Latest news with #LeeJeans
The National
14 hours ago
- Business
- The National
How Scottish women led the fight to save their factories in the 1980s
THE early 1980s were a period of widespread closures in industry and Scotland suffered the accelerated deindustrialisation of its economy. In 1981, three multinational companies decided they would end production and relocate elsewhere. Lee Jeans, the US-owned firm which had a factory in Greenock announced its closure in February 1981; in October of the same year, Lovable, a US-owned lingerie company said it was closing its factory in Cumbernauld, and the Plessey Company, a British-owned multinational; decided to shut its Bathgate plant where it made capacitors – an electronic component that stores electrical energy in an electric field in December. At each site, the predominantly female workforce resisted, launching factory occupations, barricading themselves inside along with stock and machinery. They argued that the closures were motivated by corporate greed and that the decisions breached the moral economy of industrial communities. All were, to varying degrees, successful and production continued. Andy Clark (Image: Supplied) I spoke to historian Andy Clark about his book: Fighting Deindustrialisation: Scottish Women's Factory Occupations, 1981-1982. First, I asked him to tell me about how his own life experience and circumstances have influenced the kind of history he studies. He said: 'Many historians are interested in knowing more about their communities and how the places where we live and work in came to be how they are. 'I was born and brought up in Greenock and have always been fascinated by the history of the town and the broader Clydeside area, from ancient times to the present, and particularly how the river has shaped these communities.' Growing up in the 1990s, Clark saw the area changing and wanted to know more. When he was considering a career as a historian, he knew he wanted to focus on places such as Greenock, Newcastle, and Detroit. 'I wanted to know more about how these areas, and the people who live within them, had changed over the recent past,' he said. 'Politically, I was motivated by an anger at what had been inflicted on them by the movement of global capital and political choices framed by greed rather than care. 'I wanted to analyse how working-class people have fought – and continue to fight – against the harms afflicted from above.' READ MORE: See the full lists of acts who made political statements at Glastonbury 2025 Clark's book tells of disconnect between popular representations, memory and stories of successful resistance to closure by female workers. 'Broadly', he explains, received history is a 'story of male workers fighting against Thatcher and ultimately losing their industrial employment, ushering in the era of neoliberalism and industrial contraction. 'Rather, we see groups of women workers – with little to no trade union experience or a history of militancy – fighting back against the global movement of capital, and succeeding. This is a counter-narrative of deindustrialisation in Scotland which, while in no way invalidates the popular history, does illustrate the complexity of class struggle at the time. "The dominant historical narrative of deindustrialisation is masculine, figures such Arthur Scargill and Jimmy Reid leading miners and shipbuilders against the government and being involved in clashes with the police. 'This is often assumed, and reinforced by TV and film telling the story of male workers, while statues commemorating industry are also masculine. 'There's minimal space in this to consider women who worked in textile mills, clothing factories and light electronics, who also experienced the brutality of deindustrialisation and, in these three cases, fought a militant struggle in opposition. 'I tried in the book to recover these experiences, using oral history interviews to understand the motivations of the workers and how they now reflect on the importance of the action that they took. And the overarching theme that emerged was that the majority of the interviewees didn't recognise the importance of what they did in the broader history of Scotland in the last 40 years. 'If society largely forgets these actions, and there aren't memorials, TV shows, and reminders of their significance, even those involved slowly forget their own importance. 'My main argument in the book is that these three occupations – given their proximity, that they involved workers struggling against massive corporations, and that they were all successful – should be seen as one of the most important periods of Scotland's recent history.' So how can this precarious public memory be addressed, and what can these women's struggles in the early 1980s teach us today? Clark said: 'I'm clearly biased, as I spent 10 years researching and writing the book but these occupations should be known about, celebrated, and taught on. 'Some attempts have been made, and featured heavily in a Kirsty Wark-fronted documentary in 2021. But there's so much more that could and should be done. 'There should be memorials and monuments, there should be a docudrama that focuses only on these occupations and tells the stories of the workers, and they should be part of every university course on modern Scottish working-class history. 'Taken together, these steps can ensure the memory of these events are preserved and celebrated. I would welcome anyone with expertise in these fields reaching out to me to discuss how we can do this.' Since his book was published, Clark has continued to investigate deindustrialisation. 'I've become increasingly interested in how the deindustrialisation of the later 20th century impacts contemporary society, and the ways in which the long-term legacies continue to shape lived experience,' he tells me. READ MORE: Historic pub with ties to Robert Burns given new lease of life by community 'And I've done work across Britain attempting to understand how places affected are shaped by their recent pasts, particularly those 'forgotten communities' that have been left behind in the name of progress and then blamed for the ills of addiction, poverty, unemployment, and crime. 'I'm currently writing a number of articles that aim to demonstrate the link between the violence of industrial closure, political choices and the resulting label of 'multiple deprivation.' 'They centre on the narratives, memories, and experiences of those who live in these areas rather than looking from the outside and assigning labels and assumptions.'
