Vatika UK Launches new campaign #BeVisible to Celebrate Diverse Body Image and Inclusion

Heritage South Asian Hair Care Brand, Vatika UK, is continuing to challenge discrimination in the beauty and personal care Industry through its latest campaign #BeVisible – celebrating positive body image and the visible differences among us.

#BeVisible follows in the footsteps of the brand’s previous award-winning campaign, Stronger Roots which sought to champion real women, gender fluidity and inclusivity by sharing the exceptional stories of five remarkable individuals who challenged socio-cultural conventions and the status quo in order to be their natural selves.

In a similar fashion #BeVisible shares the stories of six formidable women who identify as having a visible, physical difference. Nearly one in five people in the UK self-identify as having a visible difference, yet South Asian brands barely reflect and represent people that look different – continuing to circulate outdated and regressive notions of what is deemed ‘beautiful’.

Visible differences can be described as a scar, mark or condition on the face or body that makes an individual look different, such as vitiligo and alopecia. According to research, over 50 percent of people with visible differences feel they are regularly ignored by brands; two out of three people do not think visible differences are represented well in adverts; and one in five will avoid photos with family and friends because of the way they look.

Personal networks, celebrities and social media are the three biggest influences that impact the way people feel about their appearance. Recognising the need for better representation of people with visible differences, Vatika UK continues to pave the way for positive change and representation in the Asian personal care industry by celebrating real and authentic women and individuals.

“As a Hair care brand for the South Asian community, it is imperative that our campaigns are diverse and inclusive and that they highlight that physical appearance is unique and personal to us all as individuals, celebrating our visible differences. Our unique, physical characteristics make us beautiful in our own right. We need to unlearn the tropes and ‘standards’ that the global beauty industry has historically equated with what we consider beautiful. We need to empower individuals through inclusivity and ensure they identify with and see themselves reflected in beauty campaigns. Vatika UK’s #BeVisible campaign is a celebration of all that sets us apart through the beautiful diversity of our visible differences.”
Zakir Mansoori, Business Head UK & Europe, Dabur International says

Meet the Vatika #BeVisible Champions

Each participant in the campaign talks candidly about their visible difference; their personal struggle; the self- doubt they overcame to transform and live their lives on their own terms; and the inner strength that galvanised that transformation.

Harshi Gudkha with Down’s Syndrome tells, “18 years ago my parents were told I was going to be born with Down’s Syndrome. It is not a disease. Being born with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome means I look different; my speech is difficult to understand; and I have a learning difficulty. I don’t see myself as different; it is other people who see me differently. We have the same feelings and moods as everyone else. People started having conversations with each
other and not me. I started feeling left out because they couldn’t understand me. Doctors said I wouldn’t be able to walk, talk, read or write. Look at me now! I may look small, but my thinking is big.”

Burns and scars survivor Tulsi Vagjiani says, “I survived a plane crash aged ten in which I lost my immediate family and sustained 45 per cent (2nd and 3rd degree) burns to my face and body. I always felt my scars were a huge limitation on me accomplishing so much more. I endured extensive years of bullying from the South Asian community. My confidence and self-worth changed as I took my journey inwards recognising my self-acceptance and voice. There is
no fair representation of someone that looks like me. I want to be part of a change for all of those that are suffering in silence. I want to show that visible differences do not need to define who you are.”

With Brittle Bone disease, Shani Dhanda explains, “My condition is and has always been a part of my identity, just like I’m a woman; I’m British; my ethnicity is Indian; I’m a sister and a daughter. I can’t be separated from it and live a different life as if it doesn’t exist, because every single moment of my life has been lived through this lens. In South Asian culture disability faces a further sense of stigma than it does in mainstream society. You can’t be what you can’t see. I have always felt under-represented because we all want to feel we belong. I have decided that I must change this.”

With skin condition Vitiligo, Angela Selvarajah says, “My Vitiligo started when I was 14 years old. It was so difficult to accept when I should have been confident and carefree at that time and enjoying my life. Coming from an Asian background, marriage is seen as one of the most important parts of every girl’s life. I wasn’t seen as normal and started to feel like a burden; it was just as difficult for my parents as it was for me. I went to Sri Lanka for my cousin’s wedding and found out another was being planned – for me! The reasoning was that when my vitiligo gets worse and more obvious, no one would want to marry me, and I would end up on my own. I want to move away from the stereotype of being normal and make my own normal.”

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Congenital Amputation and Cancer survivor Anoushe Husain tells, “As a child, I didn’t see myself as disabled. I was born missing my right arm below the elbow but that didn’t stop me from doing things; I just did some things differently. When Ehlers-Danlos syndrome started manifesting fully as a teen I didn’t have a name for it so I just thought something was going wrong and my body was failing me. Then I got cancer; I had to face the reality that my health had declined, and I had an invisible disability as well as a visible one. It’s
taken me years to accept the term, own it and now use it as part of my identity. I am now a new part-time wheelchair user, having to go through a tonne of new processes and appointments to rebuild my health. Accepting that I’ve had a decline has been difficult.”