Sheryl Crow Wants to Empower Women With First Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Campaign
Today (Oct. 1), Sheryl Crow is making her Ralph Lauren Pink Pony campaign debut. The Grammy-winning artist spoke to Billboard about its significance.
Throughout her career, Sheryl Crow has supported charities just as fiercely as she makes hit records — but her latest philanthropic effort hits closest to home.
Today (Oct. 1), the Grammy-winning artist is making her Ralph Lauren Pink Pony campaign debut. The activist, breast cancer survivor and mother of two has previously encouraged her social media followers to get involved with the initiative.
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Lauren officially launched the campaign in 2000, with a focus on battling breast cancer; in the 19 years since, his philanthropic endeavors have expanded to support eradicating all cancers. For his new rollout called “Together in Pink,” the designer recruited a group of cancer survivors — including Crow and five-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian — and their respective support systems to share their unique stories and inspire hope.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize how invested Ralph Lauren is,” Crow tells Billboard, “not only in creating the best kind of care for those going through breast cancer and for the caregivers around those who are diagnosed. He really feels like when everyone is involved, we’re stronger together, and he’s been involved for 30 years.
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“This campaign revolves around storytelling, which is my line of work, so it was a great marriage,” she adds.
The stylish musician — who released her 11th, and final, album Threads in August — is a longtime fan of Lauren’s designs. Over the years, she’s sat front row at his runway shows and sported his gowns at the Met Gala in 2004 and 2005. “He’s very influenced by the great western American look, and that’s something I always gravitated to,” she says. “He dresses women according to their body shape and how to make their bodies look the most beautiful, and I love that.”
Crow first shared her breast cancer diagnosis in 2006. Her experience with the disease was a reminder for the Nashville-based artist that she needs to focus on herself first. “You have to say no sometimes when it’s in your own best interest,” she says. “And unless you take care of yourself, you can’t really take care of other people.”
The “All I Wanna Do” singer likes to start her day off by blocking out 20 to 30 minutes to meditate. She is also mindful of her diet, recently giving up dairy and avoiding gluten as best she can. Crow enjoys staying active by using her rowing machine and listening to podcasts: “It helps to sort the kinks out of my day.”
Crow also encourages women to get yearly mammograms and generally take charge of their health. “Knowledge is power, particularly where we don’t have a cure yet. Our greatest weapon is early detection. It can mean the difference between having a much less intrusive treatment when you’re diagnosed early, and the cure rate is far greater,” she explains.
“The other aspect is mammograms are not like they used to be. With 3D mammography and the kind of machine holistic [care] offers, it is not painful like it used to be. That’s really your best weapon. I strongly encourage women not to be afraid to empower themselves and get mammograms.”
100 percent of the purchase price from the light pink and navy “Live Love” t-shirt, along with 25 percent from the other 33 items in the Pink Pony collection — ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, and home goods — will be donated to the Pink Pony Fund of The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation and other cancer charities.
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