Archives: Testimonials

“Thanks for your visit on Wednesday.  I have received very positive feedback and we’ll definitely have you back again. All the female teachers enjoyed it and thought there was a lot of value to what you were talking about.  A suggestion was that maybe all the school is involved rather than just females as if we are wanting change it would be helpful for the males to see that what is in the advertising world, media, society etc isn’t what females are really like.  Could be something to consider.”

Cheryl Mckeown, Teacher,
Te Atatu Intermediate, Auckland

“Angela Barnett came to Murray’s Bay Intermediate School to speak to our 500 girls for one hour.  I had heard from a colleague regarding how good she was with both presentation and message through another school. The presentation was highly visual to capture attention with video clips and photos which portrayed both an enlightening, fascinating and frightening look at how the media portrays what is considered to be beautiful. We would like to thank Angela for her thought-provoking presentation which will be a catalyst for our girls to start making a difference to perception this term.”

Shannon Robinson, Acting Principal
Murray’s Bay School, Auckland

Showing how we don’t see wrinkles

And how easily bodies are manipulated

“As a former marketer, a current mental health worker and a father of 12 and 10-year-old daughters I could not speak highly enough of the quality of the content and delivery of Angela’s talk on body image.  The topic feels like a minefield but Angela’s empathic, down to earth delivery, and fearlessness in taking on what has become a culture of marketing by deception, without any consideration for the well-being of our girls and young women, is a true gift  our family is extremely grateful for.”

Nick Brown-Hansom, Parent,
Auckland

“Totally inspirational… on point and delivered in a way that the girls understood and listened and related.”

Jane Blakey
Auckland

Last week I was fortunate enough to be at my daughter’s school, Waimea Intermediate, along with 350 girls & their teachers for a Pretty Smart talk. Angela showed us the many tools the fashion industry uses to turn a woman into a model on the cover of a magazine, how we are constantly bombarded with these unrealistic images and made to feel inadequate. She taught us how to see through this fake world and gave us tools for loving our bodies the way they are. I left this Pretty Smart talk feeling empowered and that night my daughter told me about all the things her wonderful body could do without concern for how it looked. Thank you Angela.

Janey Clark
Nelson

Hi Angela! Just wanted to say that I was one of the mums at the QMC talk and loved the talk! I really appreciate what you’re doing. I didn’t expect it to hit me so viscerally– all those years living among advertisements and expectations but I had to hold back tears thinking of all the body image trials my friends and I have gone through in our lifetimes. It’s so sad, really, when I think of the incredible number of hours (years?) wasted worrying about looks. It does make me wonder how my life might’ve been different if my friends and I had your talk in middle school! Thanks again for doing what you do and making such a positive change in my daughter’s life!

Parent, QMC
Wellington

“Angela is an effective communicator who engages well with young people, respecting their wonderful uniqueness and at the same time enlightening them about issues in society which could affect them. With her background in advertising and marketing, she is able to explain the importance of being aware of images and messages, and how these may be constructed rather than real. She is passionate about addressing issues in society which affect our younger generation.”

Marianne Duston, Assistant Principal,
Saint Kentigern Middle College, Auckland

“As a teacher and a parent I was aware of some of the issues raised in the presentation, what I was fascinated with is the way in which companies market their products completing the cycle of making people feel that they are imperfect. This presentation highlights this in a way that is easy to understand. I would have no hesitation in recommending the presentation to other schools, it was brilliant! I made the comment to Angela that I thought it would also be great for boys to see.

100% recommend the presentation!”

Dave Wileman, Math Lead,
Green Bay Intermediate

“Breaking down the beauty myths and exposing the tricks of the beauty industry is important work and Pretty Smart provides a valuable service to empower young women with the tools to combat the destructive side of this industry. It is a hard battle maintaining self-esteem in the face of such opposition but Pretty Smart is fighting the good fight.”

Kat Saunders
Girls Rock! School, Auckland