L'Oréal Paris has unveiled a new global campaign that spotlights the hidden impact street harassment has on women.
The French beauty brand’s ‘Missed Opportunities’ campaign explores how this type of harassment – defined as unsolicited or sexual behaviour directed at someone in a public space – undermines confidence and diminishes visibility across public life, education and the workforce.
An estimated 87% of women adjust how they navigate environments to stay safe, and nearly one-in-two women have turned down personal, social, or professional opportunities due to fear of harassment, according to a survey conducted by L'Oréal Paris with market research firm IPSOS.
L'Oréal Paris Global Ambassadors, including actresses Eva Longoria, Aja Naomi King and Cara Delevingne, will feature in the campaign to share the personal impact of street harassment.
Longoria, who first signed with the brand in 2005, said: "We have been quietly organising our lives around fear, and most of us did not even have a name for it until now.
“‘Missed Opportunities’ gives it a name, and Stand Up [Against Street Harassment] gives us a way to raise awareness and take back our power.
“That is what this brand and programme does – and that is why I am proud to be part of it."
King, who became a spokesperson for L'Oreal Paris in 2017, continued: "Street harassment can make you feel small and afraid to be seen, as if simply existing in public puts you at risk.
“It reinforces the idea that our safety is never guaranteed, which can destroy confidence and a sense of personal value.”
Delevingne, named Global Ambassador in September 2024, aims to emphasise cultural change and the power of community support through the campaign.
She commented: "It means not just talking about change, but being part of it.
“I have spent a lot of my life in industries where silence was kind of expected, so being aligned with something that encourages people to speak up and backs that up with real action feels powerful.
“It is about shifting the culture from 'that is just how it is' to 'that is not okay,' and knowing you are helping create safer spaces for everyone."
The initiative serves as an expansion of the French beauty brand’s Stand Up Against Street Harassment programme launched in 2020, in partnership with international NGO Right To Be.
The programme trains individuals with the 5D's methodology: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct.
To date, more than five million people have been trained across 47 countries.