As grandparents, we’ve all heard about Mary Kay, a fabulously successful beauty products company, but did you know they’ve put their money and brand behind all those pretty lips and led the way in support of domestic violence awareness and prevention?
They just released the results of their ‘Truth About Abuse’ Survey, and no surprise, it reveals a need for increased education on healthy relationships.
Awareness isn’t enough to stop abuse. Today Mary Kay released the results of its sixth annual Truth About Abuse survey revealing that Americans’ awareness of domestic violence is on the rise. The survey also reveals Americans believe increased education on healthy relationships can make a difference and millennials show confidence that the U.S. can end domestic abuse for the next generation.
“This year’s Truth About Abuse survey showcases meaningful progress and highlights real opportunities to combat violence against women. Today, 1 in 2 male millennials believe domestic abuse can be eliminated in America. That is a powerful and very hopeful statistic,” said Crayton Webb, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for Mary Kay Inc. “With increased awareness and earlier education, we can help prevent abuse and ultimately end domestic violence by teaching kids about healthy relationships from an early age.”
Highlights from the survey include:
- It’s personal: 65% of those surveyed have experienced domestic abuse, experiencing it themselves or through someone they know
- Awareness is on the rise: 53% of those surveyed say their understanding of domestic violence has improved in the past five years
- Equipped to help: 71% feel confident that they would know what to do if someone they know is in an abusive relationship
- From awareness to action: 1 in 2 say they would intervene if someone they knew was in a verbally or physically abusive relationship
“It is heartening to see that Americans are becoming more aware and invested in the issue of domestic violence,” said Brian Pinero, Chief Programs Officer at The National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect. “However, many are still struggling to recognize the signs of abuse and more education is needed to ensure that adults and teens are building healthy relationships.”
In partnership with loveisrespect, the 2015 Mary Kay Truth About Abuse Survey aims to explore how Americans’ understanding of domestic violence is changing, and gauge attitudes with respect to this evolving issue. One thousand men and women nationwide participated in the online survey Sept. 3-11, 2015, sharing their insights and stories on the issue of domestic violence.
The 2015 survey is part of Mary Kay’s “Don’t Look Away” campaign which works to educate the public on recognizing the signs of an abusive relationship, how to take action and to raise awareness for support services. To date, Mary Kay Inc. and The Mary Kay FoundationSM have given $50 million to domestic violence prevention and awareness programs in an effort to end the cycle of abuse. Mary Kay is also the lead sponsor of the nation’s first-ever text-based helpline operated by loveisrespect. By simply texting ‘loveis’ to 22522, teens and young adults are safely and discretely connected to trained peer advocates who provide support, safety tips and referrals for their own relationships or a friend’s.
About Mary Kay – The Company
Irresistible products. Positive community impact. Rewarding opportunity. For more than 50 years, Mary Kay has offered it all. With 3.5 million Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants and $4 billion in global annual wholesale sales, Mary Kay is a top beauty brand and direct seller in more than 35 markets around the world. Discover what there is to love about Mary Kay by connecting with a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant at marykay.com.
About Mary Kay – The Woman
When Mary Kay Ash “retired” from a successful career in direct sales in early 1963, she decided to write a book to help women survive in the male-dominated business world. She made two lists. One contained things the companies for which she had worked had done right, the other included the things she felt they could have done better. When she reviewed the lists, Mary Kay realized that she had inadvertently created a marketing plan for a dream company – one which would provide women with open ended potential to achieve personal and financial success.
With her life savings of $5,000 and the help of her 20-year-old son Richard Rogers, Mary Kay launched her dream company on Friday, Sept. 13, 1963.
Mary Kay adopted the Golden Rule as her guiding philosophy, determining that the best course of action in virtually any situation could be easily discerned by doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. She also steadfastly believed that life’s priorities should be kept in their proper order, which to her meant putting faith first, family second and career third.
She stressed the importance of recognizing the accomplishments of others. And she constantly encouraged both the corporate staff and the independent sales force to act as if each person they met was wearing a sign around his or her neck that read “Make me feel important”.
At the time of her death in 2001, Mary Kay Ash was survived by two sons, 16 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren; and a great-great grandchild