In honour of International Women’s Day, L’Oréal Paris Reaffirms its Commitment to Empowering Women Around the World
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of its iconic tagline, “Because We’re Worth It”, L’Oréal Paris will continue its quest to break down barriers, by empowering women through beauty and through programs like Stand Up Against Street Harassment
TORONTO, ON – L’Oréal Paris Canada today announced the 50th anniversary of its iconic tagline, “Because We’re Worth It,” in celebration of International Women’s Day. For half a century, the brand has been relentless in its dedication to breaking down barriers. From pioneering science and innovations that empower women through beauty, to its diverse family of global spokespeople, L’Oréal Paris continues to challenge stereotypes, giving women the confidence and power to take the place they deserve in society. Notably, the brand is reaffirming its commitment to protecting individual self-worth through its training program, Stand Up Against Street Harassment, which launched on March 8, 2020 in partnership with the international NGO Hollaback! As revealed in a second survey conducted in partnership with Ipsos*, this initiative remains a priority, with one in three women having experienced sexual harassment in a public space in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It seems unbelievable that our famous tagline is 50 years old, but our mission will only be accomplished once we no longer need to remind women of their worth,” said Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President, L’Oréal Paris. “We are proud to continue our support for causes that fight discrimination – through programs like Stand Up Against Street Harassment – and that are key to breaking down the barriers, giving women the confidence and power to take the place they deserve in society and walk freely toward their destiny.”
A WORTHY CAUSE: STAND UP AGAINST STREET HARASSMENT
Because street harassment goes against everything L’Oréal Paris stands for, the brand launched the Stand Up Against Street Harassment program on March 8, 2020, in partnership with Hollaback!, an international NGO aiming to end harassment of all forms. Stand Up is focused on raising awareness about street harassment and training one million people by 2021, with Hollaback’s “5D’s” methodology, a program that teaches both victims and witnesses of street harassment, how to safely respond. To this day, 150, 000 people have been trained with Stand Up. Currently activated in France, Spain, Argentina, Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Italy and India with local charity partners*, the Stand Up Against Street Harassment program will grow to another 10 countries starting on March 8th, 2021, in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Ukraine, Israel, Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand and the Caribbean region. In partnership with local charity partners, further countries will roll out the program before the end of the year: Chili, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
STREET HARASSMENT IN PUBLIC SPACES: A PRIORITY ISSUE DURING COVID-19
As a recent survey conducted in partnership with Ipsos revealed, street harassment remains a priority issue, even in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic began, one in three women have experienced at least one situation of sexual harassment, one out of five respondents believe that the likelihood of being sexually harassed in a public space has increased and 42 per cent of respondents have witnessed at least one incident of sexual harassment. Moreover, there is a clear need for more training and support. When individuals do not intervene in street harassment incidents, more than a quarter of respondents say it is because they don’t know what to do; 34 per cent say that if they had known what to do, they would have acted. Additionally, women report that they now adapt their behaviour more than before specifically to avoid sexual harassment: 75 per cent avoid certain places (an increase of 10 per cent compared to 2019), 59 per cent adapt their clothing and appearance (an increase of nine per cent compared to 2020), and 54 per cent avoid certain means of transportation (an increase of 10 per cent compared to 2020).
These numbers reflect a new context, ushering a sense of widespread social anxiety; 72 per cent of respondents think that wearing a mask allows the harassers to hide themselves and feel untouchable. In order to continue building safe and inclusive spaces for all, L’Oréal Paris and its spokespeople encourage the public to join the movement by getting trained on standup-canada.com, and share the training on social networks, with the 5D’s hand sign and hashtag #WeStandUp.
*“International survey on sexual harassment in public spaces,” conducted by L’Oréal Paris with IPSOS, with data gathered in 8 countries with over 15,000 participants, April 2019.
* Fondation des Femmes in France; Fundacion Mujeres in Spain; Fundacion Pescar in Argentina; Hollaback! in Canada and the U.S.; Casa Gaviota in Mexico; Alice Onlus in Italy; Breakthrought in India.
*“International survey on sexual harassment in public spaces,” conducted by L’Oréal Paris with IPSOS, with data gathered in 14 countries with over 14,000 participants, Jan. 25th – Feb. 9th, 2021