Business Insider
20 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I spent thousands building my influencer brand. Now I have nothing to show for it.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lisa Jean-Francois, a mom and content creator in her 40s from Boston, MA, about leaving the influencer industry. It's been edited for length and clarity. When I started posting content in 2012, it was drugstore makeup and inexpensive fashion. I thought, "I can show people how to style themselves without breaking the bank." I didn't start making money right away, but after I had my first child, I knew I wanted to take content creating a bit more seriously. Within a year of dedicating my time to my personal blog and content, my traffic grew and just kept growing. Almost three years later, I took a chance and started creating content full-time. Over the course of my career, there were times I made a good amount of money on brand deals in the fashion and beauty space. Once I switched my content from fashion and lifestyle to parenting, my audience and income disappeared. The industry has really changed. It has shifted. I spent so much time and money building my brand When I started posting online 13 years ago, I had just gotten married and moved from New York to Massachusetts. I hadn't started a family or a job yet, and so I started watching YouTube tutorials to learn how to do my makeup. I spent thousands of dollars building my network. I remember flying to LA, New York, and beauty conferences. I would do desk-side chats with editors of different magazines and brands. I put in a lot of work offline with the networking and the community. I then joined an ad network called Mediavine and was making thousands of dollars a month. Then the real money came between 2018 and 2022. I started getting a lot more brand deals in the beauty and fashion space, and some in the lifestyle space. I did deals with Walmart, Lee Jeans, Dunkin Donuts, Cantu, and more. There were periods where I was just a full-time creator, and then I added consulting and in-house gigs, and then I went back to being a full-time creator until 2023. Once I switched to parenting content, it was like starting over When I switched my handle from @Lisaalamode to @Consciouslylisa_, in 2022, I lost my brand equity. I changed my content because I didn't feel in alignment with who my online persona was anymore. I was really burned out, and I didn't want to pretend to live a life that I wasn't living. In hindsight, I was always the mom, and I always took that role very seriously. But truly, I spent a lot more time building this brand and business than I did being a mom to my son. I started sharing about conscious parenting, and even though my followers transferred to my new name, my old handle was deactivated. People unfollowed me, which I didn't take issue with, but I lost a lot of my brand deals. Between 2020 to 2023 were some peak years for people to come in and take over the influencer industry After the branding transition, I had a few contracts with Babyganics in 2023. I also tried getting into travel content, and I got some deals with a tourism board in 2023. Last year, I did some partnerships with Aura, but that was basically it. Changing my content played a big role in the demise of my brand and career, but this industry also exploded during the pandemic. A lot of these kids who had been watching people like me for years have now come of age, and they've learned how to do it all better and faster. They're not encumbered with households and children. They can put in the time that I did in my earlier years. I may have aged out of the industry, although there are plenty of older creators who are doing well. The industry is oversaturated, and the money dried up What brands want from partnerships seems to have changed as well. When I was coming up, these campaigns were predominantly brand awareness campaigns. Your engagement wasn't a huge factor in the way it is now. Engagement is definitely harder to get because the industry is oversaturated with creators now. Mediavine kicked me out in 2023 because I wasn't bringing in the traffic anymore. I had to convince myself that I still have value. I spent a lot of time, energy, money, and resources. Now I feel I have nothing to show for it. The money I make now does not compare to what I made as a beauty and fashion creator At this point, I have two content pillars: fashion and travel, and sensory-friendly activities for autistic families. My kids are autistic, my husband's autistic, and I'm also neurodivergent. It's important for us to find spaces that are inclusive, and I want to continue to share more of that on social media. It's not that it hasn't been well received, but in some ways, it feels like I'm talking to myself. I also launched my jewelry brand, The Consciously Lisa Collection, last November. Any income that I make is solely from that business. There's no comparison to what I made as a creator. I was about to buy a house with the money I was making. I cannot live on the money I make now with my jewelry brand. I'm trying to find a new job, but it's tough There are girls in the industry that I came up with who are millionaires and still doing well. I'm sure I've made a lot of mistakes along the way that have contributed to things being the way they are for me. I'm now going back into the workforce older. Do I have experience? Absolutely. Am I capable? Of course, but I feel I'm not desired in the workforce. They don't want to hire 40-year-old moms. It's just not what it is. Right now, I homeschool, but we can't afford after-school care. So if I can somehow find a work-from-home job that allows me to pick up and drop off the kids, then it'll work. I don't want to go back to work full-time because I like having my autonomy, my schedule, and my ability to really be there for my kids. But I also look forward to a time when my feelings of worthiness aren't tied to something that's so completely out of my control, like algorithms.
