Let’s start with a stat.
80% of women in the UK have reported experiencing harassment in public spaces*.
Yes, 80%. And these are only the women who reported experiencing harassment. It seems almost implausible that so many could be affected. Quickly though this figure creates a conversation. It’s then that the scale of the problem becomes apparent. Everyone has a story.
The “Wow that seems high” suddenly changes into an exchange of personal experiences. And sadly, most women have one.
The knot in your stomach increases with each confession. The friend who was groped on a crowded train carriage. The time a guy at the gym tried to film your mate. The group on campus calling out and being lewd. When a colleague was followed home after office drinks one evening.
Street harassment can include many unwanted behaviours. Unwanted sexual attention. Staring. Intimidatingly sitting or standing right by someone. Verbal abuse. Refusing to cease an unwanted conversation which is aggressive or intimidating in nature. Pressing against someone. The list is long.
And incidents are not isolated, research shows that most women encounter this kind of behaviour repeatedly over their lifetime.
You have likely had an experience. You may have dismissed it as something that just happens. But that’s the problem, it happens, and it shouldn’t. It changes you, that worried little voice inside gets a bit louder. You cross the street. You stand on the platform working out the best carriage to board. You seek to sit near other females – safety in numbers. You keep your eyes and head down. It is wrong, and we can’t let our worldview become one of fear.
These incidents happen everywhere and all the time. The prevalence of street harassment is concerning. It is imperative that as a society we reduce it. Because research links street harassment directly with more serious and life-changing crimes. Plus, we all have the right to go about daily life in peace. No one should be made to feel uncomfortable or vulnerable.
It was the importance of advocating for women’s safety that sparked an inspirational alliance. In 2020 L’Oréal Paris championed the Stand Up Against Street Harassment movement. And in 2022, they have partnered with Suzy Lamplugh Trust to roll out the Stand Up Against Street Harassment bystander intervention training programme in the UK with a goal to train 10,000 people per year through online and in-person workshops.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is the UK's pioneering personal safety charity and leading stalking authority, established in 1986, following the disappearance of 25-year-old Suzy Lamplugh, an estate agent and lone worker who went to meet a client and never returned.
Living by its revolutionary ‘I’m worth it’ tagline and leveraging its global reach, the Stand-Up movement took L’Oréal Paris’ support for women into the public space by tackling the intimidating behaviours that impact girls’ and women’s sense of freedom to move through the world.
Together this pairing implemented ground-breaking research that highlighted the need to educate people on street harassment. The studies found that 93% of UK women and 90% of UK men believe there is a lack of training on how to intervene when you witness sexual harassment. However, 86% of UK witnesses who had intervened, reported that their action improved the situation.
The training programme is just part of the plan to empower people and promote the Stand Up Against Street Harassment movement. This summer sees the launch of another impactful initiative.
Bold, audacious and designed to stand out, L’Oréal presents ‘Lipstick is not a Yes’ a limited-edition L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Satin Lipstick. The slogan addresses the concept of by merely wearing lipstick or dressing a certain way, women are inviting unwanted attention. It is a stand against victim-shaming.
Color Riche is L’Oréal Paris’s number one lipstick globally and the shade ‘Lipstick is not a Yes’ is matched to L’Oréal Paris’s first-ever original red shade. It has been developed to suit all skin tones. Exclusive to Superdrug, 100% of L’Oreal’s profits will be donated to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Check it out here.
What we wear, our make-up, our styling, where we choose to go, none of it is an excuse for harassment of any sort. We are all entitled to live life without unwanted attention. Join the Stand Up Against Street Harassment movement here.
References*
International survey on “sexual harassment in public spaces” conducted by L’Oréal Paris with IPSOS, with data gathered in 15 countries with over 15,000 participants, January 25th – March 10th, 2021. Interviews were conducted online.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust ‘Driving Out Violence and Aggression’ report, 582 respondents across 17 days in the UK in September 2021. First survey: 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. Interviews were conducted online.