Over the past 17 years the M·A·C AIDS Fund has raised more than $218 million for HIV/AIDS related charities solely through the sales of M·A·C VIVA GLAM products. To support its latest VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass Gaga 2, M·A·C Cosmetics, with the help of VIVA GLAM spokesperson Lady Gaga, have launched a digital, interactive movement on VIVAGLAM.comto demonstrate the effect each one of us has in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “Glam This Way,”is the campaign that puts the power of the M·A·C AIDS Fund into the hands of M·A·C’s fans allowing them to serve as the voices of the brand, further raising awareness of HIV/AIDS among those in their own social networks.

To celebrate the efforts of all those who have joined the M·A·C VIVA GLAM movement, Lady Gaga’s friend and stylist, Nicola Formichetti will create a couture masterpiece composed of the fans’ images. Make sure you check out the video of Nicola encouraging people to join the movement on VivaGlam.com!

        

It’s great to be in the company of women because you know what that means, right?

We can shamelessly talk about sex without the men around and I’m sure Wanggo won’t mind. : )

You know, when we first announced this workshop, I got a lot of inquiries. A lot were to make reservations but mostly, a lot of people were asking what does sexual health have to do with make-up?

Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper – this year’s MAC Viva Glam endorsers may know a thing or two about sexual health and make-up. Lady Gaga, named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people of 2010 has even surprised us by saying, “It’s okay to be celibate.”

This year, they’re specifically calling all the ladies and encouraging them to celebrate relationships that are “sexy, satisfying and safe”. They’re pointing out something that we often don’t want to think about – the fact that women are also at risk for HIV. A recent UNAIDS study on intimate partner transmission estimates that there are about 50 million women in Asia at risk for HIV not because of their own risky behavior, but that of their partner’s.

It’s great to hear such things straight from women like Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga who know what they’re talking about when it comes to the steamy subject of sex… because we don’t spend enough time talking about sex, may be because we’re too busy having it, with 3.1 million pregnancies each year and 4 babies being born every minute!

We shouldn’t keep ourselves in the dark about ways to properly protect ourselves. What Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper are actually talking about the concept of “emotional safe sex”. If you look this up, this is the idea of protecting yourself not just physically, but also emotionally when you decide to become intimate with someone.

We deserve to be emotionally secure with someone. Someone who isn’t going to make us feel cheap after you sleep with him; someone who, when he sees us naked, will make us feel like a goddess.

We deserve to be with someone who will not leave us alone in fear if we’re pregnant or going thru a pregnancy; who will think that birth control is a shared responsibility. Because you know, until we start getting pregnant on our own, birth control, birth spacing will always be a shared responsibility.

We bring this up because in real life, when we’re in madly love or sometimes when we’re wildly drunk, we get carried away and think that it’s okay not to use a condom or say yes to a guy who won’t respect our choice NOT to have sex without one.

That someone is depriving you of our right to choose; and we are denying ourselves CONTROL over when to get pregnant, who to get pregnant with and our basic right protect yourself from STIs.

An OB that I once interviewed told me that she’s shocked at how many of her patients are sexually active. It’s not because they are sexually active, but because when she asks them about the birth control method they use, a lot of them say, nothing. When she asks them what they plan to do if they get pregnant, they say, “Eh, I don’t get pregnant naman e.”

Among the top reasons that they cite for not using a condom is that their boyfriends don’t want to wear one. Some others cite that they like the skin to skin feel of it or just plain, “Bahala na”.

Filipinas spend 19.4 years out of their 25 reproductive years trying to postpone or avoid pregnancies.

We always hear in our culture:

Mahalin mo ang iyong mga magulang. {love your parents}

Mahalin mo ang iyong asawa. {love your husband, partner or lover}

Even mahalin mo ang iyong bayan {love your country}

But we rarely hear anyone ever saying Mahalin mo MUNA (first) ang iyong sarili [love yourself first]. I inject the word MUNA (first) there to stress the importance of loving ourselves first before we can love another. Doing that will be an ultimate guide for us to make right decisions and take rightful control when it comes to our bodies, our relationships and our sex lives.

