REEBOK: IT’S A MAN’S WORLD.

Check out 4 inspiring organizations changing the game.

Reebok is making a statement this season, a statement they made back in 1998 in their ad campaign featuring tennis powerhouse Venus Williams. They’re celebrating all the boss babes out there that are challenging gender and cultural stereotypes and are making a name for themselves in male-dominated industries.

In line with this message, we’re putting the spotlight on some badass individuals, doing the sisterhood proud.

Check em out.

BLISS YOUR HEART

Dora

Tell us about your organization and the types of projects you support.

In November 2017, I gave birth to “Bliss Your Heart”, yearning and longing for authentic conversations and sisterhood. “Bliss Your Heart” is an online and in-person platform rooted in self-love, self-care and mental health that holds space for no-fluff, zero-filter conversations with the intention to foster meaningful and intentional connections & community in Vancouver. Throughout the year, I host events, gatherings and workshops that centre the experiences of self-identifying women and create space for these women to be heard, seen and celebrated.

The most recent project I launched is The Cool Girls Club, a modern-day safe space for women to explore their emotions and feelings through the lenses of acceptance, accountability and vulnerability. It is a 3-part series addressing the shame and stigma we as women perpetuate about being “too emotional” or emotionally unavailable and how we can release these old narratives in order to embody our best self. My next project launching in September is At Ease, a curated safe space for women of colour to explore their minds and bodies using meditation and mindfulness.

What does the “It’s a Man’s World” campaign mean to you?

That, that ideal is dead and gone. That companies are waking up to the idea that women are making an impact, far more powerful than men ever have. To me, it goes beyond JUST being a campaign and is a mindset, especially working in the health and wellness industry where men have so much power and influence over the way we as women perceive ourselves and profit so much off of our insecurities. It’s the reclamation of our power as women in all the spaces that have been historically created and meant for men. It’s using my voice, my influence and my power to continue the conversation amongst women that we matter, we are enough and are deserving of everything our male counterparts believe they are entitled to.

What is your biggest hope for women’s rights in the future?

My biggest hope is that the rights of women become individualized and honour the unique needs of every woman. That our rights are based on equity and not equality, whereby, every woman is getting a piece of the pie, but each piece received is reflective of what we need and not by the assumption that “we are all women” and we all need the same thing. In order to make this happen, instead of being offered a seat at the table, we need to be a part of the creation of the table, have a say about the invitee list and ensure that there is adequate representation reflective of all of the shapes, sizes, races and genders that compromise today’s definition of what it means to be a woman.

Women Inspiring Passion and Purpose

BIANCA HARRIS

Tell us about your organization and the types of projects you support.

WIPP and WCR Podcast are dedicated to creating a dialogue through our pillars surrounding healing, wellness, addiction, relationships and entrepreneurship. We are always diligently working to bring on guests that allow our audience and listeners to expand the way they think. Our goal is to inspire and create space to ignite your passion and purpose.

What does the “It’s a Man’s World” campaign mean to you?

The campaign indicates to me that it’s no one’s world to be totally honest! We are all connected and it’s no one’s space to claim. We are all here for an uncertain period of time and lucky enough to even occupy space and time while we are hereto make what we wish of it and create our own realities.

What is your biggest hope for women’s rights in the future?

I don’t have a particular hope in mind. My dedication is to pursue healing and fulfillment for all. We all have had bad things happen to us and not enough tools or resources to help us cope and thrive. More than a hope, I have a commitment to do my best to create a space where people can come out of their pain and create a different story for their future.

BIEN À VOUS STUDIO

Patricia & Jeanne

Tell us about your organization and the types of projects you support.

Ever since we launched Bien à vous studio three years ago, we have had a more feminist approach that is conscious, yes, but also instinctive. When we started our stationery line, we did a lot of collaborations with brands we like that were created by women we admire (La montréalaise, Boucle & Papier, Nox Shop). Most recently, we designed the poster for our very inspiring friend Monia Chokri’s first feature film. She has an unwavering vision, she’s inspired and strong, and she asserts herself as a director without making any compromise in a world where male domination is hard to shake. Our natural inclination towards those types of emotional and meaningful collaborations is at the heart of our concerns when we’re thinking about doing a project. The production side of our studio is also deeply rooted in the “fxmale gaze”: we promised ourselves to always shoot women as they truly are in their intimacy, without any sexual objectification, and with gentleness and authenticity. We feel that we succeeded in doing that with a lot of sensitivity, especially this year with Evelyne Brochu and Safia Nolin’s music videos. It’s also important for us to surround ourselves as much as possible with female collaborators, or men that contribute to creating an environment of acceptance, peacefulness and kindness on our sets.

What does the “It’s a Man’s World” campaign mean to you?

That we need to keep that feminist dimension at the heart of our mission. That we are doing the right thing by relentlessly standing by this desire of affirmation and success in our work environment, which is most often than not hostile. It means that we are right about strongly advocating for values that we hold dear: forging that gentleness, acceptance, listening, kindness and flexibility are not the enemy of efficiency and outreach, on the contrary. We want to keep tackling our job in our own way in a world where that approach is still considered insufficient. We know that soon that sensitivity that is considered a weakness will be our greatest strength, and we’re already proud of it. We refuse to distort ourselves to fit a mold that is nothing like us and that promotes discrimination: let’s reshape that mold.

What is your biggest hope for women’s rights in the future?

Less hypocrisy, sarcasm and smirks about feminist demands. More overall foresight about privileges. That this battle stops being perceived by some as a fantasy or a whim. That the education system, parents and the whole world allow young children to choose their sexual identity without bias, layout paths and inappropriate suggestions. More openness, more open paths for women. More open paths and less judgment for everyone.

NEVER WAS AVERAGE

Harry & Hanna

Tell us about your organization and the types of projects you support.

We are the co-founders of Never Was Average. We’re culture shifters, bridge builders who are dedicated to creating community-based artistic and cultural EXPERIENCES.

We collaborate with emerging artists, companies and institutions to create and curate art exhibitions. We create cultural experiences around entertainment, learning and sharing personal histories with others to bring people together.

We also facilitate roundtable conversations in our community since we believe that conversation is an essential way to explore what you think about yourself, to build meaningful relationships with others and to make new realities possible for our community.

We also produce content for the online world such as blog posts, photo series and podcasts. The intention behind our projects is to showcase the power that comes from sharing personal histories, to start a dialogue on different social issues and inspire our generation to make choices toward a fulfilling life

What does the “It’s a Man’s World” campaign mean to you?

Hanna: Sharing a positive representation of all women is always something that is very important for us in all our projects, and a campaign like “It’s a Man’s World” means a lot to us because we, as equal business partners, are faced with this type of stereotype everyday. It’s important for us to showcase that a woman and a man can work together equally, to help transform the power dynamics and to bring real change within a community. We think it sends a strong and powerful message to society.

Harry: It’s important for me to understand the social injustice women still face today. Sometimes as men we don’t realize that everything is mostly designed for us and women have to endure a lot of pain and pressure because of it. I want to become a positive role model for other men so that women can feel valued and empowered especially in the work culture. I think it’s necessary for men to take the time to talk about women’s issues in order to educate ourselves and to know what we can all do individually to build an equal society.

What is your biggest hope for women’s rights in the future?

Our biggest hope for the future is for women to not only be respected but valued and represented at every level of society, whether it’s in sports, arts, technology, education or politics.