Meeting Dame Anita
Meeting Dame Anita
Updated 02:05am (Mla time) Nov 26, 2004
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the November 26, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
ONE would think the founder and symbol of a cosmetics and skin care company would take care not to appear in public unless her hair was coiffed and shellacked to perfection, she was clothed only in the latest and poshest fashion, and her face was made-up, buffed and polished to within an inch of her life.
But such is not the way of Dame Anita Roddick, who with her husband Gordon founded The Body Shop in 1976 in Sussex, England, and now serves as the inspiration and conscience of a global retail giant with almost 2,000 stores worldwide. Visiting the country for the first time since her last visit eight years ago, she sits through press interviews in black slacks, a simple blouse and soft flats. Her hair is a wiry tangle that nearly engulfs her face, which seems not to bear a hint of makeup other than face powder. For the cocktails hosted by British Ambassador Paul Dimond and the luncheon where she addressed about 200 members of the British Chamber of Commerce, as well as movers and shakers in the worlds of Philippine business, civil society and media, Dame Anita's only concession to the occasion was to tie her hair up in a loose chignon.
She not only walks the talk, she looks it. As she wrote in her first book "Body and Soul," which tells the story of The Body Shop as well as expounds on her business and social philosophies: "To me the whole notion of a 'beauty' business is profoundly disturbing. What is beauty? I believe beauty is about vivaciousness and energy and commitment and self-esteem, rather than some ideal arrangement of limbs or facial features as celebrated in fashion magazines and beauty pageants." And by her standards Roddick is the idealization of beauty, for she is undoubtedly vivacious, energetic, and committed. As for self-esteem, well, it fairly leaps out of her and grabs everyone she encounters.
* * *
"BLOODY amazing" is how Roddick describes the success of The Body Shop in the Philippines and around the globe.
"It still amazes me," she said in an interview, "because we started with what was essentially a European concept and only later did we discover that there are common denominators among women (and men) wherever they are."
Among these common denominators must have been a desire for skin care products that weren't extravagantly packaged and didn't promise impossible cures, and used natural organic ingredients that, moreover, weren't tested on animals. Perhaps timing also had a lot to do with The Body Shop's success, for the late 1970s was also marked by the "trickling down," as it were, to the general public of such values espoused by the social movements of the 1960s as concern for the environment, honesty in marketing, and simplicity in one's lifestyle.
The Body Shop's global success is even more amazing considering that, following the Roddicks' dictum, the company has never embarked on an advertising campaign, that is, advertising that goes beyond its own premises and equipment. Its success as a brand is remarkable because it's a success created mainly out of word-of-mouth.
Vincent Muñoz, whose family holds the franchise for The Body Shop in the Philippines, says he himself was surprised by the great popularity of the brand locally. There are 36 outlets around the country, some of them in provincial capitals, the latest one in Batangas. Four more are scheduled to open before the year ends. One factor that figured in Muñoz's favor over the other Filipino franchise applicants who numbered over a hundred, I heard, was his willingness to take on the "activist" role that has been part and parcel of The Body Shop's marketing and business philosophy.
* * *
WHEN I asked Dame Anita where she draws this energy and passion not just for business but for "changing the world," she recalls a phrase someone shared with her: "Life isn't a dress rehearsal. If you're not the sort who believes in an afterlife, or a higher life, then you have to realize that this life is the only one you'll live. You live your life by your actions, your life will be measured by what you have done, not by what you always wanted to do."
She is perhaps the most famous and successful British businesswoman, and Roddick says, that given her "energy, resources and network, to do nothing (with these) would be tantamount to a sin."
It was when her "little" business became the runaway success that it is that Roddick first realized that she could use her company's reach and resources "to tackle the big issues like trade, social justice and human rights." But unlike most businesses that claim to embrace "corporate social responsibility" but only as an "extracurricular" activity that has nothing to do with internal arrangements and making shareholders happy, The Body Shop began its social involvement by looking after its own house, taking care of employees and later, tailoring their internal trade arrangements.
* * *
BELIEVING that "the workplace is a community," Roddick says her first "big idea" was to transform The Body Shop's original factories and offices into "a place of wonderment and delight."
Facing the demands of a largely female staff under the age of 27, Roddick also set up a Child Development Center, "one of the first to be attached to the workplace" for the young children of employees. Childcare support for employees was not seen as an additional "burden" for the corporation or a "perk" for employees. Rather, says Roddick, "we viewed childcare as absolutely essential for the business."
And from looking after their own, it was but a short hop for Roddick to begin thinking of ways by which the business could reach out to the larger community. And it was this resolve to build partnerships with communities that has become The Body Shop's trademark.
