Anita Roddick Tribute

CELEBRATE ANITA!!!!!

ANITA LOVED QUOTES. THIS ONE IS BY EMILE ZOLA THE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH NOVELIST

“I AM HERE TO LIVE OUT LOUD!!!”

I CAN’T THINK OF ANYONE MORE SUITED TO THIS QUOTE THAN ANITA RODDICK

MY NAME IS JENNY PHILLIPS AND I AM HERE WITH MY HUSBAND JOHN TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF ANITA.

WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING THE FRANCHISEES OF THE BODY SHOP IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND OVER THE LAST 21 YEARS WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MEET ANITA SEVERAL TIMES.

WHENEVER I MEET PEOPLE AND I TELL THEM WHAT I DO, INVARIABLY THEY ASK IF I HAVE MET ANITA. WHEN I TELL THEM “YES QUITE OFTEN” THEY ARE COMPLETELY AWESTRUCK AND AMAZED THAT SOMEONE SO WELL-KNOWN AND SEEMINGLY REMOTE FROM EVERYDAY LIFE WOULD ACTUALLY BE ACCESSIBLE.

OF COURSE THE NEXT QUESTION WAS ALWAYS “WOW!! WHAT’S SHE LIKE?”

TO WHICH MY REPLY WAS ALWAYS

“SHE’S QUITE SIMPLY THE MOST AMAZING PERSON I’VE EVER MET!!”

WHICH WAS COMPLETELY TRUE.
SHE WAS AMAZING.

I WOULD TELL THEM OF HER INCREDIBLE ENERGY, INTELLECT AND HUMOUR.
IT ALWAYS ASTOUNDED ME THAT YOU COULD PRESENT ANITA WITH A DILEMMA AND SHE WOULD COME UP WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, DELICIOUS AND LEFT FIELD WAY OF DEALING WITH IT.
YOU COULD HEAR THE COGS TURNING.
AND IT WAS ALWAYS SO ORIGINAL

OF COURSE, YOU IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO DO IT. AND YOU WISHED YOU WERE BRAVE ENOUGH TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

SHE WAS ALWAYS THINKING AND TALKING AND CHALLENGING YOU TO BE BOLDER, BIGGER, MORE ADVENTUROUS, MORE KIND AND MORE CREATIVE THAN YOU THOUGHT POSSIBLE.
SHE WAS ALWAYS AFTER THAT POINT OF DIFFERENCE




THE OTHER THING THAT FLOORED PEOPLE WAS HER SIZE. EVERYONE EXPECTED HER TO BE 6FT TALL, AN AMAZON, BECAUSE THAT WAS HER PERSONA.
WHEN I WOULD TELL THEM THAT SHE WAS BARELY 5FT TALL THEY WOULD BE ASTONISHED.
THEY EXPECTED HER TO BE BIG.

WHICH OF COURSE SHE WAS.
SHE WAS A BIG HUMAN BEING.
IN EVERY WAY.

YESTERDAY I LOOKED AT ANITA’S WEBSITE AND SAW GORDON HAD WRITTEN THAT ANITA WOULD HAVE LOVED PEOPLE TO TELL RISQUE STORIES ABOUT HER. WELL HERE’S MINE!

ANITA VISITED US ON APRIL 26TH 1989 – WE WERE VERY SMALL THEN, ONLY 2 STORES.
AFTER DRIVING HER AROUND FOR MOST OF THE DAY SHE TURNED TO ME AND SAID “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE BABIES?”
I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK THAT SHE WAS SO DIRECT, BUT REPLIED “I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET PREGNANT FOR AGES BUT IT HASN’T HAPPENED YET”
TO WHICH ANITA REPLIED “WHAT YOU DO IS YOU HAVE SEX, THEN AFTERWARDS YOU STAY ON YOUR BACK FOR ½ AN HOUR WITH YOUR LEGS IN THE AIR!!”

