Episode 12: LeeAnne Ireland
’Self-Care Routines, Beauty Rituals, and Bonding Between Women’
These episodes explore how finding time to care for your appearance is much more than just an investment in ‘outer’ beauty: it can be a form of self-care, and an opportunity to nurture interpersonal relationships, including among women and gender-diverse people.
LeeAnne is a mixed-race Anishinaabe person originating from central Ontario. She has been the Executive Director of the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) since 2008, creating programs and services to support and empower Indigenous youth.
LeeAnne Ireland
Get to know LeeAnne and her experience with the Covid-19 pandemic. She shares information about her mental health projects with the youth in USAY, and reflects on why people should think twice before criticizing self-care practices like getting a manicure.
Part 1
Cited in this episode:
Smylie, J., Snyder, M., Allan, B., Booth, S., & Senese, L. (2013). Gathering and applying reproductive, maternity, and family health information to support Aboriginal maternity services in the GTA: Aboriginal health data collection [Aboriginal community engagement project summary report]. Well Living House.
Allen, B., & Smylie, J. (2022). All our relations: Indigenous women’s health in Canada. In Women’s Health in Canada: Challenges of Intersectionality. M. Morrow (Ed). Pp. 116 – 147.
Part 2
LeeAnne shares how adornment and other aesthetic practices have traditionally been a reflection of community health. She and Bridget discuss how partaking in beauty rituals can create a supportive environment for bonding between participants.
Cited in this episode:
Dubin, Lois Sherr. (1999). North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Barkin, J. L., & Wisner, K. L. (2013). The role of maternal self-care in new motherhood. Midwifery, 29(9), 1050-1055.