As part of its ongoing commitment to the accurate representation of body images across its advertising and marketing, earlier this year Boots signed up to the Body Image Pledge, led by Dr Luke Evans MP.

Continuing its support for this important initiative, Boots sponsored an event in Parliament today, attended by MPs, Peers, academics, charities, trade bodies and other businesses equally committed to positive body image representation.

Pete Markey, Chief Marketing Officer for Boots, spoke at the event where he said: “We understand the devastating effects that advertising unrealistic body images can have on peoples’ mental and physical health, so we strongly believe that our voluntary commitment to supporting the Body Image Pledge is not only the right thing to do for our business, but for our customers and team members too. That is why we are also encouraging others to join the campaign and continue this important conversation. By working together we can collectively make a positive difference.”

Boots is proud to have had a long history of advocating natural beauty and celebrating individuality alongside a long-standing commitment to responsible marketing. Back in 2013, it was one of the first brands to completely ban any airbrushing and use age appropriate models in its marketing and in its in-house Health and Beauty Magazine. Boots’ focus then and now is on promoting how beauty makes customers feel rather than how it makes them look.

Boots takes great care to make sure that it is representing all customers by using images of everyday people of all shapes, sizes and skin tones in our branded marketing campaigns. This commitment now also extends to the work Boots does with influencers, who are particularly important in engaging our younger audiences in a positive and responsible way.

We know that body positivity and confidence is a vital aspect of mental health. Boots team members, including over 200 Boots Beauty Specialists, have been coached in the art of empathy and compliment giving, becoming our customers’ own Confidence Champions. A growing number of Boots team members have also been trained as Mental Health First Aiders to offer advice to customers who might need more dedicated mental health support.