Imagine this: You are a man, going out for a walk. You get to explore the streets of a city, appreciating all of the treats it has to offer, all without being bothered by the pedestrians around you. However, a lady’s walk is totally different. While out roaming free on a city’s streets, she is subjected to casual sexism, attracting unwanted remarks about her looks, the way she dresses, or the way she did her makeup. In fact, 60% of ladies confront with such comments. Yet, most perpetrators believe they are not doing something wrong.

So, how do you stop this social plague from spreading? Unilever’s beauty brand, LUX, came up with an interesting approach to tackle this problem. Helped by Wunderman Thompson Singapore, the company crafted the “In Her Shoes” campaign, inviting people to virtually discover what it is like to go out for a walk as a woman.

Wanting to spark conversation around this issue and empower real behavior change, the brand decided to give men the opportunity to see how it feels to be the target of sexist remarks. As such, LUX collaborated with City Walks, a platform that enables users to take a virtual walk through some different cities around the world, updating the site with a new feature that allows users to go for a walk as either a man or in her shoes, witnessing the casual sexism that affects ladies firsthand.

The campaign kicked off in Egypt. Upon visiting the City Walks’ platform, users are given the chance to explore the city as either a man or a woman. A man’s walk goes without interruptions. Yet, walking as a woman, things take a drastic turn. They receive inappropriate compliments, are being followed, and are even intimidated. But what most people don’t know is that casual sexism has a negative impact upon women’s self-worth, making them question their actions.

Severine Vauleon, Global Brand VP, says: “LUX has been celebrating beauty and femininity since 1925. We understand that beauty is a woman’s armor, 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.”

The initiative is part of a broader global LUX campaign set to inspire 50 million ladies by 2025 to express themselves and rise above everyday sexist judgments. The Unilever-owned brand hopes this campaign will help raise perpetrators’ awareness on how their actions affect women, empowering them to be allies in this fight, rather than adversaries.

According to the Singapore-based agency, City Walks’ traffic has more than doubled since the launch of the campaign, while the time spent on the platform has seen an increase of more than 20%. The agency also mentions that out of the men who engaged with the experience, 90% said they would be more mindful and think twice before making sexist remarks.

Credits:

Client: Unilever

Brand: LUX

Agency: Wunderman Thompson Singapore