The Body Shop has teamed up with world-renowned photographer Rankin to launch an international HIV campaign, which invites you to be ‘an activist’ and join the fight against HIV.
HIV knows no boundaries and to highlight this irrefutable fact, the campaign links everyday ‘activists’, people from all walks of life, captured by British portrait and fashion photographer Rankin. This campaign – which features Annie Lennox – is in partnership with UNAIDS and serves as a timely reminder that being an activist means many different things – from taking to a podium and speaking out, to wearing the red ribbon on World AIDS Day and supporting the fight against HIV.
Rankin is best-known for his incredible photographs of people in the public eye, from Madonna and Kate Moss, to Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. He is known for creating images that draw out the different aspects of each subject’s character, their personal nuances – and with a range of people involved in this campaign, he was the perfect choice for this campaign.
The number of people living with HIV worldwide continues to grow, with over 33 million estimated to be HIV positive. Rankin believes strongly in the campaign, creating images that will be shown in stores around the world. He says: "I think it is important to take a stand on something that has affected humanity so profoundly. HIV/AIDS is not going away. We need to constantly educate ourselves, not only on prevention and treatment, but understanding and empathy. It is still a relatively new disease, and although the last 20 years have helped reduce prejudice and dispel myths about HIV/AIDS, we have a long way to go.
We can not assume for a moment that we live in a world where acceptance and empathy prevail, so I just wanted to get involved to add my voice to the activists’ voices."
The campaign highlights the power we each possess to take personal responsibility for our actions, by staying safe and protecting others. Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, a leading authority on HIV related matters, was photograhed by Rankin, as was world-renowned singer and activist Annie Lennox, who shows her solidarity with those affected by HIV, photographed wearing a t-shirt that states simply “HIV Positive”.
This campaign calls on everyone everywhere to show your support and solidarity with those affected by HIV. You will see the visuals for this campaign herald a new take on the iconic design, with a stencil logo designed by the in-house The Body Shop creative team, now used in partnership with UNAIDS. Michel Sidibé says: “As we near 30 years of a world with AIDS, the fresh, new look of the red ribbon will help inspire the public and re-energize the movement to stand in solidarity with the more than 30 million people living with HIV worldwide.”
Find out more here.
