| Vatika UK, experts in South Asian hair and members of the Dabur Group, a world-leading ayurvedic and natural products company founded over 135 years ago, have launched their Stronger Roots campaign – celebrating real women and individuals through the challenges they have overcome and the empowerment they have felt through their hair. The Stronger Roots campaign marks a game-changing moment in the lucrative South Asian beauty industry through the Vatika Stronger Roots Champions, five remarkable individuals who tell their exceptional stories and celebrate the freedom that comes from overcoming their struggles and inhibitions and challenging socio-cultural convention and the status quo in order to be their natural selves. Personal victories are signified by stronger roots in the campaign, redefining traditional notions of beauty. The personal themes represented in the Stronger Roots campaign reflect defying gender stereotypes and career convention to follow your dreams; overcoming illness; embracing grey hair in an ageist and superficial world; and celebrating gender fluidity in a heteronormative society. |
Vatika Stronger Roots Champions
Female power-lifter Karenjeet Kaur Bains is the first British Sikh female to represent Great Britain in the sport – three-time All England Champion; two-time British Champion; and 2019 Commonwealth Champion. She has defied cultural and gender stereotypes by competing in a male-dominated sport. Karenjeet champions women to be whatever they want to be – if she can do it, anyone can.
Cancer survivor, Rani Smith, was traumatised as she started losing her hair during the treatment process. As part of her healing process, she started massaging her head with natural oils. Her hair grew back stronger, symbolic of her physical, mental, and spiritual journey through the healing process. “Life weakened me, losing my hair strengthened me,’ she says.
As a makeup artist, Huji Hayre’s work in the beauty industry enabled the perpetuation of traditional conventions of beauty. In a society that associates going grey with old age and giving up on self-care, Huji took the courageous step of challenging ageism and embracing the grey, celebrating its natural beauty. Initially she had concerns about how her decision might impact her business, but why can’t grey be glamorous? Particularly in the Asian community, where there is a certain misperception attached to grey hair, allowing herself to be herself has been personally liberating while widely inspiring.
Henika Patel was faced with a feeling of lost identity when her hair started falling out during treatment for malaria. Re-evaluating her life, she gave up the corporate world to go travelling and connected with a more natural path as she learned to listen to her body. Now a Yoga teacher, she has allowed her hair to grow naturally and hasn’t cut it since.
Choreographer, dancer and performance artist, Raheem Mir, identifies as non-binary, gender fluid, androgynous. Growing his hair has been a significant part of both his personal journey in self-embracement and a powerful statement of his queerness, but equally with his roots and strong connection with his family. Extremely proud of his South Asian heritage and intersectional queer identity and with the full support of his traditional Asian family unit, Raheem has become a role model for the South Asian queer community, while normalising gender fluidity within a wider, socio-cultural context.
Zakir Mansoori, Business Head UK & Europe, Dabur International, said: “There is no denying that South Asian women are some of the strongest and most beautiful women on the planet. Vatika, as a brand, continues to evolve with the changing needs of our women but remains true to its philosophy of revitalising ancient hair rituals using natural ingredients by conveniently capturing them all in a bottle. The launch of the new Naturals Multivitamin+ range sees Vatika’s #StrongerRoots movement celebrate women who, like Vatika, understand the wisdom of their heritage and the hair secrets that have stood the test of time passed down through the generations, standing proud of who they are and their roots – their heritage and their hair.”
Every Strand Tells a Story Share yours @VatikaUK and Join the conversation: #StrongerRoots
Vatika UK products are available from Tesco, Beauty Base, Asda, Superdrug
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