Updated 02:05am (Mla time) Nov 26, 2004
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the November 26, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
ONE would think the founder and symbol of a cosmetics and skin care company would take care not to appear in public unless her hair was coiffed and shellacked to perfection, she was clothed only in the latest and poshest fashion, and her face was made-up, buffed and polished to within an inch of her life.
But such is not the way of Dame Anita Roddick, who with her husband Gordon founded The Body Shop in 1976 in Sussex, England, and now serves as the inspiration and conscience of a global retail giant with almost 2,000 stores worldwide. Visiting the country for the first time since her last visit eight years ago, she sits through press interviews in black slacks, a simple blouse and soft flats. Her hair is a wiry tangle that nearly engulfs her face, which seems not to bear a hint of makeup other than face powder. For the cocktails hosted by British Ambassador Paul Dimond and the luncheon where she addressed about 200 members of the British Chamber of Commerce, as well as movers and shakers in the worlds of Philippine business, civil society and media, Dame Anita's only concession to the occasion was to tie her hair up in a loose chignon.
She not only walks the talk, she looks it. As she wrote in her first book "Body and Soul," which tells the story of The Body Shop as well as expounds on her business and social philosophies: "To me the whole notion of a 'beauty' business is profoundly disturbing. What is beauty? I believe beauty is about vivaciousness and energy and commitment and self-esteem, rather than some ideal arrangement of limbs or facial features as celebrated in fashion magazines and beauty pageants." And by her standards Roddick is the idealization of beauty, for she is undoubtedly vivacious, energetic, and committed. As for self-esteem, well, it fairly leaps out of her and grabs everyone she encounters.
* * *
"BLOODY amazing" is how Roddick describes the success of The Body Shop in the Philippines and around the globe.
"It still amazes me," she said in an interview, "because we started with what was essentially a European concept and only later did we discover that there are common denominators among women (and men) wherever they are."
Among these common denominators must have been a desire for skin care products that weren't extravagantly packaged and didn't promise impossible cures, and used natural organic ingredients that, moreover, weren't tested on animals. Perhaps timing also had a lot to do with The Body Shop's success, for the late 1970s was also marked by the "trickling down," as it were, to the general public of such values espoused by the social movements of the 1960s as concern for the environment, honesty in marketing, and simplicity in one's lifestyle.
The Body Shop's global success is even more amazing considering that, following the Roddicks' dictum, the company has never embarked on an advertising campaign, that is, advertising that goes beyond its own premises and equipment. Its success as a brand is remarkable because it's a success created mainly out of word-of-mouth.
Vincent Muñoz, whose family holds the franchise for The Body Shop in the Philippines, says he himself was surprised by the great popularity of the brand locally. There are 36 outlets around the country, some of them in provincial capitals, the latest one in Batangas. Four more are scheduled to open before the year ends. One factor that figured in Muñoz's favor over the other Filipino franchise applicants who numbered over a hundred, I heard, was his willingness to take on the "activist" role that has been part and parcel of The Body Shop's marketing and business philosophy.
* * *
WHEN I asked Dame Anita where she draws this energy and passion not just for business but for "changing the world," she recalls a phrase someone shared with her: "Life isn't a dress rehearsal. If you're not the sort who believes in an afterlife, or a higher life, then you have to realize that this life is the only one you'll live. You live your life by your actions, your life will be measured by what you have done, not by what you always wanted to do."
She is perhaps the most famous and successful British businesswoman, and Roddick says, that given her "energy, resources and network, to do nothing (with these) would be tantamount to a sin."
It was when her "little" business became the runaway success that it is that Roddick first realized that she could use her company's reach and resources "to tackle the big issues like trade, social justice and human rights." But unlike most businesses that claim to embrace "corporate social responsibility" but only as an "extracurricular" activity that has nothing to do with internal arrangements and making shareholders happy, The Body Shop began its social involvement by looking after its own house, taking care of employees and later, tailoring their internal trade arrangements.
* * *
BELIEVING that "the workplace is a community," Roddick says her first "big idea" was to transform The Body Shop's original factories and offices into "a place of wonderment and delight."
Facing the demands of a largely female staff under the age of 27, Roddick also set up a Child Development Center, "one of the first to be attached to the workplace" for the young children of employees. Childcare support for employees was not seen as an additional "burden" for the corporation or a "perk" for employees. Rather, says Roddick, "we viewed childcare as absolutely essential for the business."
And from looking after their own, it was but a short hop for Roddick to begin thinking of ways by which the business could reach out to the larger community. And it was this resolve to build partnerships with communities that has become The Body Shop's trademark.
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