Tag Archives: media

You Don’t Have to Love Your Body, Just Don’t Hate it.

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pregnant, woman, pregnant woman, Catherine Balavage

Me when I was pregnant with my son.

It is fair to say that at some point most of us have had a complicated relationship with our body. Women in particular get a rough ride. The media constantly tells us we are not tall enough, thin enough or tanned enough. Yes, the body positive movement has happened, but it is being sold to us by the same people who made us feel crap about our bodies for decades, and do not get me started on how their tagline is usually about ‘real’ women. It is so condescending. There are no fake women. Airbrushing women within an inch of their lives, while those women were already over five foot ten and a size eight, does not make these women an ideal that ‘real’ women no longer have to aspire to because you are woke now.

The beauty industry is still trying to sell us cellulite creams. In 2019 I was still seeing articles on how to get rid of cellulite. It is truly shocking. Babies have cellulite, children have cellulite, even men have cellulite, but for some reason only women are told that it is somehow not normal and we have to spend our time and energy getting rid of it. God forbid we work on our brains instead of our thighs.

P.S: dimples are cute.

Yes, I rant a bit but I have my reasons. As a teenager I thought my body looked awful. All I saw was flaws. Now I am in my thirties and I think it truly is amazing. There are parts I am not keen on, the bits of fat that accumulate around my C section scar and are hard to shift, for example, but I refuse to hate it. My body has made two beautiful children and been through two very different births: one emergency C section and one VBAC. It has been pregnant four times but only has two children and it has endured two traumatic surgeries.

The last few years I have been the fittest I have ever been in between my pregnancies. I am at my lowest weight in ten years and I am proud when I manage to make healthy choices, and gentle on myself when I do not. It makes me sad when I think about how long it took me to love my body on my good days, and not hate it on my bad ones. When I was a teenager I was ill with glandular fever. I was bedridden for years and it took a lot of time to get healthy again. My education was affected and it is only now I am managing to find the time to rectify that. You would think it that was an important lesson but I spent my twenties working fourteen hour days, going to parties and over-exercising. Turns out you can not exist on canapés and champagne alone. My main food groups were pasta and cereal. It is embarrassing to think about now that I try to make sure I have at least five-a-day and that I do not exert my body to much.

What I am trying to say is that your body is amazing. YOU are amazing, and while you do not have to love every part of your body, do not hate it. It is a miracle.

Future Publishing Acquires Stake In Handpicked Media

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handpickedfutureSome very exciting news from Handpicked Media, which Frost Magazine is a part of, here it is in their own words:

Future has acquired a stake in Handpicked Media – a marketing agency for independent digital publishers – creating Handpicked Future Future plc, the international media group and leading digital business, today announces a strategic partnership with Handpicked Media.

The partnership sees Future acquire a 35% stake in Handpicked Media, which represents over 500 independent websites and blogs, reaching over 3.5 million unique users a month in the UK and six million globally. The Handpicked Future partnership provides Future with access to Handpicked’s roster of influential blogs and independent sites across a range of lifestyle channels including Fashion, Beauty and Entertainment. And in return Future will drive the effective commercialisation of those sites.

As a pioneering agency working in social media, Handpicked Media has curated a growing portfolio of influential sites across a range of lifestyle channels since it was launched in 2009 by entrepreneur Krista Madden. It manages the interaction between its community and a range of consumer brands, offering clients an array of opportunities to reach a very targeted and highly engaged audience.

Mark Wood, CEO of Future plc, says: “Handpicked has created a powerful social media proposition, curating a portfolio of leading independent sites and blogs across a range of sectors including beauty, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. Our partnership grows Future’s digital audience in attractive new sectors and is another signal of Future’s intention to deliver greater audience engagement and diversified revenue opportunities from digital platforms.”

Handpicked Future solutions include social media strategy, blogger outreach, content creation, events and integrated campaigns for a range of brand partners including Gucci, Karen Millen, Vodafone, Nivea and Intel. Future will drive the next phase of commercialisation across the collective, with an initial focus on developing the women’s lifestyle offer, under Future Women Managing Director, Jo Morrell.

Jo says: “Future is all about digital innovation and creative content, and Handpicked Media shares that sensibility. Krista and her team have created a really powerful social platform, which Future can support, expand and commercialise. Our award-winning digital excellence offers tremendous opportunities for lifestyle, fashion and beauty brands to deeply engage their audiences through Handpicked Future. I’m thrilled to seal this partnership.”

Krista adds: “We are very excited to be working with Future to expand our audiences, while supporting and developing the talent we have. The combined expertise of the new Handpicked Future team brings innovation and a unique proposition across social and digital platforms.”

Future reaches 58 million global unique users a month online and in the last year so over five million digital editions of its products for tablet and smartphone devices.

Future is the PPA and AOP Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year and the BMA Media Company of the Year.

Interesting Video On How The Media Treated Women In 2013

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We found this video from The Representation Project fascinating. Although women did well in 2013, this video shows that we still have a way to go. Let’s hope for better things in 2014.

What do you think?

PR or Advertising: So What’s The Difference?

