Celebrating natural beauty and our stance on cosmetic injectables

In the wake of International Women's Day, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what this day means to us here at MV, and how we celebrate female empowerment in all facets of life - including when it comes to beauty (spoiler alert, it's more than just a morning tea with cupcakes!). For us, it's a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, as well as supporting each other on the journey to self-love and empowerment.

But for MV, it's more than just one day.

As a female founded and 100% female-run company that operates in a space dominated by the female consumer (ie., beauty), we take our responsibility seriously. MV always has (and always will) advocate for female empowerment, which is particularly important within the beauty industry - an industry that has a reputation for fearmongering, sexism, and both creating and monetising women's insecurities.

Celebrating natural beauty

Research shows that women place immense pressure on themselves to look a certain way, and often negatively compare their appearance to others. Research on body image among Australians found that over 40 percent are dissatisfied with their appearance, over 50 percent rarely or never speak positively about their appearance, and an overwhelming 73 percent wished they could change the way they look.

We want to help change this. We strongly believe women should feel empowered and respected by the brands they buy, not disempowered by the unrealistic and unattainable enhanced images portrayed in the beauty industry and other media. That's why we adopt a non-conformist approach to the typical messages inherent in the beauty industry, reaffirming natural beauty with no negative marketing, including banning the word 'anti-ageing' from our vocabulary.

And we don't just reaffirm natural beauty, we celebrate it. How do we do this? Firstly, you might have noticed that in our skincare ritual video series we use real women, with real skin - and no post-filming filters. It's important for us to show real, everyday women loving and caring for their skin. We also believe that natural beauty is being comfortable in our own skin, and accepting who we are.

Our stance on cosmetic procedures

And that brings us to cosmetic treatments. We're often asked what our stance is on Botox, fillers and injectables and we want to set the record straight - we are not against Botox, fillers and injectables, but we are against people being made to feel that they are not whole and worthy as they are, and that the solution is in any way achieved through cosmetic changes to their appearance. Sadly, it's often women - and increasingly young women - that often feel this pressure to cosmetically alter their appearance. And this isn't new, either. It's been happening for years.

"My first encounter with injectables was in 2003, just 12 months after opening my holistic skin clinic in Double Bay, Sydney. A young model who was no more than 19 years old was recommended to see me as she was in quite a delicate state and I was known for my gentle approach. I could see immediately there was a problem with her upper lip but it wasn't until I removed the make-up that was covering the lower part of her face that I could see the extent of the damage. As I gently moved the cloth over her mouth she began to cry and revealed to me that she had been talked into having collagen lip filler by her model agency" - Sharon, MV founder.

So while we aren't inherently against the use of injectables, we do hold concerns regarding malpractice, injury, and the ease at which they can be accessed and administered. The issue of ongoing exposure to toxins is another area that deserves strong consideration, as those who start the 'injectables train' often find it hard to get off, and things like botox are rarely a one-time intervention.

If you’re someone who purchases organic produce and makes efforts to minimise your exposure to toxins, you’ll already understand the concept of chemical load. While an intervention like Botox may be considered low-risk due to its common practice, in actuality botulinum toxin (the active ingredient in Botox) is one of the most poisonous biological substances known. Its safety has only been approved due to the low doses administered, and we wonder how the safety recommendation of this may change when assessing the early age that treatment typically commences across the lifespan. Women in their late 20s are now being sold the concept of ‘preventative botox’ to avoid the formation of wrinkles in the first place, feeding and creating stigma behind the fact that yes, we do indeed get older.

The fear of ageing is only becoming more pervasive in today's world, particularly with the rise of social media. TikTok's current "how old do I look?" trend (where users ask others to guess their age) is exacerbating fears that people have had for generations, thanks to society's and the media's obsession with looking younger than we are. We're also seeing a disturbing trend of girls as young as nine years old asking their parents to buy them anti-ageing products.

The mental health implications of society's obsession with looking young in concerning, and the effects are starting to be seen younger and younger. Injectable interventions were initially intended for mature women to feel refreshed and retain features in their faces as they matured, but are now being sold as preventative treatments to women of all ages (we acknowledge that some men feel and experience this pressure also, but primarily these treatments are targeted to women).

But this is not about blaming or shaming any one brand or product or clinic, it's about empowering women - and all people - to make an informed decision on cosmetic treatments and to do what they feel is right for them. As Sharon puts it, "Botox and fillers should be a choice - not something we feel under pressure to do to remain 'visible' or 'viable' in today's society."

That's why at MV, we're about promoting self-love, self-acceptance and self-worth.