Every year in the Philippines, there are:

1.43 million unintended pregnancies

473,000      abortions

79,000        treatments at facilities for abortion complications

800             deaths of women due to abortion

It’s your right to say no to a boyfriend, a lover or a husband. It is your right to decline / oppose sex without a condom even if it is a boyfriend, a lover or a husband that you are in effect closing your legs to. It is your body, your right and your pleasure. It is your right to choose when to have kids, how many or none at all.

By loving yourselves first, we remind ourselves of these facts.

I’ll end with another short story.  One girl friend of mine was telling me about a boyfriend she once had. She was talking about the many passions and reasons she loves life and she stopped and asked him. Hey what about you? What are your passions?

His answer completely mortified her. You want to guess what his reply was?

He answered. “YOU” with complete and utter admiration.

You complete me?

She left the guy shortly after that because she knew one thing. You complete yourself; you don’t look to another person for that. My friend knew and foresaw that her then boyfriend would constantly need to be assured that he was loved, that he was smart, cute. And she really didn’t want to burden herself with that.

So what does make-up have to do with sexual health? It’s all about completing ourselves; making ourselves look and feel pretty; it’s about being safe physically and emotionally. It’s all about self-love.

Let’s all leave this make-up workshop more beautiful, with more self-love and closer to that day when we say the words, “you complete me” to the person looking back at us in the mirror.

        

The event was a spin-off this year’s MAC Viva Glam “From Our Lips” Campaign, powered by high-voltage divas Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper who are rallying to raise funds for the MAC AIDS Fund.

The event was the first of its kind and the first time for the cosmetics giant to host such an event with a partner.

“The heart and soul of MAC is the MAC AIDS Fund. Every peso that we raise from the sale of  the MAC Viva Glam Lipsticks: “Cyndi” or “Gaga” goes back to the MAC AIDS Fund which in turn funds grants for programs in regions that are not often prioritized by other funders.”, says Gay La’o, Brand Manager for MAC.

“It was the logical choice to do this event — which is a first for us — with a partner like Sex and Sensibilities.com, which is totally aligned with our own brand values of promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and empowering women with information to make informed choices.”, adds La’o.

HIV advocate Wanggo Gallaga, who was one of the speakers during the event said, “Many people don’t believe it, but HIV is here in our country. I’m proof of that.” Since publicly disclosing his HIV status on national television, Gallaga has been tirelessly sharing his story and generously lending his time and his voice to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and the importance of practicing safer sex.

A speaker from Babae Plus, an NGO that gives care and support to women living with HIV also shared her story of resilience, hope and living positively.

Ana Santos, editorial director and founder of Sex and Sensibilities talked about the concept of “emotional safe sex”, which means protecting yourself not just physically, but also emotionally.

Participants giggled at Santos’ insinuation that in the Philippines, not enough time is spent talking about sex perhaps because people are too busy having it, but immediately sobered up with statistics, “In the Philippines, there are 1.43 million unintended pregnancies every year;  about 4 babies are born every minute.”, said Santos.

But the women all agreed to the principle of “loving yourself first” as being the simple guide to making the right decisions and taking rightful control over their lives — whether it meant refusing to have sex without a condom or making a deliberate and planned choice as to when to have children, how many or none at all.

“We are taught and told to love our parents, love our partner, even love our country. But rarely are we told to love ourselves first. The “first” there is important, because you have to love yourself first before you love another.” As for the link between sexual health and make-up, Santos concluded, “It’s all about looking beautiful with make – up and feeling beautiful knowing that we are taking care of ourselves both physically and emotionally.  It’s about the glorious feeling of self-love.”

Sex and Sensibilities would like to specially thank the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), DKT, Philippines and Trust Family Planning, UNAIDS , Victoria Court, and Mulat Pinoy for generously giving of their time and their support to Sex and Sensibilities.