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I've been a content creator for 13 years. When my life changed, the money dried up — now I'm searching for a 9-to-5.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lisa Jean-Francois, a mom and content creator in her 40s from Boston, MA, about leaving the influencer industry. It's been edited for length and clarity. When I started posting content in 2012, it was drugstore makeup and inexpensive fashion. I thought, "I can show people how to style themselves without breaking the bank." I didn't start making money right away, but after I had my first child, I knew I wanted to take content creating a bit more seriously. Within a year of dedicating my time to my personal blog and content, my traffic grew and just kept growing. Almost three years later, I took a chance and started creating content full-time. Over the course of my career, there were times I made a good amount of money on brand deals in the fashion and beauty space. Once I switched my content from fashion and lifestyle to parenting, my audience and income disappeared. The industry has really changed. It has shifted. I spent so much time and money building my brand When I started posting online 13 years ago, I had just gotten married and moved from New York to Massachusetts. I hadn't started a family or a job yet, and so I started watching YouTube tutorials to learn how to do my makeup. I spent thousands of dollars building my network. I remember flying to LA, New York, and beauty conferences. I would do desk-side chats with editors of different magazines and brands. I put in a lot of work offline with the networking and the community. I then joined an ad network called Mediavine and was making thousands of dollars a month. Then the real money came between 2018 and 2022. I started getting a lot more brand deals in the beauty and fashion space, and some in the lifestyle space. I did deals with Walmart, Lee Jeans, Dunkin Donuts, Cantu, and more. There were periods where I was just a full-time creator, and then I added consulting and in-house gigs, and then I went back to being a full-time creator until 2023. Once I switched to parenting content, it was like starting over When I switched my handle from @Lisaalamode to @Consciouslylisa_, in 2022, I lost my brand equity. I changed my content because I didn't feel in alignment with who my online persona was anymore. I was really burned out, and I didn't want to pretend to live a life that I wasn't living. In hindsight, I was always the mom, and I always took that role very seriously. But truly, I spent a lot more time building this brand and business than I did being a mom to my son. I started sharing about conscious parenting, and even though my followers transferred to my new name, my old handle was deactivated. People unfollowed me, which I didn't take issue with, but I lost a lot of my brand deals. Between 2020 to 2023 were some peak years for people to come in and take over the influencer industry After the branding transition, I had a few contracts with Babyganics in 2023. I also tried getting into travel content, and I got some deals with a tourism board in 2023. Last year, I did some partnerships with Aura, but that was basically it. Changing my content played a big role in the demise of my brand and career, but this industry also exploded during the pandemic. A lot of these kids who had been watching people like me for years have now come of age, and they've learned how to do it all better and faster. They're not encumbered with households and children. They can put in the time that I did in my earlier years. I may have aged out of the industry, although there are plenty of older creators who are doing well. The industry is oversaturated, and the money dried up What brands want from partnerships seems to have changed as well. When I was coming up, these campaigns were predominantly brand awareness campaigns. Your engagement wasn't a huge factor in the way it is now. Engagement is definitely harder to get because the industry is oversaturated with creators now. Mediavine kicked me out in 2023 because I wasn't bringing in the traffic anymore. I had to convince myself that I still have value. I spent a lot of time, energy, money, and resources. Now I feel I have nothing to show for it. The money I make now does not compare to what I made as a beauty and fashion creator At this point, I have two content pillars: fashion and travel, and sensory-friendly activities for autistic families. My kids are autistic, my husband's autistic, and I'm also neurodivergent. It's important for us to find spaces that are inclusive, and I want to continue to share more of that on social media. It's not that it hasn't been well received, but in some ways, it feels like I'm talking to myself. I also launched my jewelry brand, The Consciously Lisa Collection, last November. Any income that I make is solely from that business. There's no comparison to what I made as a creator. I was about to buy a house with the money I was making. I cannot live on the money I make now with my jewelry brand. I'm trying to find a new job, but it's tough There are girls in the industry that I came up with who are millionaires and still doing well. I'm sure I've made a lot of mistakes along the way that have contributed to things being the way they are for me. I'm now going back into the workforce older. Do I have experience? Absolutely. Am I capable? Of course, but I feel I'm not desired in the workforce. They don't want to hire 40-year-old moms. It's just not what it is. Right now, I homeschool, but we can't afford after-school care. So if I can somehow find a work-from-home job that allows me to pick up and drop off the kids, then it'll work. I don't want to go back to work full-time because I like having my autonomy, my schedule, and my ability to really be there for my kids. But I also look forward to a time when my feelings of worthiness aren't tied to something that's so completely out of my control, like algorithms.