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What's the difference between PR and advertising?Jane Ellison-Bates of Manifest Marketing outlines the difference between PR and advertising – and why that matters

We all make assumptions that certain aspects of our businesses are as clear to others as they are to us.   Whatever trade you are in it’s probably the same; there are some areas of knowledge which are so fundamental that you may assume other people, especially your customers, know what you know. But maybe they don’t.

I have been amazed on a few occasions when business owners have confessed to me that they don’t really understand the difference between advertising and PR.  After more years than I care to reveal in the business, to me it was obvious, but I have come to realise that it’s always worth highlighting with a new client the differences between the two.

My favourite way to explain it is the ‘earned versus owned’ principle.

When you decide to book and pay a publication for space or airtime you therefore ‘own’ it.  Quite simply, this is advertising.  Its principal advantage is that because you are paying for it, within reason you can say what you like.  You get to choose how it looks, where it appears and when it appears.  You are completely in control.  If anything goes wrong or contravenes the T&Cs of your booking then you have the right to complain and seek some form of recompense.  You are essentially blowing your own trumpet, and if you do it well you will convince some, if not all, of the people who see, hear or watch your advert that they should buy your product or service.

PR is a whole different ball game.  This time you need to ‘earn’ your space or fifteen minutes of fame.  You can’t pay a TV station to be featured on the news, or a magazine to run a feature; you have to be offering something that an editor wants to share with the audience.  It’s much, much harder and as such commands a greater value.  This time someone else thinks you’re interesting and is prepared to publicise it over and above other contenders. As a result, as a basic rule of thumb in the marketing industry, PR coverage is valued at three times its advertising equivalent, so, for example, a full page valued at £1000 in the advertising media pack is worth £3000 as editorial.  And you don’t actually pay them for it.  Weird but true.

Editorial coverage for your product, service or story wins you kudos in your field and sets you apart. The downside might be that your story isn’t deemed interesting and doesn’t appear, or that it gets edited in a way you don’t like; possibly even erroneously.  It happens.  Unless it’s actually libellous you are likely to have no comeback.  Alternatively, you may not like the position of the piece; but don’t even think about complaining if you want to have any hope of getting future coverage from them.

And that’s where a PR company comes in handy. Let them get to know your business and they will winkle out the interesting stories, present them well to minimise editing and ‘earn’ you that coverage that you covet.

The Five Worst Things A Woman Can Do

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GillianPublicityShotPeople can be their own worst enemies sometimes, and women are no exception. In fact, I believe women can be very hard on themselves. So I have made a list of the top five worst things a woman can do to damage her life.

Settling Down With Someone You Do Not Love.

The biological clock is probably the worst thing that ever happened to a woman. It can make us go a bit crazy. A male friend once described woman in their mid-thirties as ‘terrified and terrifying’. Quite unfair and he was about the same age himself. Worst than that, it can make some woman settle for a man they do not love so they can get married and have children. I completely understand this, I really do. Even in 2013 there is a ‘status’ thing between married and unmarried woman, and there certainly is one between the childless and those with children.

The media is full of stories about leaving it too late and this can cloud a woman’s judgement. But deep down, you always know whether or not you love someone. Relationships are hard enough if you do love someone. A relationship chosen because of your biological clock fears will never be a happy one, nor last.

It can also be hard to end a relationship with someone you do not love anymore. The fear of being single is a very real one for a lot of people, but it is only fair on you and the person you are dating. You will both find partners that you are meant to be with.

I came across this amazing quote from Kelly Brook in Easy Living magazine: “I’m not scared to walk away when things aren’t working. I’m not scared of being single, of not having kids. What I am scared of is being stuck in something negative. That is what I am most proud of: having the confidence to know I deserve everything.”

Starve Herself

The pressure to be thin can be tremendous. This pressure comes from the media and other women. It rarely comes from men. If a man loves you he won’t mind if you pack on a couple of pounds.

When I was in drama school I heard stories of women eating cotton balls soaked in orange juice to stay thin. The very idea of it is insane. If you starve yourself your body will not get any nutrients. You will damage your fertility, your health and your hair will fall out. I have heard way too much about starvation diets, that is not a diet, it is anorexia. Let’s stop it now.

Another thing: The whole Curvy versus Skinny thing is a war that should never be waged. Different people are supposed to be different sizes. Diversity is beautiful.

Let a Man Pay For Everything

There is nothing wrong with the man paying for the first date in my opinion. Especially as the women has already probably spent a fortune on a new dress and beauty treatments. However, letting a man pay for everything gives him the control in the relationship. It also makes it harder to walk away if the relationships stops working and you are not financially stable. A woman should always have a means of making money. If not, she has no control of her own future. Virginia Woolf has a famous quote that ‘A woman must have money and a room of her own’. I could not put it better myself.


Judge Another Woman’s Choices.

Woman can be really hard on each other. The truth is that sometimes when we judge it is actually a mixture of envy and admiration. Life does not give everything to one person. When you make a choice another option ends. The grass can seem greener on the other side. When women judge each other it holds us all back. It is time to live and let live.

