Changemakers: Campbell Ritchie on Connecting with Animals

You’ve been a prominent force in the fashion and beauty industry for decades. What is your philosophy on all aspects of personal wellness?

For me, personal wellness came at a price. It was probably one of the hardest and most humbling lessons of my life—and I’m very, very grateful for it. People say to me, “Why are you so happy? You’ve got a lightness in you.” And I feel that a light has come on in me because I’m using my body exactly the way that God intended. I’ve always believed in God, and I’ve always believed in source, and connection, and the universe. And I’ve just found more peace by really, really getting well.

How does your spirituality tie into your outlook on animal welfare and the wellbeing of the planet in general?

Everything that I am—in my body, my being, my soul, my heart (I’m going to get emotional!)—is my absolute love for where we live. This planet is so beautiful. The trees allow us to breathe. The animals, I think, are just God showing off. I think it’s him saying, Look how beautiful this incredible planet is, this world is.

We’re just a tiny, tiny, speck in this universe. And I think that we take it for granted. People just say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter, because I won’t be here to worry about that.” And I also had that mindset once. I thought, “I’ve been doing this for so long, and I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall most of the time. I feel like I face so many obstacles on this journey.”

But will I stop? No. I have to be a warrior. I say to myself all the time: Don’t be the worrier, be a warrior. And I believe that, ultimately, people in this world are good. We want greatness, and we want to live in a beautiful place and leave this place better than we found it (or at least the same), so that our children and grandchildren have this incredible planet that we’ve been gifted. It’s not ours, it’s Mother Earth’s. It was never ours. And I think that in every single life I have, I'm always going to come back and do the best that I can in this vessel to protect our planet.

Why did you start advocating for animals as a child?

I was very shy as a kid. But when it comes to animals, or children, or the planet, I am the biggest advocate for all of those three. I will fight for every single one of them. I will fight for children. I will fight for the planet. And I will fight for humanity and the animals.

Almost 132 (maybe even more) ingredients that are not allowed to be used in Europe and Australia are implemented here every single day. Not just in cosmetics, but in the food we eat as well. And it’s creating disease; it’s creating illness. So I think it’s really, really important that I stay true to myself—and true to my following, the people who really trust and believe in me.

I would never be able to forgive myself if I were to take a big brand job and know full well that the product was tested on an animal—or the sustainability aspect was environmentally damaging, from its packaging to its ingredients to the way it was being transferred from country to country.
I believe that I’m finding a voice. I’m getting more confident. And I feel like I’ve almost become the voice for the voiceless—animals! They can’t speak, but they communicate in other ways—through spirit and sound and feeling. We’ve all been told that we don’t have any kind of special abilities and that we’re just human beings living a spiritual experience. Well actually, it’s the opposite. We’re spiritual beings living in human vessels. This is a vessel that we’re in right now.

What lasting legacy do you hope to leave behind when you leave this lifetime?

I don’t want to just be known as Campbell Ritchie—”Oh, she was a great makeup artist,” or “What a great beauty expert.” Our abilities and our gifts are God-given. And we came here to use them, and to share them, and to show others what we can do. And I’m confident enough now to say that I know what I’m doing in my art was God-given.

But I would prefer for people to think of me as someone who was kind and had purpose. Because it’s not about doing things perfectly. It’s about doing things with purpose, with effort, and just having some kind of consciousness behind everything that I do. I wish for people to do and implement that in their lives.

My father always said to me, “Kindness is so, so important. You must show people your kindness, because you never know what anyone is going through on any given day.” And I hope people will remember me for how I made them feel—not look, but feel.

It’s so important to have a connection and to allow people to be seen. And let them flourish. Let them thrive. This world is not about surviving—it's about thriving. And I never want people to feel like they aren’t being seen.

A few years back, if you asked me where I would be right now, I don’t think I would have even believed it. I would have hoped for it, but I wouldn’t have believed it. And I feel like this is absolutely what I'm supposed to be doing. To be the voice for the voiceless. To plant seeds and allow them to grow and nurture them. To be authentic, and real, and approachable.

If you’ve got an idea and you want to share it with me, and we can change the world and do things better, I’m all ears. Let’s do it. Let's implement change. Let’s actually be changemakers.

You can keep up with Campbell Ritchie on her Instagram! And for ways to take action for animals, check out our Fast Action Network. It’s packed with quick, effective actions to drive meaningful change for animals in our food system. Ready to get started?