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Celebrating Anita Roddick
In honor of Anita Roddick’s birthday on Thursday, October 23rd, we are dedicating all blog posts this week to celebrating and remembering our founder.
I first met Anita about 5 years ago. It was one of those tense moments when you get to meet one of your heroes and you fear they won’t live up to your expectations. I knew a lot about her from doing school projects on The Body Shop and had read some of her books, but what would she be like in real life? I never should have worried, though: she was truly everything that I’d hoped she’d be, though more diminutive in stature than I’d expected. When I commented on her size she said, “I may be small but I pack a mean punch,” and this I never doubted. (Small body, big hitter.)
Over the years, I got to know Anita pretty well. She had enormous qualities: motherly, caring and down-to-earth; charming with her cheeky humor; compassionate and brilliant with a brain full of knowledge. She was the kind of person who told wonderful stories that you’d listen to and become immediately captivated. Her passion spilled over at every opportunity - whether it was business, values, politics, current affairs, men, or children - she had a point of view.
Anita often littered her speech with profanity - which was always more funny than offensive - and her vocabulary included words that she had clearly invented herself! This was all a part of Anita’s charm and humor in delivering her message, though. I have no doubt that in the week that we celebrate her life that she’ll be looking down and smiling and muttering ‘load of ars*’ with a smile on her face.
Heritage of The Body Shop from TheBodyShop on Vimeo
I remember reading about her passing through the Patagonia blog The Cleanest Line and Chouinard’s letter was very touching on what kind of person she is.
Comment by Abi — October 21, 2008 @ 12:24 am