NI ladies star in new ‘Being You is beautiful’ campaign

The ‘Being You is Beautiful’ campaign aims to showcase fabulous females of all ages, sizes and walks of life as part of Bellamianta’s mission to pave the way in putting diversity and inclusion at the forefront of today’s beauty industry.

Starring in the campaign are Irene McKee, 73, a semi-retired nurse from Cookstown, civil engineer, Ciara Doherty, 38, from Belfast, Louise Casey, 31, from Silverbridge and mum of three-year-old twins, 21-year-old Megan McNeill, who has Crohn’s disease, and is from Lisburn in Co Antrim, Collette MacNamee, 63, from Pomeroy, the mother of Bellamianta’s founder, Linda Stinson and a cancer sufferer who was first diagnosed in January 2018 and Collette Corr, 46, from Coalisland.

CEO of Bellamianta Linda Stinson, explained: “At Bellamianta, we truly believe that being you is the most beautiful thing you can be, and we wanted to encourage women across Northern Ireland to completely embrace loving themselves.

“The amazing ladies you see as part of our new ‘Being You is Beautiful’ campaign are all REAL Bellamianta users who applied for and won a place. They are playing a very important role in the celebration of women of all ages, sizes and walks of life and we hope that it will inspire other females across the province.”

Amongst the participants is semi-retired nurse Irene McKee who sadly lost her husband a few years ago, and while it has been a difficult time for her, being a part of this campaign has helped her to spark joy once again. She also wants to encourage others to “get out, talk to people and have a good time!”

She explained: “My granddaughter Abbie entered me. When she received the call and was told “We want your Nanny!” we were over the moon, I couldn’t believe it. I have realised at my age you can still get out, talk to people and have a good time so I hope that by taking part in Bellamianta’s ‘Being You is Beautiful’ campaign, that I will inspire other women my age who will see this. All of these women are inspirational to me and I am so proud to be a part of it.”

Megan McNeill, who has Crohn’s disease, regularly shares her day-to-day life living with Crohn’s on social media, continued: “I want other young women or men like me to see the representation of a stoma bag so it becomes normal to have a model with a physical difference. I do not let my illness define me but only add to my story.”

Meanwhile, Collette Corr has been at the core of the Bellamianta team since the beginning, she said: “This is totally out of my comfort zone and very far from anything I would ever have imagined I would be part of. I have been at the administration side of numerous shoots but was never part of the “fun” side. The opportunity arose for the “Real Women” shoot and I thought, why not, it was time to practise what I preached.”

Louise Casey agreed: “As a mum of twin girls, I want them to see me as someone who has embraced my body and loves the skin that I am in. Life is short so I want to grab any opportunity I can.”

Civil engineer, Ciara Doherty, added: “People expect you to look or dress a certain way, maybe more masculine. However, love being womanly. Being part of something like this is of course daunting, but I like pushing the boundaries. Happiness is always at the other side of uncomfortable. I’m ready to get uncomfortable and have fun along the way.”

The 10 women featured in the campaign are helping Bellamianta to launch its new and improved luxury formulas where skincare meets tanning. Bellamianta, meaning Beautiful Aspirations, are proud to be cruelty free, vegan and PETA approved, as well as safe for use during pregnancy.

The campaign also featured four ladies from the Republic of Ireland.