From Social Trend To Branded Jeans: How The #MeToo Movement Must Lead To More

These past few months brought to light many stories of sexual harassment and sexual assault. For many women (or men) out there, this is not a new phenomenon. Sexual harassment has always been around, intrinsically woven into the fabric of everyday life, both professional and personal.

The revelations brought a wave of support and personal stories on social media, surfaced under the – now trending – #metoo hashtag. According to Brandwatch, over half a million updates were published on social media over the past 30 days, each one unique, and all of them common. Women from all walks of life shared their stories of harassment and assault, with no fear and no judgement.

The outcome? Even more than ever, women know when to say no, and to know how to be assertive and fight back against lewd comments and behaviours.

In view of recent allegations and the many stories told, two creatives, Ada & Villy – of Uncreative – a London-based agency, came up with a campaign idea that sends a powerful message, sewn right into the fabric of everyday life: A pair of jeans.

Ada explains:

[quote]Jeans are a quintessential part of our everyday uniform. Jeans are also part of culture, having graduated from working-class uniform to fashion staple, as popularised by Marlon Brando, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe. Jeans are also brand statements and the brands we buy are the brands we associate with.[/quote]

Hence, the idea of rebranding the most popular fashion item with leather tags that bear strong messages of empowerment, consent, and accountability. “Can’t touch this” paraphrasing the famous song, or a simply yet powerful “No means no.” The choice of the placement is strategic, too: The branded leather tags sit just above the ‘behind’ area, a part of women’s anatomy that gathers a lot of attention and judgement; Thus, the name of the campaign: Piece of Ass / Piece of Us.

Despite the limited real estate, messaging opportunities are endless.

[quote]The point is not to protect women, but to send a message to potential “offenders” that this is not acceptable. And, since harassment is, unfortunately, part of everyday life, why not use everyday clothes to host our message?[/quote]

Villy explains.

So what is next for Piece of Ass / Piece of Us? The plan is to bring this idea to life.

“We would ideally love to partner with brands with a broad platform”, both creators say. “We have a couple of them in mind, and we’re already making contact with industry experts. We must do more, and we will do more.”

A pair of jeans may be the start, as well.

CREDITS:

Uncreative, The Agency
Creative team: Villy Devlioti & Ada Alti