 

Take Her Foot Off The Pedal

Another thing that some woman do is slowing down or quitting, even before they realise they have done so. When you start to think about children you can take your foot off the gas pedal. This can manifest in not applying for promotions, not going after something with a passion or not following a dream. The expectation of getting pregnant can stop you in your tracks, but do not let it. You never know what will happen in life and maybe you will not want to be a stay-at-home mum. Stay passionate and go after what you want.

What do you think women do to sabotage themselves?

Calling The UK’s Female Entrepreneurs: Enter The NatWest Everywoman Awards

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beyonce_super_bowl_The UK’s longest-running programme for championing female enterprise, the NatWest everywoman Awards is welcoming entries for 2013. These awards, in their eleventh year, differentiate themselves by recognising business success at every stage of maturity – from embryonic start-ups demonstrating promise to established enterprises that are making a significant contribution to the British economy.

The search is now on to find the female entrepreneurs who will join the ranks of past winners; Chrissie Rucker MBE, Jo Malone MBE, Cath Kidston MBE, Hilary Devey and Dame Mary Perkins as well as the dozens of other women of all ages, household names of tomorrow, who are leading successful businesses the length and breadth of the country.

The number of people setting up their own businesses has jumped by 367,000 since the start of the downturn in 2008*, demonstrating how while necessity may be the mother of invention, a recession can be the mother of innovation. Every year, these awards demonstrate how women from all backgrounds are turning to entrepreneurship to realise their career ambitions. The NatWest everywoman awards raise the profile of pioneering, innovative, inspiring women whose journeys serve to encourage others to join the existing 4.2 million business owners in the UK.

The NatWest everywoman Awards are free to enter and individuals can be nominated or can enter themselves. The core award categories are:


Artemis – given to the most inspirational woman running a business who is aged 25 or under.

Demeter – awarded to the most inspirational woman running a business who is aged between 26 and 35.

Athena – presented to the most inspirational woman running a business who is aged between 36 and 49.

Hera – for the most inspirational woman running a business who is aged 50 or over.

Specialist categories include:

Iris – presented to the most inspirational and successful female entrepreneur who runs a technology business that makes a difference provides real solutions in the world today and, ultimately, is instrumental in building a smarter planet.

Hestia – for the most inspirational and successful female entrepreneur who runs a business in a remote rural location and makes a contribution to the local community.

Gaia – awarded to the most inspirational and successful female entrepreneur who runs a business with a clearly defined social and/or ethical purpose at its heart.

Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder and director of everywoman comments: “These awards recognise that starting and building a successful enterprise does not come with an instruction manual. We understand that business success is driven by women of all ages, from all backgrounds, across industry sectors. Over the years we have recognised hundreds of women who exhibit diverse skills and characteristics that have helped them succeed. Enterprise has never been more popular, and it is encouraging that so many more women are pursuing this route. We want to search out and identify the country’s hidden female entrepreneurs, whether they are just a year into their journey or are growing an established business turning over millions of pounds. By spreading the word about the triumphs of these trailblazing women, others will appreciate how rewarding owning a business can be, and have the confidence to follow in their footsteps.”

Nominations are made online at http://www.everywoman.com/ewawards until 8 July and will be judged by a panel of accomplished businesswomen and entrepreneurs.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony held on 4 December 2013 attended by hundreds of the UK’s leading businesswomen, politicians, media and VIPS. For further information and for table bookings, please contact everywoman directly on 020 7981 2574.

Collider #7 webisode

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We are loving Collider. Did you know it is multi-platform and there will be a film which starts shooting in September? There is also a comic book and a novel. Enjoy webisode seven.

Is China Buying The World? | Book Review

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This short book is more than food for the brain, it is fascinating, a snapshot of history. Touching on a popular subject and often asked question by the global media; Is china buying the world?

Peter Nolan’s well researched short book is full of facts and weighty political and financial debate. Nolan certainly knows his stuff, as well he should; he is Professor of Chinese Development at the University of Cambridge and is one of the leading international experts on China and the global economy.

Did you know?: China accounts for 26 percent of the total foreign holding of US debt. However Britain and Japan hold more US public debt than China. China only holds 12 per cent of total US public debt.

Everyone in business should read this book. It also has lots of fun, fascinating graphs and tables. This book gives a stunning insight into business in China, the UK, US and beyond.

Another point I got from the book is a certain racism against China. I know China has a dodgy history of human rights, but it would seem that the western world is finding it hard for anyone else to take over it’s dominance: perceived or otherwise. A point that Nolan point out is not good for peace or international relations. The book also touches on another subject “Who are We?” and are there any business which are British, or American left?

China is the world’s second biggest economy and its largest exporter. It possesses the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves and has 29 firms in the FT 500 list of the world’s largest companies. ‘China’s Rise’ preoccupies the global media, which carry regular articles suggesting that it is using its financial resources to ‘buy the world’.

Is there any truth to this idea? Or is this just scaremongering by Western commentators who have little interest in a balanced presentation of China’s role in the global political economy?

This book is a must-read. A lot of people are worrying about the ‘awakening giant’ of China, let Peter Nolan allay your fears.

You can buy Is China Buying the World? here.