Shiseido’s Post

This year's Target Pride month merchandise is a perfect example of performative allyship. The Peach Fuzz was created by Elizabeth Hudy and currently operates out of San Francisco, California. They partnered with Target for Pride month and one of the designs was originally "Support Your Sisters, Not Just Your Cis-Ters" but the actual merchandise Target is selling just says "Support Your Sisters." From their Instagram post (@thepeachfuzz.co): "It is such a tremendous privilege to have even been considered for this project, but boy it sure does feel like a sick joke when you put everything you’ve got into over 20 designs only to have the final product be two watered down and brandless items. I went to my car and cried after I got my stuff. I know I should be proud of myself, and I’m sure I will be eventually, but I don’t think I let all of the disappointment hit me until now. The lgbtqia community deserves so much more than vague love merch shoved at the back of the clothing section. And LGBTQ artists deserve to be highlighted with actual PRIDE!" When you give in to pushback, you are pushing us back in the closet. When you erase trans identities from your merchandise, the message you are sending is that we are not palatable. True allyship is UNCOMFORTABLE. Why? Because by speaking up and being an ally, you expose yourself to the discrimination and hate we experience everyday. It's meant to give you perspective on what it's like to be an LGBTQ+ person in this world, and let me tell you, at times it is incredibly difficult to exist. Performative allyship centers you and your comfort. Be about it. Do better. First slide has the original design, the second has the Target version. #allyship #performativeallyship #lgbtq #pridemonth #target

Embracing the Aromantic Spectrum!  🌈 Proud Empowerment is thrilled to be part of Aromantic Spectrum Awareness, celebrating the unique language of love where the aromantic heart beautifully expresses itself through platonic connections.  It's a valid and enchanting facet of the human experience that deserves recognition and celebration. ❤️🤝 Why is Aromantic Spectrum Awareness so important?  It's a celebration of diversity in the language of love!  By recognizing and understanding the aromantic spectrum, we promote a more inclusive and compassionate world.🌐❤️  Shoutout to the LGBTQ centers, organizations, and brands making inclusivity a priority in Aromantic Spectrum Awareness!  Your commitment to fostering understanding and acceptance is crucial.  Proud Empowerment appreciates your dedication to creating spaces where every expression of love is celebrated. 🏳️🌈💙  We want to hear your stories!  Share your most memorable experiences related to Aromantic Spectrum Awareness.  Drop a comment below and let's create a space where everyone's story is valued and heard. 📖❤️  🌈 Image Description: A captivating purple-themed gradient graphic featuring the Proud Empowerment brand, accompanied by a Aromatic Pride Flag pin capturing the essence of Aromantic Spectrum Awareness. Text on the image invites everyone to join the celebration. Join Proud Empowerment in championing inclusive marketing strategies that honor all expressions of love. 🌟 Break stereotypes, challenge norms, and celebrate the beauty in diversity. 🏳️🌈✨ #InclusiveMarketing #LGBTQInclusion #ProudEmpowerment

Worried about your Image? Last night I had a teen girl write to me 'I hate my life. Why was I created to be a women?' Everyone wants to be something that they aren't created to be. It started in the Garden of Eden and has grown till now. With LGBTQ+ on the rise in the West and creeping into the East, it is spreading like wildfire. The world is getting crazier.. They couldn't accept who they are, but expects others to accept who they choose to be. Every young girl in India wants to be like a Heroine they admire and so does every boy about a Hero. But have you read the news? Heorines do a lot of plastic surgery to transform themselves into something they aren't by creation. Even they aren't happy with who they are and how they look. Then why do we go crazy about their looks? It's fabricated beauty and isn't real. You and I are created in the image of God. Weigh between the two. Which is worth more? The Image of God? or the fabricated beauty of someone who isn't happy with their own image? God calls you Precious, Beautiful, Unique and one of a kind. Why be someone else when you are worth much more? Think about it... The Cosmetic and Fashion industry florishes taking advantage of our lack of self-identity and self-worth. #Identity #Personality #Leadership #Cosmetics #Fashion #LGBTQ

Bisexuality and the bisexual community deserve more recognition, support & conversations. This week, we celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week, an annual celebration to highlight the challenges faced by the bisexual community, amplifying their voices, breaking myths and celebrating their identity! What do the stats say? As per the Stonewall Org: Only one in five bi people (20 per cent) are out to all their family compared to three in five gay men and lesbians (63 per cent) Two in five bi people (42 per cent) hide or disguise their sexual orientation at work for fear of discrimination Bisexual individuals are subject to discrimination because they seemingly enjoy "passing privilege", usually with the notion that bisexuals are able to escape oppression from heterosexuals by conforming to social expectations of opposite-gender sex and romance. These are just some of the challenges and issues faced by the community. This week, we will spotlight more challenges, share stories from the bisexual community, explain Evolve's interventions for the community and lots more! Let's strive to make the world a more inclusive place for all, including the bisexual community and celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week by being being actionable allies! . . . #evolve #bisexualityawarenessweek #bisexuality #bipride #pride #lgbtq #selfcare #mentalhealth #inclusion