        

MAC VIVA GLAM

Lady Gaga who in this video says that she wants to go beyond the music and positively influence her fans, has lent her talent and voice to the MAC AIDS Foundation to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. Together with her co-ambassador, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Gaga draws attention to the sensitive issue how women, who account for almost half of the HIV/AIDS cases around the world, are more vulnerable to HIV infection.  

“Use protection, and be selective and strong about those you love. Your body is sacred, and it’s ok to say no. Make your partners get tested, go together: it will only make your relationship stronger and healthier.”, says Lady Gaga who stresses the importance of being vocal and raising awareness about HIV/AIDS.

“By being as outspoken as possible on this subject we can raise awareness and protect the health of those we love. This is an important message to relay to the younger generation.”, she says.

Read up on the precocious Lady Gaga’s phenomenal career by reading her biography graciously shared with SAS by the MAC Philippines.

When Lady Gaga was a little girl, she would sing along on her mini plastic tape recorder to Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper hits and get twirled in the air in daddy’s arms to the sounds of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The precocious child would dance around the table at fancy Upper West Side restaurants using breadsticks as a baton. And she would innocently greet a new babysitter in nothing but her birthday suit.

It’s no wonder that little girl from a good Italian New York family turned into the multi-talented singer-songwriter with a flair for theatrics that she is today: Lady Gaga.

“I was always an entertainer. I was a ham as a little girl and I’m a ham today,” says Lady Gaga, 22, who made a name for herself on the Lower East Side club scene with the infectious dance-pop party song “Beautiful Dirty Rich,” and wild, theatrical, and often tongue-in-cheek “shock art” performances. Gaga – who designs and makes many of her stage outfits — would strip down to her hand-crafted hot pants and bikini top, light cans of hairspray on fire, and strike a pose as a disco ball lowered from the ceiling to the orchestral sounds of A Clockwork Orange.

“I always loved rock and pop and theater. When I discovered Queen and David Bowie is when it really came together for me and I realized I could do all three,” says Gaga, who nicked her name from Queen’s song “Radio Gaga” and who cites rock star girlfriends Peggy Bundy and Donatella Versace as her fashion icons. “I look at those artists as icons in art. It’s not just about the music. It’s about the performance, the attitude, the look; it’s everything. And that is where I live as an artist, and that is what I want to accomplish.”

That goal might seem lofty, but consider the artist: Gaga is the girl who at age four learned piano by ear. By age 13, she had written her first piano ballad. At 14, she played open mike nights at clubs such as New York’s the Bitter End by night and was teased for her quirky, eccentric style by her Convent of the Sacred Heart School (the Manhattan private school Nicky and Paris Hilton attended) classmates by day. At age 17, she was one of 20 kids in the world to get early admission to Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Signed by her 20th birthday and writing songs for other artists (such as the Pussycat Dolls, and has been asked to write for a series of Interscope artists) before her debut album was even released, Lady Gaga has earned the right to reach for the sky.

“My goal as an artist is to funnel a pop record to the world in very interesting way,” says Gaga, who wrote all of her lyrics, all of her melodies, and played most of the synth work on her album, “The Fame” (Streamline/Interscope/KonLive). “I almost want to trick people into hanging with something that is really cool with a pop song. It’s almost like the spoonful of sugar, and I’m the medicine.”

On “The Fame”, it’s as if Gaga took two parts dance-pop, one part electro-pop, and one part rock with a splash of disco and burlesque and generously poured it into the figurative martini glasses of the world in an effort to get everyone drunk with her Fame. “‘The Fame’ is about how anyone can feel famous,” she explains. “Pop culture is art. It doesn’t make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced, it and you hear it all over “The Fame”. But it’s a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle.”

        

USD150 million dollars.

That sure is a lot of MAC VIVA GLAM lipstick.

In the 15 years since the MAC AIDS Fund was established, that’s the amount of money that the organization has raised by selling MAC VIVA GLAM lipstick.

