Pax Celebrates the Unsung Heroines of Cannabis

A new campaign for popular cannabis brand Pax isn’t a spring fashion spread for a glossy magazine like Vogue or Elle, but it could easily pass for one. With its editorial poses and colorful props—models co-star with an explosion of flowers against a soft peach-tinted backdrop—the work puts some of the industry’s unsung heroes into a photogenic scenario fit for the pages of Cosmopolitan. Tyler Rae Edwards (left) and Stacey Edwards (right) “More Flowerful,” which rolls out through March, intentionally chose women who aren’t often in the spotlight: “the budtenders, the brand builders, the artists, the educators, the innovators, the activists, the partakers,” according to the brand. Among the influential behind-the-scenes players are Michelle Mendoza, vice president of innovation at Sweet Flower dispensaries in Los Angeles, Ophelia Chong, founder of Asian Americans for Cannabis Education, Paizley Bishop, founder of Peach Honey CBD, and Tyler Rae Edwards, content creator and advocate better known as “Bad Muthapuffa.” Ophelia Chong The art-driven project purposely coincides with Women’s History Month and aims to shout out female accomplishments in the space. “Women have been an important backbone of this industry since day one, from cultivation to product development to medical use to advocacy and beyond, helping to build it from the ground up,” Lauryn Livengood, Pax’s senior director of brand marketing, told Adweek. Emily Eizen At the same time, Livengood wants to address the current representation problem, where the number of women in corporate cannabis C-suites is below the national average and there are still scant female-owned businesses. That lag takes place while women, particularly Gen Z, are among the fastest growing consumer demo for weed. “Our hope with this campaign is to give visibility to those living life out loud and shaping cannabis today, and to inspire more women to join the movement,” Livengood said. Paizley Bishop A floral and feminist project “More Flowerful,” shot recently by an all-female crew in the L.A. area, gave its subjects plenty of room to play and express themselves, producing images with whimsical and personalized touches like daises stuffed in pockets and snapdragons used as crowns. The work aims to highlight the “bold, courageous choices” of brand ambassadors like Makayla Olford, who creates digital content about weed-friendly workouts, cannabis-infused brunching and more. Makayla Olford Olford wants to see cannabis become more mainstream and diverse, “'Cause I know I don’t look like the typical stoner, you know? I need people to see that stoners look…they look like Black women,” she said in an Instagram post to promote the program. Chong, whose work has included creating more realistic stock images of cannabis and its fans for the media, sees herself and her fellow ad stars as groundbreakers and community builders. “We are all here despite the risks both personally and professionally,” she said. “That has created warrior women ready to clear the way for the women who follow into this crazy, amazing, heart-stopping, contradictory industry of weed.” Mendoza, a nine-year veteran of the retail business, appreciates the can-do, no-nonsense mentality of women in the field. Michelle Mendoza “If you are here, you have grit,” she said. “And you aren’t just here, you are authentically here, because that is what is required of us.” “More Flowerful,” developed and executed in-house at Pax with Livengood as its architect, will get distribution through all the brand’s owned channels this month, with a focus on Instagram. CREDITS: Photography: Jessica MillerAgent: Dara SiegelHair & Makeup: Shideh KafeiWardrobe: Ashley GuerzonProps Stylist: Shelby KayProduction: Shabnam Azadeh Legal Cannabis Could Become a $30 Billion US Industry in 2022. Here’s Where It Will Grow

Cannabis

Vape Brand Pax Shows 'More Flowerful' Side of the Unsung Heroines of Cannabis

The campaign, created in-house, celebrates Women's History Month

T.L. Stanley

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T.L. Stanley