Photo: Mary Kay and Debby Ryan are promoting the importance of healthy relationships through the Don’t Look Away Challenge. (PRNewsFoto/Mary Kay Inc.)
Mary Kay Inc. is looking to build strength in numbers through a new social media initiative promoting healthy relationships. The beauty brand on Thursday launched the Don’t Look Away Challenge with actress Debby Ryan, who has joined Mary Kay’s campaign to end domestic violence.
Research has shown that one in three teens experience abuse in a dating relationship. To raise awareness and help young people form healthy relationships, Mary Kay and Ryan are bringing the conversation to them, on social media. The Disney star, who personally has experienced an abusive relationship, is asking her fans to post a picture with two friends using the hashtag #DontLookAway.
“Dating abuse is a huge problem, and it needs to be talked about all year round—not just during Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Ryan said in a statement. “I am proud to be launching the Don’t Look Away Challenge with Mary Kay.”
The company recently announced a separate strategy, also on the technology front, in its campaign against domestic violence. Each year, Mary Kay grants millions of dollars to shelters across the country, enabling them to continue serving victims of abuse. However, the demand for such services often exceeds the supply, and shelters must turn away those seeking a safe haven. To help address this challenge, Mary Kay and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas have partnered in support of the SafeNight mobile app.
The SafeNight app, currently in use across North Texas, California and Iowa, connects domestic violence shelters to individual, anonymous donors. Once a shelter has reached capacity, it can notify supporters of specific needs for emergency housing, giving them an opportunity to respond immediately by funding hotel rooms via the app. Caravan Studios is the brains behind SafeNight, which it built and launched in partnership with AdvanceNet Labs.
“We believe that through partnerships like these, we’re helping to provide another avenue for domestic violence shelters to meet the overwhelming need in their communities,” said Crayton Webb, Mary Kay VP of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility. “We know this technology has already given dozens of families in our hometown of Dallas a safe place to spend the night and flee an abusive situation.”