One hundred percent (100%) of sales from MAC VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass goes to the MAC AIDS Fund and used to for ground breaking programs in underserved regions that are not often prioritized by other funders. 

 The MAC AIDS Fund was actually borne out of the grief and helplessness.

Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo, co-founders of MAC Cosmetics saw many of their friends succumb to AIDS as it ravaged the fashion and entertainment industry in the early 90s.

Toskan and Angelo re-channeled their sorrow into positive action and put up the MAC AIDS Fund, which has presence in 67 countries around the world and has now become the single biggest non-pharmaceutical company contributor of HIV programs.

MAC, which is actually short for Make Up Artist’s Cosmetics, is known for its avant-garde brand personality which is often cutting edge and daring. This philosophy is the same principal for choosing their brand ambassadors who are as controversial, outspoken and as fiery in their careers as they are about their support for AIDS.

 The first MAC VIVA GLAM global ambassador drag queen diva Ru Paul set the pace for all others who followed in his stiletto-ed footsteps.

 Other members of the glam squad include music legend and outspoken AIDS activist Elton John, Grammy Award winner Mary J. Blige, rock icon Shirley Manson of the band Garbage, recording artist k.d. lang, hip-hop diva Lil’ Kim who, Blondie frontwoman Deborah Harry, rapper Eve, burlesque queen Dita von Teese (wife of Marilyn Manson), Her Hotness Fergie of Black Eyed Peas and Lisa Marie Presley.

This year’s MAC VIVA GLAM ambassadors are two high – voltage divas, Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper. These femmes want to encourage conversation about the “kind of relationships women want to have and how to keep it safe, seductive and satisfying.”

With their campaign called, “From Our Lips”, these two ladies bring together and represent two very different eras in the time of HIV/AIDS and are focusing on an underserved segment – women.

 According to the global study, “The Scorecard on Women” produced by the AIDS Accountability International Foundation, AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age.

However, women are not always seen as a target group for HIV interventions as compared to high risk groups like MSM (who have sex with men), injecting drug users and commercial sex workers mainly because they are not thought of as engaging in risky sexual behavior. It is a stereotype that has deathly consequences. As a result, women do not protect themselves, are unable to negotiate for condom use with their partners and do not get tested because they do not think of themselves at risk.

According to a UNAIDS study, there are 50 million women in Asia who are at risk for getting HIV infection through their husbands or long-term partners who inject drugs, have sex with other men or are clients of sex workers.

This silence and prescribed surrounding this stereotype of women is exactly what the new MAC VIVA GLAM global ambassadors are talking about.

“Be smart. Be careful, protect yourself, practice safe sex and look out for your sisters to make sure they are doing the same.”, Cyndi Lauper is quoted as saying.

“Use protection and be selective and strong about those you love. Your body is sacred, and it’s okay to say no. Make your partners get tested; go together: it will only make your relationship stronger and healthier.”, says Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga, who has been called the biggest rock star of all time was also recently quoted claiming, “I’m celibate right now. It’s ok not to have sex.”

Looks like Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga are toppling stereotypes, urging people to talk sensibily about sex, one lipstick at a time.

 Rock with divas Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper and join the MAC VIVA GLAM and Sex and Sensibilities Race to Kiss and Tell Promo. Spread HIV/AIDS awareness to your friends and get a chance to win a free MAC make-over and a FREE MAC VIVA Glam swag bag.

        

As the AIDS epidemic spread and began to ravage the fashion and entertainment worlds in the early 1990s, Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo, cofounders of M•A•C Cosmetics, found themselves profoundly affected by a sense of loss. As most who have lost someone to AIDS know, the grief is so intense that it grips you with a sense of helplessness mixed with an urgent desire to fight the epidemic in any way possible.

Encouraged by M•A•C employees, they decided to make HIV and AIDS organizations the beneficiaries of the company’s charitable focus and founded the M•A•C AIDS Fund which has now come to be known the heart and soul of the company.

That was back in 1994.

