YSL Beauty is taking a stand against domestic violence in its latest initiative, Abuse is Not Love. Through the project, the brand is hoping to drive change through partnering with non-profit organisations around the world – including Women’s Aid in the UK, En Avant Toute(s) in France and It’s on Us in America.
This news comes after reports that domestic violence has risen significantly in 2020. According to the Guardian, calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline increased 49 percent in the first three weeks of lockdown this past March. While we can’t say we expected that beauty brands would be the ones to solve this problem, we'll take it.
“Supporting societal shifts have always been central to the way YSL Beauty acts as a brand. Especially when it comes to the independence of women. Intimate Partner Violence hinders the safety, wellbeing and independence of women,” explained Stephan Bezy, international general manager at YSL Beauty. “It felt very natural to work on an issue that stood in opposition to our core values and beliefs.”
Along with its non-profit partnerships, the brand is set to launch on-campus learning programs at over 250 American universities – educating more than 60,000 students in its first year about intimate partner violence and how to support victims. In the UK, YSL will be training school advocates on how to address sexism and gender-based violence, delivering workshops and creating an educational toolkit for teaching about domestic violence.
Elsewhere, ambassadors to the brand, Dua Lipa and Zoë Kravitz have also spoken out in support of the new initiative. “600 million women in the world are living in a country where Intimate Partner Violence is not considered a crime,” said Dua Lipa. “This is an issue that deserves attention and it is time to take action.”
Learn more about the initiative and resources for domestic abuse here.