A polished pledge

As UTS takes part in The Polished Man campaign for the second time, Associate Professor Giuseppe Carabetta is talking to anyone who will listen about why it matters.

Three people and UTS mascot Lenny are standing outside, holding up their hand

Kurt Cheng, Lenny the Lizard, Amanda White and Giuseppe Carabetta. Photo: Georgia Brogan.

When Giuseppe started working at UTS, he reached out to the Respect. Now. Always. team, offering to run workshops on discrimination in the workplace. It was this conversation that sparked his participation in the Polished Man campaign.  

Giuseppe Carabetta is one of over 300 UTS community members who’ve painted a nail this October to start a conversation about ending gender-based violence. 

Within just a few minutes of talking to Giuseppe, his passion for fighting against inequality is clear. It's why he specialises in discrimination in employment law and it's why he is a passionate advocate for men being the ones to talk about domestic abuse.  

For me, it seems a very natural and necessary cause to support. The evidence speaks very clearly and very loudly – we have a serious crisis and like many of us, I cannot believe we got to this point.

The Polished Man is a national campaign with a pretty simple but effective premise: Polished Champions paint a single nail (or nails) during the month of October. Anytime someone asks them, 'Why the painted nails?', it sparks a conversation about gender-based violence, while also raising funds for those affected.  

Man in a suit getting his nail painted

Giuseppe Carabetta. Photo: Georgia Brogan.

In UTS's second year, more than double the number of ambassadors have pledged their participation, and the UTS team have already surpassed their 2023 fundraising goal by over 25%. Over 300 people attended the morning tea to launch the campaign. 

For Giuseppe, this matter is a personal one, 'I am a little embarrassed volunteering this, given it happens disproportionately to women and children, but some years ago I was subjected to domestic violence myself'. It's this openness and vulnerability that make Giuseppe such a tremendous advocate.  

Coming from a massive, traditional Italian family and working in a historically male-led field, Giuseppe hasn't experienced men being open about issues like this. He knows men aren't usually the ones to lead the conversation around domestic abuse and he wants to be an example in changing that.  

Donate to the Polished Man campaign

Group of people and Lenny the Lizard at the Polished Man morning tea 2024.
Two people are holding their hands up to show a blue nail, between them, one person has their back to the camera to show their shirt that reads: Polished Man.
Four people on the ground, on the ground is chalk written messages about the Polished Man campaign.
Vicki Chen getting her nail painted.
Polished Man branded cupcakes
Group of people showing their painted nail

UTS is an official Polished Partner, and we encourage all donations via the Polished Man website. All funds raised will directly support women and survivors of abuse.   

  

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