Now 15 years later, the M•A•C AIDS Fund is the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical HIV and AIDS funder. It strives to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS by focusing on the link between poverty and AIDS, and strengthening services available to underserved populations.

The M•A•C AIDS Fund has established itself as a leader in the global fight against HIV and has invested more than USD$150 million to organizations in more than 67 countries.

Glamour funds

One hundred percent (100%) of sales from M•A•C’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass are used to fund grants for groundbreaking programs in regions that are not often prioritized by other funders. The M•A•C AIDS Fund has inspired other similar organizations to follow suit, investing in new and experimental programs and underserved regions.

Here’s what one M•A•C VIVA GLAM can do for men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS:

!

!  Pay for 8 individually tailored, nutritious home-cooked meals
!  Cover 1 personal nutrition counseling session with a registered dietician
!  Fund the printing of 15 copies of “Tips to Eating Well with HIV/AIDS” booklets
!  Buy 18 personalized birthday cakes to be hand-delivered to a person living with HV/AIDS (PLWHA) on his/her birthday

!  Pay for a 15-minute follow-up visit with a trained nutrition counselor, including a BIA test
   (a computer analysis that detects the presence of biochemical influences that affect AIDS

!  Provide support and education for 5 pregnant women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS giving them the tools to prevent transmission to their unborn child
!  Buy 1 pair of school shoes for a child orphaned by AIDS
!  Purchase 1 school starter pack of stationery for a child orphaned by AIDS

Going all FUN and GAGA

This year’s M•A•C VIVA GLAM ambassadors Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper know all about how making a difference and caring about HIV/AIDS is glamorous, sexy and sassy.

M•A•C VIVA GLAM Cyndi, a light coral red lipstick, and VIVA GLAM Gaga, a light blue pink lipstick, is now available in all M•A•C Stores nationwide.

Rock with divas Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper and join the M•A•C VIVA GLAM and Sex and Sensibilities Race to Kiss and Tell Promo! Spread HIV/AIDS awareness to your friends and get a chance to win a FREE MAC Make – Over AND a FREE MAC VIVA GLAM SWAG BAG!

http://sexandsensibilities.com/2010/04/06/get-a-free-mac-make-over-and-mac-swag-bag-from-sas-and-mac-viva-glam/

        

MAC VIVA GLAM in bluish pink for Lady Gaga

Wham, glam, thank you Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga!    

They are the new faces of MAC VIVA GLAM Lipstick and like other past endorsers of MAC VIVA GLAM, Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper are raising not just awareness, but also eyebrows on stereotypes.   

These two personalities who have long scorned stereotypes are coming out to lend their high-voltage voices to a wake up call about the dangers of stereotypes and thinking that HIV/AIDS only affect certain people. “Forget the stereotypes. Women are more likely to become infected with HIV than men.”, these divas say!   

 “Be smart. Be careful, protect yourself, practice safe sex and look out for your sisters to make sure they are doing the same.”, says Cyndi Lauper.   

 “Use protection and be selective and strong about those you love. Your body is sacred, and it’s okay to say no. Make your partners get tested; go together: it will only make your relationship stronger and healthier.”, Lady Gaga says.   

 SAS couldn’t agree more. So we’re rocking with Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper to bring you “ Kiss and Tell: A race to spread the word on HIV Awareness from our lips to yours” .    

Join the race and get a FREE MAC make-over AND a FREE MAC VIVA GLAM SWAG BAG!    

You gotta admit, you can’t get more sassy and glamorous than that!   

MAC VIVA GLAM in a deep red shade for Cyndi Lauper

Just take pictures of people you have “affected” with the SASsy-GLAM HIV awareness message by leaving your kiss mark on as many friends as possible. The top FIVE girls who spread their kiss mark to the most number of people for the duration of the promo period will win. Contestants must number their photos to keep track.   

It’s so easy to join!   

Step 1: Upload your photos and your statement on HIV/AIDS Awareness by creating an album on your Facebook profile. Create just one Facebook album and update it with each new picture. Oh, and don’t forget to number your photos to keep count!  It’s so easy you can even do it by mobile uploads!  

