EVERY September Brooke Fraser chooses to wear bolder and brighter lipstick in the hope of sparking a conversation around women’s mental health issues.
Liptember is a campaign running every September to raise awareness of women’s mental health in Australia.
This year, Ms Fraser was able to get her workplace, PDF Accounting in Swan Hill, on board for the campaign.
By holding a stall in front of the office selling baked goods provided by At Forty One, PDF Accounting was able to raise $1309 to support the research into women’s mental health and other support services and projects aimed at targeting gender-specific issues.
According to research from the Liptember Foundation, 54 per cent of Australian women are currently experiencing a mental health issue.
This year the foundation extended its research into mental health impacts of women in the workforce, with burnout being the among the top reasons for deteriorating mental health.
Ms Fraser said women in the office had many demands to fulfill inside and outside of the workplace.
“We have so many demands that we can get stressed out about,” she said.
“There’s ATO demands to meet and deadlines among so many other things.
“We also have to worry about our kids and what’s going on in our home life all the time so there’s constant pressure.”
Ms Fraser said she hoped that taking part in Liptember this year had made women working at PDF Accounting more comfortable to talk about how they felt.
“I hope it just means that we’re more open to conversation,” she said.
“If somebody’s having a problem or an issue, I hope they feel comfortable enough to talk to someone and get some help.
“It’s also about letting people know that there are resources available for them when they need it.
“You could be dealing with a specific issue and not know that there are other women around you going through the same thing.
“You won’t really know if nobody is talking about it, and what I’m hoping to do is start that conversation.”
More information about Liptember is available online at https://www.liptember.com.au/
Further donations on behalf of PDF Accounting’s fundraiser can be made at https://www.liptember.com.au/o/pdf-accounting
