen. To act. To STAY MOTIVATED. But if we stop trying, things will “go back to normal”. Which can’t be an option.

“Womb Stories” by Bodyform

My tweet says it all really. This is the change that I am here for in our industry.

FINALLY an ad about periods without weird blue liquid being splashed over jumbo sanitary towels.

Or girls wearing tight white hot pants doing cartwheels (wouldn’t do that on a normal day to be perfectly honest, let alone when my vag looks like a murder scene)

The “Womb Stories” ad by Bodyform made me cry (and I wasn’t even on my period at the time).

Because it captures SO MANY emotions and moments that women face all throughout their lives, every single day, in such an honest and heartwarming way that I’ve just never seen before.

It worries me how poorly educated girls are when it comes to their bodies, but especially periods.

There’s so much that needs to change about this conversations and I am overflowing (lol) with joy that Bodyform are doing just that.

Instagram Accounts Challenging Diet Culture

Speaking of conversations that need to change, and better educating not just young people, but our nation as a whole, here’s a topic that is extremely personal to me: body image.

Our society has SUCH a toxic relationship with food and bodies.

To the point where we’d rather believe nonsensical bullsh*t (like carbs make you fat, or hip dips are unnatural) than actually give our bodies the food, respect and care they deserve.

There’s so much to uncover within this topic that it needs its own blog post (it’s in the making…)

BUT what I wanted to share with you today were some Instagram accounts who help people to see just how RIDICULOUS some of these claims are, and try to normalise things about our bodies, eating habits and lifestyles that we’ve been taught to feel conscious about.

Here’s introducing you to…

Hayley Madigan Fitness (@hayleymadiganfitness)

Tiffany Ima (@tiffanyima)

The Fitness Chef (@thefitnesschef_)

Alex Light (@alexlight_ldn)

Seeing these accounts dispel so many food, health, body and exercise myths has been extremely helpful for me, my relationship with what I eat and how I treat my body. And if you’ve been struggling or wanting to learn more about this topic, then maybe they’ll be helpful for you too.

Summer 2020 Spotlight