Girls Out Loud On How They Empower The Next Generation Of Women
By Sarah Jane Thoms, Big Sister at Girls Out Loud
As part of the twelve days of Christmas initiative, 10 little sisters from Girls Out Loud‘s Big Sister Programme were invited to PLT HQ for an afternoon of girl power. The girls were ecstatic to be spending time at the fashion giant’ home and I was just as excited to have been invited along for the ride. Here’s what went down on the day.
Girls Out Loud is all about supporting teenage girls and empowering the next generation of women. Teenage girls are growing up in an intense era; there’s no escape from social media and body positivity is something that, sadly, lots of women and teenage girls lack.
That’s one of the things I love about PLT. They use a range of beautiful body shapes and sizes in their campaigns, something we need to see more of both in the fashion industry and in the media in general. Girls Out Loud recognise this issue, deal with the negative influences of the ‘perfect body’ culture every day and praise fashion retailers like PLT for their more inclusive approach.
The Big Sister programme matches a young teenage girl with a woman who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt; a successful female role model, comfortable in her own skin and committed to supporting a young teenager for a year. Big Sisters build an empowering relationship by listening and supporting their Little Sister as they hit a major transitional stage in their life. Often this is the only adult relationship they have where there is no agenda and no judgement so it can be life-changing.
Organising exciting trips is a great way for the Big and Little sisters to bond with each other. With pink fluffy Christmas trees and walls adorned with roses, PrettyLittleThing’s HQ was the absolute dream, and our girls loved it! The visit allowed the girls to learn about some of the career options that are available to them in the fashion industry, from photography and graphic design to business development and marketing.
The tour of the HQ really opened their eyes to an array of opportunities. Holding a goodie bag filled with amazing gifts, the girls left PrettyLittleThing feeling excited and happy with more aspiration and knowledge about the world beyond school.
Jane Kenyon, founder and CEO of Girls Out Loud, states: “Our mission is simple. We want teenage girls to believe they can be whoever and whatever they want to be, with no limitations. As our mantra goes, we want girls to be bold, be brave and to feel beautiful, just as they are. We want to instil confidence and self-belief from a young age, so they’re armed and ready when they enter womanhood. Companies like PrettyLittleThing are helping us spread this message far and wide and we’re only just getting started”.
Wanna get involved with Girls Out Loud? Visit their website here
Twitter: @girlsoutloudorg
Instagram: @girlsoutloudorg
