DUBLIN, March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
- Debate hosted by Cosmetic Executive Women and Allergan
- Panellists questioned if
'Lying about your
treatment is the new
lying about your age?' and
whether 'The biggest betrayal
of the sisterhood is the secrecy
around having medical aesthetic
treatments?'
Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), a leading global pharmaceutical
company and maker of Juvéderm® facial fillers, reveals
the outcome of a heated debate tackling the view that women who
enhance the way they look, can be seen as frivolous, or even
anti-feminist.
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phy1DMus-Z0
The debate, hosted by Cosmetic Executive Women and supported by
Allergan, explored new research into women's attitudes towards the
quest for beauty and youth. The panellists were Polly Vernon (author of Hot Feminist),
Bryony Gordon (author of Mad Girl), journalist Sarah Vine and leading Aesthetic Practitioner,
Alison Telfer.
Allergan's research with 1,507 UK women revealed 45% of
responders believe you can be a feminist and love fillers, and 88%
also agreed they should be free to express their beauty in any way
they choose.[1] Bryony supported
this: "Feminism is all about being able to make your own choices.
It's normal to want to look good." Sarah felt: "It's ok to have
whatever you want done, it doesn't matter what people think of you,
it's what you think of yourself. If you look nice and feel good
that's what's great."
What the panel unanimously agreed does go against feminism, are
the current levels of secrecy surrounding having 'work' done. The
research revealed that 38% of women who would consider cosmetic
injectables would keep it a
secret,[1] with almost half (47%)
feeling they'd be judged for being
vain.[1]
The panel discussed how secrecy was especially prevalent amongst
celebrities, many of whom claim not to have had treatment.
According to Alison Telfer: "The
biggest betrayal of the sisterhood is secrecy i.e. not telling each
other when you have had treatment and therefore allowing other
woman to think you look that way naturally." While Polly Vernon said: "What I find profoundly
uncomfortable is attacking a woman who decides to have treatment,
on the grounds that it is anti-feminist. Surely, a definition of
feminism includes feeling empowered to age the way you want to,
without criticism or judgment." Sarah
Vine added: "Lying about your treatment is the modern
equivalent of lying about your age!"
The panel discussed why stigma around treatment exists and the
perception that those who take an active interest in how they age
are deemed vain or anti-feminist. Sarah
Vine commented on the difference between radical feminism
and postmodern feminism: "Some feminists from the 70s felt they had
to look 'hideous and hairy' in order to take a stance against the
view that women had to be perfectly preened for men. It was ok for
feminists back then to think they wanted to look that way and it's
ok now for feminists to say I'm taking control of the way I look
and the way I age."
Both Bryony Gordon and Polly
Vernon agreed that by being in the public eye, people think
they have a right to judge the way you look. Polly Vernon said: "We are in a state of mutual
judgement and need to find a way to break the cycle… age is mired
in judgement and resisting age is also judged."
Caroline Van Hove, Senior Vice
President, International Medical Aesthetics at Allergan says: "In
recent years the topic of feminism has generated lots of
conversation. At Allergan, we want to empower women to age the way
they want, so it felt like the right time to have a candid
discussion about women's desire to express their beauty in a way
that is right for them. Women are united by an increasing desire to
control how their looks evolve with time. This shouldn't mean they
are judged negatively - especially when 74% say they are primarily
making an effort to look good for themselves, not for
others,[2] which closely aligns to
a feminist viewpoint."
Caroline Neville, President of
Cosmetic Executive Women who hosted the debate said: "How we choose
to look, and how we choose to age is a decision each woman must
make for herself. Judgement amongst women has led to an environment
of fear and secrecy, and does nothing to support feminist ideals.
This debate has revealed the need for women to start being open,
honest, and supportive of one another's choices."
Those wanting to find out more information about cosmetic
injectable treatments and how to find a reputable practitioner can
visit the Juvéderm clinic connector tool:
https://locator.juvederm.co.uk/
- Feminist with Fillers research, carried out Dec 2016
- Allergan Global Beauty Data on File 01 2016.
(INT/0381/2016)
Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), is a not-for-profit
organisation for women working in the cosmetics industry, with over
1,000 members in the UK. They lead the conversation in beauty,
addressing topics that are shaping the future of the industry.
About Allergan
Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a unique, global
pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model -
Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing,
manufacturing and commercialising innovative branded
pharmaceuticals, high-quality generic and over-the-counter
medicines and biologic products for patients around the world.
Allergan markets a portfolio of high quality products that
provide valuable treatments for the central nervous system, eye
care, medical aesthetics, gastroenterology, women's health,
urology, cardiovascular and anti-infective therapeutic
categories.
Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, the Company's
R&D model, which defines our approach to identifying and
developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient
care. This approach has led to Allergan building one of the
broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with
70+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs in development.
Our Company's success is powered by our more than 16,000 global
colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build
bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers
and patients around the world by always doing what is right.
With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries,
Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare
providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful
treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier
lives every day.
For more information, visit Allergan's website at
http://www.Allergan.com.
Allergan Forward-Looking Statement
Statements contained in this press release that refer to future
events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements
that reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing
trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as
expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or
obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual
results may differ materially from Allergan's current
expectations depending upon a number of factors
affecting Allergan's business. These factors include,
among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome
of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of
competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and
continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or
delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed
in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including but not limited
to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for
the quarter ended September 30,
2016 (certain of such periodic public filings having been
filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required
by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to
update these forward-looking statements.