OKAAAAY I SAID, A BIT SHOCKED THAT I WAS GETTING THIS ADVICE FROM THE FOUNDER OF THE BODY SHOP (APPROPRIATE REALLY!!!!).
SO I FOLLOWED ANITA’S ADVICE AND 9 MONTHS AFTER THAT VISIT I HAD A BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY! THANKS ANITA FOR TEACHING ME HOW TO GET PREGNANT!!


ANITA LIKED BEING AGGRAVATING AND IRREVERANT IF SHE THOUGHT THAT GOOD WOULD COME FROM IT. I REMEMBER GOING TO A BUSINESS FORUM IN MELBOURNE ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO. SHE HAD BEEN INVITED TO SPEAK AT A LEADERS FORUM, AND THEY HAD PAID ALL HER EXPENSES AND A FEE (WHICH OF COURSE SHE DONATED). WE SAT IN THE GREEN ROOM BEFORE IT WAS HER TURN TO SPEAK.
ANITA TOLD US THAT SHE WAS GOING TO TELL THESE 2000-ODD MEN-IN-SUITS WHAT UNCONSCIONABLE PRICKS THEY WERE.

AND SHE DID.
FOR THE FIRST 5 MINUTES.
SHE GAVE IT TO THEM WITH BOTH BARRELS.

AND THEN FOR THE NEXT 30 MINUTES SHE COMPLETELY CHARMED THEM.
SHE TOLD HER STORY.
OF HOW SHE STARTED IN BUSINESS.
OF HOW SHE VIEWED THE COSMETICS INDUSTRY (“IT’S ONLY A FACE-CREAM, NOT THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!”).
OF HOW SHE RAN HER BUSINESS IN AN ETHICAL AND HUMANE WAY.
AND SHE GOT A STANDING OVATION.
NOT FROM EVERYONE, BUT FROM MOST OF THEM, AND I LIKE TO THINK THAT THOSE PEOPLE WENT AWAY AND MADE A DIFFERENCE TO HOW THINGS WORKED IN THEIR OWN BUSINESSES.

I THINK WHAT I LOVED MOST ABOUT ANITA WAS HER HUMANITY. SHE CARED ABOUT EVERYONE. SHE PLAYED IT BIG ON THE WORLD STAGE, TAKING ON PROJECTS THAT WOULD SCARE MOST PEOPLE, MAKING THEM HAPPEN, MAKING THEM RELEVANT.
YET SHE COULD CONNECT CLOSELY WITH PEOPLE ONE-ON-ONE. SHE SPOKE TO THEM AS IF THEY WERE HER BEST FRIEND.
THE STAFF LOVED HER. EVERYTIME SHE VISITED SHE WOULD INJECT HUGE ENERGY INTO THE BUSINESS.

SHE CAME TO MY HOME FOR DINNER AND PLAYED WITH MY CHILDREN AS IF SHE WERE THEIR GRANDMOTHER.

SHE WAS AN INCREDIBLY WARM HUMAN BEING WHO HAD A COMPLETE PASSION FOR PEOPLE.
AND SHE WAS COMPLETELY AUTHENTIC ABOUT IT



ANOTHER QUOTE.

“IT IS NOT GIVEN US TO LIVE LIVES
OF UNDISRUPTED CALM, BOREDOM AND MEDIOCRITY.
IT IS GIVEN US
TO BE EDGE-DWELLERS.”

I THOUGHT THIS WAS VERY ANITA.




WHENEVER WE SAW ANITA SHE WAS LIKE A WHIRLWIND THAT FLASHED THROUGH OUR LIVES, ALL TOO QUICKLY AND THEN LEFT US FEELING LIKE SOMETHING HAD SHIFTED AND THE WORLD WOULD NEVER QUITE BE THE SAME AGAIN.

NOW THAT SHE HAS LEFT US FOREVER, I FEEL THIS IS EVEN MORE TRUE.


THANKYOU ANITA FOR LETTING ME PLAY A PART IN YOUR LIFE.
THANKYOU FOR BEING ONE SUCH AN INSPIRATION
THANKYOU FOR BEING SUCH AN AWESOME HUMAN BEING.

THANKYOU FOR LIVING OUT LOUD!!