Redefining Beauty from the Top Down

A few years ago, a small group of executives in the public relations department of Clinique decided to seek out a community service project. They approached the Girl Scouts of New York City after deciding to focus on a local cause. The result of this collaboration is a partnership that keeps Girl Scouts in the troupe throughout high school and a patch program that encourages girls to evaluate the concept of beauty.

Working with girls ages 9 to 18, from all five boroughs, the Clinique PR team hosts a variety of events ranging from college visits to product development projects. The girls are required to complete a number of tasks to get the patch, including writing an essay about beauty, analyzing beauty pages and photo shoots in glossy magazines, and even developing a lip gloss or creating a free gift package with the development and marketing teams. If someone had told me at age 8 that I could visit Clinique corporate headquarters and learn about creating makeup items, I would’ve gladly worn the kitschy green uniform. But what impresses me as an adult and a thinker, is their ethics; how many cosmetic giants would encourage the next generation of professionals and consumers to challenge the mainstream notions of beauty that are their livelihood?

For information about becoming a corporate sponsor, contact Jill Scibilia, Director of Special Events & Corporate Initiatives, at 212-645-4000 X 247
www.girlscoutsnyc.org