Unilever’s beauty brand, LUX, has launched a new campaign to highlight the impact of casual sexism faced by women in their everyday lives by inviting men to experience it first-hand for themselves.
Whether on the street or in the workplace, women are constantly judged on the way they dress, walk and speak. From catcalls to inappropriate compliments, everyday sexism is shockingly commonplace – and is causing women to self-edit their beauty and how they express their femininity as a result.
The new LUX campaign, titled “In Her Shoes,” created by WPP’s Wunderman Thompson Singapore, aims to spark a conversation and bring about real behaviour change by giving men the opportunity to – quite literally – walk in women’s shoes.
The campaign leverages City Walks – a platform where users can take a virtual stroll around different cities around the world – to offer men a glimpse of the sexism that women suffer by doing something as simple as taking a walk.
The campaign has been kicked off in the Middle East. When users visit the platform, they can click on “In Her Shoes”, a special button allows them to toggle between experiencing the walk as a man, or as a woman. While men can enjoy an uninterrupted ramble, soaking up the sights and sounds of the city, the female perspective is very different.
Crossing a bridge or wandering down a side street attracts unwanted attention from groups of men, with users subjected to casually sexist remarks like “Why this red lipstick?”, or “Stop here, I wanna talk to you!”
To build on the campaign and transform the perpetrators of sexism into allies, feedback was collated from male users who have experienced the LUX “In Her Shoes” as a woman, encouraging self-reflection through a series of questions asking how the ordeal made them feel, and how they think women feel as a result.
“In Her Shoes” is underscored by LUX’s pledge to inspire women using content, partnerships and activations to help them rise above everyday sexist judgments and express their beauty and femininity unapologetically.
“LUX has been celebrating beauty and femininity since 1925. We understand that beauty is a woman’s armour, her source of strength,” said Severine Vauleon, Global Vice President – LUX at Unilever.
“It is hers to express, unapologetically. We will continue to help women everywhere fight casual sexism at home, in the workplace and in wider society. Hence this campaign is in line with the brand’s purpose. At LUX, we believe that beauty should be a source of strength rather than a source of judgement.”
“It’s one thing to be aware of sexism, but to actually experience it, is a whole other thing. That’s why this idea is about experiencing it for yourself. Because changing how we see and feel can change how we behave and act on this issue,” added Marco Versolato, Chief Creative Officer – WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson Singapore.
The campaign has been kicked off in the Middle East. When users visit the platform, they can click on “In Her Shoes”, a special button allows them to toggle between experiencing the walk as a man, or as a woman. While men can enjoy an uninterrupted ramble, soaking up the sights and sounds of the city, the female perspective is very different.
Crossing a bridge or wandering down a side street attracts unwanted attention from groups of men, with users subjected to casually sexist remarks like “Why this red lipstick?”, or “Stop here, I wanna talk to you!”
To build on the campaign and transform the perpetrators of sexism into allies, feedback was collated from male users who have experienced the LUX “In Her Shoes” as a woman, encouraging self-reflection through a series of questions asking how the ordeal made them feel, and how they think women feel as a result.
“LUX has been celebrating beauty and femininity since 1925. We understand that beauty is a woman’s armor, her source of strength,” said Severine Vauleon, Global Vice President – LUX at Unilever.
“It is hers to express, unapologetically. We will continue to help women everywhere fight casual sexism at home, in the workplace and in wider society. Hence this campaign is in line with the brand’s purpose. At LUX, we believe that beauty should be a source of strength rather than a source of judgement.”
“In Her Shoes” is underscored by LUX’s pledge to inspire women using content, partnerships and activations to help them rise above everyday sexist judgments and express their beauty and femininity unapologetically.
“It’s one thing to be aware of sexism, but to actually experience it, is a whole other thing. That’s why this idea is about experiencing it for yourself. Because changing how we see and feel can change how we behave and act on this issue,” added Marco Versolato, Chief Creative Officer -WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson Singapore.
