Newsletter and IYOP Initiatives Australian Coalition '99

AC '99 UPDATE - EDITION No. 7 (March 1999)

MEDIA RELEASE THE BODY SHOP

Age Doesn't Matter Unless You're a Cheese.

We are living in an ageing society. By the year 2011, more than one in five Australians will be over 65. Yet pick up a magazine or switch on the TV and you would think we are living in a society, suspended in time, where life stops at 20. In a culture which equates power and sexuality with youth and beauty, it becomes difficult for people to age without losing a valuable sense of self-esteem. This has fed industries dedicated to extending the appearance of youth. The Body Shop is in the skin and hair care business, an industry typically associated with a limited idea of beauty: tall, thin, flawless, and young. The Body Shop has always stuck to its own definition of beauty: a sense of humour, intelligence and strength of character. As a part of the skin and hair care industry, The Body Shop believes it has a responsibility to the well-being of customers and how they feel about themselves. As part of the 1999, UN International Year of Older Persons, The Body Shop is celebrating ageing. Openly promoted as an anti-ageing devise, cosmetic surgery has pathologised ageing and devalued the ageing process. Such surgery alters characteristics that impart individuality and masks the signs of growing old. While the skin and hair care industry make millions out of perpetuating a narrow beauty ideal, cosmetic surgery is set to follow suit. The Body Shop has produced it's own magazine, Full Voice, that offers a different view of ageing to what is typically represented in the mass media. The second issue entitled Body Image and Ageing reinforces The Body Shop's commitment to the individual by challenging the stereotypes surrounding ageing. The first issue of the magazine, Full Voice, entitled Body Image and Self Esteem was produced in 1997 to challenge the notion of a narrow beauty ideal. Featuring the Ruby icon, now aged 60, the free magazine, Full Voice, Body Image and Ageing is available at The Body Shop from 16 April 1999. Customers will also be asked to contribute their thoughts on ageing in-store to create a snapshot of what ageing means to Australians in 1999, the UN International Year of Older Persons. For further information please call:

Sabina Bradfield on 014-884-881 or 03-9565-0562 or fax on 03-9560-0033.

Email : sabina.bradfield@thebodyshop.com.au

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