COME TOGETHER ACT TOGETHER

Never before have small, individual actions been so powerful. Let’s join forces to fight for gender justice around the world.

According to the World Economic Forum we are still 257 years[1] away from achieving gender equality. That’s three human lifetimes before women and girls will earn equal pay, cease dying preventable deaths in childbirth, and gain the right to control their own bodies. And global crisis has made a big problem bigger, with communities isolated and left behind in the midst of every-growing inequality.

Launch Housing and The Body Shop

Launch Housing is a secular independent community organisation, passionately committed to ending homelessness.

From providing high quality housing to an innovative range of support, education and employment services, they bring solutions to homelessness for thousands experiencing the crisis and the trauma of homelessness under one roof.

With every purchase this Christmas, The Body Shop is supporting Launch Housing* in providing homes for women experiencing homelessness as a result of domestic and family violence, which is the number one cause of homelessness for women and children in Australia.

This work aims to move women and children out of homelessness as rapidly as possible, by providing immediate financial assistance to establish stable housing.

Want to get more hands on? Discover ways you can help directly at launchhousing.org.au/take-action

*From October 26th to December 25th 2020, we will be donating $0.03 from every purchase to Launch Housing, to a maximum of $35,000, coming together to act against homelessness, domestic violence and gender inequality.

TIKTOK CHALLENGE

Help us fight female homelessness! Join our TikTok challenge and help raise awareness and funds to support women and children experiencing homelessness because of family violence.

For every challenge using the hashtag #ShesJustLikeYouAndMe, The Body Shop will donate $5 to Launch Housing, to a total donation of $20,000.

MAKE IT REAL TOGETHER

This Christmas, we’re celebrating the imperfect, funny and downright weird moments that happen when we get together with our family and friends for the holidays. We invited journalist and presenter Jan Fran to have some candid convos about the real side of Christmas – the hilarious, the cringe-worthy and the tender moments that make Christmas, so special. If we’re keeping it real, we can’t forget that not everyone has a safe and joyful home to celebrate these moments. So, Jan goes beyond the bon bons and talks about the serious issues affecting some Australian families. Family and domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness for women and children in Australia, so with every purchase this Christmas, The Body Shop is supporting Launch Housing* in providing homes for women experiencing homelessness as a result of domestic and family violence. Celebrate what really matters with us this Christmas.

Watch on YouTube

THE LONG ARM OF GENDER INEQUALITY

We all know that’s not right! That’s why every purchase with us this Christmas will help support the organisations that help give back safety, security and a home to the women most affected by this crisis*.

We’re coming together with organisations all over the world to raise money to give these women back the joys and comforts we enjoy at the holidays, and to inspire individual acts of everyday activism to create a world where that’s a given.

There are two simple ways to join us in tackling the issues that affect women disproportionately during crises, like domestic violence and homelessness:

Shop with us – every purchase gives back to
Take action – When we act together on a global scale, every small action is a part of something big.

'Tis the season for DOING!

Women suffer more in global crisis

Existing unequal and unfair work situations become more so, while unpaid caregiving work done by women increases. Domestic violence surges as tensions rise, and women are confined round the clock with their oppressor.[2]

Domestic violence is systemic

Domestic violence is rooted in gender inequality – as long as women are seen to be inferior, they will be susceptible to all forms of violence. We need to challenge this perception at every opportunity, and make sure that women are equally represented in positions of power and influence. [3]

Homeless from a violent home

Violence and female homelessness are closely linked, with victims of domestic violence forced into precarious living circumstances when our system(s) fails to protect them. Women who are already experiencing homelessness are also at far greater risk of physical or sexual violence than their male counterparts. [4]

Harnessing your personal power

Here’s your individual activism journey broken down into three simple steps, and a bunch of handy resources to help you on the way.

Yes, the task ahead is BIG. But in the end, real seismic change is just a whole lot of smaller changes joined together.

Learn

Books. Podcasts. Instagram posts from accounts in the know. Now is the time to get your eyes and ears on everything gender inequality, so you can ride into this fight armed to the teeth. We’ve created a list of our favourite resources for you - and even made some ourselves.

Talk

Here’s where you spread the social justice word. Tell a friend, regale a colleague - accost a stranger in the grocery store. Each time gender equality is discussed and debated, the movement grows in size and power. Need help? Here’s a card game we made to start tricky conversations about gender.

Do

No longer the sole province of hardcore protestors, activism is now accessible to all of us through small but meaningful actions. Dive in head first with our 24 Days of Activism challenge, or find out how to get involved with your local partner.

Activism 101

Activism isn’t just protests and poster-making. There’s no right or wrong way to be “an activist” – as long as you are speaking up, educating yourself and others or taking action to make change. Here are three ways to be an activist without going to a protest:

Learn! Read, listen and think

Knowledge truly is power. We need to understand the issues at hand in order to make good decisions about how to make change. Also, often there are people out there doing a great job in the area you’re passionate about. Learn about who’s out there and what they’re doing so you can put your energy to the best use.

Use social media as a force for good

Sharing valuable, sometimes lifesaving information in the blink of an eye? Yes please. Don’t be shy about wearing your values on your sleeve (or your feed). Also, if you see things getting nasty in the comments section, like or respond to the productive and positive comments that are keeping the conversation on track. Comments with more engagement get seen more. Farewell trolls!

Engage with your local government

There are so many ways to do this. Spend 15 minutes a week learning who your local politicians are and their positions on issues that are important to you, attend a local town hall or meeting or call a politician about something you’d like to see change. AND VOTE!

Your activism library

Classic Reads:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Women, Culture & Politics by Angela Y. Davis

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Conversations to change the world

A bunch of people sitting around gabbing never solved anything right? Wrong! Conversations spark ideas that change our world. And when it comes to gender inequality, change is the difference between life and death for millions of women globally. So, let the game-changing begin.

Welcome to a game where the rules are easy, but the conversations are hard. From pay gap to thigh gap, these cards are designed to bring us together to tackle gender inequality - one tough topic at a time.

Play now

Activism Advent Calendar

Activism takes many forms, there’s no right way or wrong way. Ultimately it’s all about taking action in whatever way we can to create the world we want. Our Activism Advent Calendar has 24 days of simple, daily tips that when taken on a global scale, create real seismic change. So today’s tiny act of ‘something’? Means everything.

Get the calendar

From October 26th to December 25th 2020, we will be donating $0.03 from every purchase to Launch Housing. This will help Launch Housing in providing homes for women experiencing homelessness as a result of domestic and family violence, which is the number one cause of homelessness for women and children in Australia.

Launch Housing is a charity registered in Australia. (Company Registration No. 605 113 595)

Globally, The Body Shop aims to donate a minimum of £250,000 to women’s organisations around the world. With your help, we want to give back even more.

[1] https://www.weforum.org/projects/closing-the-gender-gap-accelerators

[2] Morgan G, Bajpai A, Ceppi P, Al-Hinai A, Christensen T, Kumar S, Crosskey S & O’Regan N. Infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UNOPS, Copenhagen, Denmark. 2020.

[3] Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage. 27 April 2020.

[4] GIWPS. https://giwps.georgetown.edu/at-the-intersection-of-vulnerabilities-women-and-girls-experiencing-homelessness-during-the-global-coronavirus-pandemic/)