On this episode of en(gender)ed, our guest is Lynn Power, the CEO of Masami, a vegan, cruelty-free, and botanically hydrated hair products company. Prior to founding Masami, Lynn worked as an advertising executive and played a leading role in the launch of such brands as Clinique’s Even Better and L’Oreal’s Clinical. We speak with Lynn today about her experience as former CEO of J. Walter Thompson’s NY office in the wake of #metoo and the company’s own sexual discrimination law suit, the role of the advertising industry in shaping consumer opinions and behaviors, and her subsequent decision to disrupt he beauty industry through her new venture with Masami.
During our conversation, Lynn and I referenced the following resources and topics:
- Lynn’s experience helming J. Walter Thompson’s (JWT) New York office and leading the organization through its own #MeToo crisis
- Other #MeToo moments in the advertising industry
- The role the advertising industry has in shaping definitions of femininity and masculinity and gender relations
- Study results showing gender bias in the advertising industry (from the JWT partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media) and the importance of having female role models on screen
- Moira Donegan’s “Media Men” list
- “Diet Madison Avenue” anonymous Instagram account
- Our interviews with BetterBrave and #NotMe, both possible solutions to the issue of work place misconduct, harassment, and/or discrimination
- How the Masami Institute is working to preserve the ocean ecosystem
- Rhianna’s refusal to perform at Superbowl Halftime in support of Colin Kaepernick
- The Netflix documentary, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
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