🌈 Let the pride month companies Marketing campaigns start! 🌈 - which I don't mind at all, don't get me wrong! There's a lot of controversy regarding the pride month marketing campaigns, like switching the company's logo into a rainbow version, or stating their support to the LGBTQ+ community on a short LinkedIn post. Some people think it's hypocrite, like it's just another cold way of making money by taking advantage of an oppressed group's fight, while the reality in the company doesn't match with what they're stating. But, while I can understand that way of thinking, I still think this is better than nothing. At least, this controversy is creating debate and is forcing people to talk about the Queer cause! Pride month, to me, is the time of the year where the queer cause is present in (almost) everybody's daily life, and that generates reflection in them. Even if your company only changes the logo, or if they go beyond and brings up the discussion and uses this time to rethink what could they do better in order to support the Queer community, it all has an impact. Therefore, do share Queer content, do share your opinions, do share your stories, and do think about how can you become even more respectful and inclusive with Queer people. 👉 And, let's not forget: Pride month is not just about sexual orientation, but also about identity and expression! So, it's not just about "love is love", but also about "being". #pride #queer #lgbtq #pridemonth

They weren't using the right pronouns, and I didn't know what to do. What do you do when you know someone's pronouns but you are with a group of people who don't? This is one of the most common scenarios I am asked about when I speak to teams about inclusion. Here's what you can do: - Ask the person directly: Maybe they aren't ready to share and don't want you to correct anyone, or maybe they want your support in correcting and guiding people. You won't know until you ask! - Use the person's name: If the person's name is correct but pronouns are not, use the person's name as much as you can. This scenario is about unintentional misusing someone's name or person what do you do if it is intentional? 1) Redirect: "Alex actually goes by they/them pronouns." 2) Rephrase: "I agree, Alex did such a great job on the presentation. Aren't they a great speaker?" 3) Raise awareness: Talk to your HR or people teams about including pronouns in email signatures and creating education initiatives about pronouns as part of a larger discussion on LGBTQ, gender, & trans inclusion at work Pronouns only seem trivial if you are someone who consistently has your pronouns used correctly all the time. Our pronouns are how we are referred to every day. It's how we most feel like ourselves. It's how we know we are valued at work and in our communities. It's non-binary awareness week. Respecting pronouns is not only one of the most accessible ways you can be an ally. It's also one of the most impactful. #NonBinaryAwarenessWeek #LGBTQ #Inclusion

Today is Bi Visibility Day! 🩷💜💙🏳️🌈 Just a reminder on some tips around Bisexuality: - Bisexual people are still Bisexual even if they’re with a heterosexual partner. The relationship status doesn’t change somebody’s sexual orientation. - “Bisexuality is a ‘stepping stone’ or ‘phase’ whilst somebody “figures out” if they’re gay / lesbian.” Where sometimes this may be true and sexual orientation may change over time, for the majority of Bisexual people their sexuality is a valid part of their identity and not a ‘phase’. - “Bisexual people are greedy”. This is not true, Bisexual people are attracted to more than one gender. This doesn’t necessarily equate to wanting to be in a relationship with more than one person at a time. However, people can be both Bisexual and Polyamorous, and this is ok to! - Bisexuality can include Cis-gendered, non-binary and trans people. #BiVisibilityDay #Bisexual #LGBTQ

Where will you be in 90 days time without action… 🔮 I raise this question as something I've noticed over the years of therapy and coaching is that many people think inaction = staying the same. Now “the same” isn’t typically what they want - or can actually even tolerate. “The same” often means unhappiness - especially when this is played out long term… But the reality is that inaction is rarely staying the same. Inaction is typically further in the direction they don’t want to be going in… 📅 And these small movements each week in the wrong direction create BIG changes in the wrong direction, when these small movements compound from weeks into months and into years. But - it’s a choice… 🌧️ For my client Lia, staying the same meant living in fear of not being accepted for who they truly are. 🌦️ Lia* had been struggling with their coming out (or letting people in) journey for years. They had always known they were queer, but the fear of rejection and isolation from their loved ones had kept them from being their true self. That's when Lia decided to reach out for help. ⛅ Through our sessions, Lia learned that inaction was not the answer. It was not about staying the same, but rather moving in a direction towards self-acceptance and self-love. Together, we worked to break down the barriers that were holding them back from living their truth. 🌤️ Lia's journey towards self-acceptance was not easy. It was bumpy but it was worth it. They were able to let go of their fear and share their true self with their family. Lia's words say it all, ☀️ "Thank you for helping me come out to my family, the biggest step in my life! I would not have been able to do that without your unwavering support and I will be forever grateful." To take action or not take action - that is the question… Send me a DM and let's chat. Let's make this the moment that everything changed. #queer #mentalhealth #lgbt #lgbtq #transgender #nonbinary *) Name & Photo anonymised to protect my client’s privacy.