Too many men dismiss casual sexism as “just a bit of fun”. They can’t imagine what women face. How uncomfortable – and in some cases, scared – they feel women feel doing simple things like walking in the street or going to work.

Unilever beauty brand, LUX, and WPP’s Wunderman Thompson Singapore have launched that invites men to experience casual sexism first-hand; being judged on the way they dress, walk and speak. From catcalls to inappropriate compliments, everyday sexism is commonplace and is causing women to self-edit their beauty and how they express their femininity.  

Although the problem exists on a global scale, many men don’t consider that they are doing or saying anything wrong. Nor are they aware of the damaging impact that seemingly offhand comments like, “Cheer up, you look prettier when you smile,” may have on women’s self-worth. 

The campaign, In Her Shoes, aims to open conversations and bring about real behaviour change by giving men the opportunity to “walk in women’s shoes”. It uses City Walks, the quickly growing platform through which 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 kicked off in the Middle East. When users visit the platform and 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 In Her Shoes as a woman. A series of questions, asking how the ordeal made them feel and how they think women feel as a result, encourages men to think about casual sexism.

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. In March 2021, Unilever launched a new Positive Beauty vision and strategy globally, which aims to inspire women to be confident with who they are and how they look, rather than being dependent on the opinions of others.

Severine Vauleon, global vice president, LUX at Unilever, stated, “LUX has been celebrating beauty and femininity since 1925. We understand that beauty is a woman’s armour, her source of strength. 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.”

Marco Versolato, chief creative officer, WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson Singapore, commented, “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.”

Aristomenis Georgiopoulos & Artemis Stiga, creators of the City Walks platform, added, “Casual sexism is prevalent in many countries, and conversations about this serious issue are now increasing. It’s great that global brands such as Lux are raising awareness to drive positive action on it. We are all for gender equality and wish to eliminate all the discriminative behaviours, so that men and women can equally experience security and confidence in their everyday lives.”

Experience In Her Shoes here.

Credits:

Creative Agency: Wunderman Thompson
Global CCO Wunderman Thompson: Bas Korsten
CCO WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Marco Versolato
CCO Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico: Facundo Paglia
Creative Director Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Ricardo Tronquini
Creative Directors Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico: Andres Aranguren & Javier De Bourg

Business Director, Global Lux, Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Hinoti Joshi
Account Director, Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Ricca Teotico
Account Manager, Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Deeksha Siwach, 
Chief Strategy Officer, Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Rebecca Nadilo
Head of Integrated Production Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Gerri Hamill, 
Production Coordinator, Wunderman Thompson, Singapore: Zakee Talib 

Production Company: SMC, Dubai
Producer: Shamim Kassibawi

Global PR: Jessica Hartley

Citywalks: Aristomenis Georgiopoulos & Artemis Stiga,

Client: Unilever (Lux)
Global Brand Vice President: Severine Vauleon
Global Brand Director, Lux: Swarnim Bharadwaj
Assistant Brand Manager, Lux: Vivien Ng