Step 2: Link your album to the SAS website OR SAS Facebook page OR Twitter page, which ever is easiest and fastest for you to update   

> Link to www.SexAndSensibilities.com MAC VIVA GLAM Promo page   

> Tag @SexAndSensibilities.com of Facebook   

> Tweet us  @dash_of_sas”   

NOTE: Must make sure to personally type in the “@SexAndSensibilities.com” and the “@dash_of_sas” for Twitter so that you actually tag and inform us on Facebook, which would let us know that you joined (copy and paste won’t work for that part, sorry!).   

Step 3: Spread your kiss mark to as many friends as possible!   

MAC and SAS will pick the five best SASsy-GLAM photos and statements.   

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:   

> Contestants may enter as many different photos and statements as they want. Each will be judged as an individual entry. Duplicate entries don’t count!   

> Winners will be treated to a FREE MAC make-over (MAC Shangri-La Mall) as well as swag bag loaded with MAC gift items.   

> The winners’ photos will be used in SAS blog posts and press releases about the event.   

> Promo will run from April 6 to 30, 2010. Winners will be announced on the SAS website on May 5, 2010.   

So go ahead, kiss and tell and spread the word on HIV / AIDS awareness from our SASsy – GLAM lips to yours and your friends, and your friends’ friends….   

        

Sizzling, sensous and self -created, Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper are channeling their high-voltage diva energy for VIVA GLAM and igniting “From Our Lips” the new MAC VIVA GLAM campaign.

As MAC VIVA GLAM spokespersons, these hot and sassy femmes want to encourage conversation about the kind of relationships women want to have, and how to keep them safe, seductive and satisfying. “From Our Lips” focuses the spotlight on the complicated causes that make women and girls particularly vulnerable to HIV infection: violence, discrimination and unequal access to financial and social resources.

Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper are visible and vocal, using their star power to inspire everyone to make a difference by purchasing the MAC VIVA GLAM lipstick that bears their signature. Every cent  of each MAC VIVA GLAM sale goes to the MAC AIDS Fund. This is one lipstick that has the power to change the world combat HIV/AIDS by giving a voice and support to women 0f all ages, all races, all sexes and all walks of life.

“We’re raising the  MAC VIVA GLAM bar this year with the voices of these two incredible artists. Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper are bringing women’s issues to the forefront of  HIV/AIDS. We have one artist that hit the music industry at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and another that is explosively popular with young people today. They represent different generations that are equally as affected by this disease, and both are helping to spread the message of the power of one lipstick.”, says John Demsey, Chairman of the MAC AIDS Fund.

“I think it’s absolutley insane that some people have fewer rights than others, and I’m grateful that MAC has decided to focus on women while I’m MAC VIVA GLAM spokesperson. I have so much to say and so much to share, and I’m going to let my lips and my lipstick do the talking.”,  Cyndi Lauper shouts out.

“I’ve been familiar with the campaign and have been wearing MAC since I was ten years old. To be joining  the likes of iconic former MAC VIVA GLAM spokespeople is an honor. My new MAC VIVA GLAM lipstick color is amazing. It’s very me – a bluish pink, great for everyday, a little bit 80s. I hope that women buy this lipstick and honor themselves and honor the cause.”, says Lady Gaga.

“From Our Lips” focuses on global HIV hotspots like South Africa, the United States rural South and Washington, D.C.

Here in the Philippines, Sex and Sensibilities is bringing its own version of the “From Our Lips” campaign to you, our readers!  SAS will be launching an exciting promo that is as sassy and as explosive as Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper!  Stay tuned to see how we’re going to fight the virus by spreading the glam and SAS!

• In honor of all the women who are living with the HIV/AIDS virus, and those working to curb its spread, the MAC AIDS Fund has announced USD 2.5 million in new donations to fund model programs that address the vulnerabilities and inequities that place women at increased risk for HIV/AIDS.