One in three women will experience intimate partner abuse in their lifetime, and women aged 16-24 are the most vulnerable to abusive relationships. YSL Beauty, however, has partnered with It’s On Us to change that.
YSL Beauty launched its “Abuse is Not Love” campaign in 2020, which involved three major nonprofit partnerships in the US, UK, and France. So far, the campaign has educated over 100,000 young people about abusive relationships. The campaign includes the Abuse Is Not Love website, which is available in all countries, that provides training sessions and resources for both IPV survivors and allies. The site identifies the nine warning signs of an abusive relationship, which are ignoring, blackmailing, humiliation, manipulation, jealousy, control, intrusion, isolation, and intimidation.
The pandemic has created an increased vulnerability for women in these abusive situations, so YSL has furthered their efforts and funding for this campaign. The campaign is expanding to 17 countries during this next phase of growth. It recently released a video with YSL brand ambassador Zoë Kravitz that will be shown in NYC subways and on digital and social media. YSL Beauty funded its first research paper on IPV in the workplace, which was published in the Harvard Business Review.
The brand partnered with It’s On Us to reach college students through its national network of 275 on-campus chapters. It’s On Us was founded in 2014 during the Obama-Biden presidency and is a nonpartisan, non-profit program. The organization “builds the movement to combat campus sexual assault by engaging all students, including young men, and activity the largest student organizing program of its kind.”
I was honored to speak with Tracey Vitchers, Executive Director of It’s On Us about the campaign. She said her organization uses a “peer-to-peer education model” on college campuses. This allows for students to feel empowered and educated on bystander intervention and survivor support. The It’s On Us website provides a variety of free tools, videos, and workshop materials, all of which were created based on direct student feedback. Vitchers is excited for this partnership as another tool to reach and educate students nationwide.
Additionally, the collaboration created an interactive card game similar to “We Are Not Strangers,” where players are encouraged to open up about their dating and relationship experiences. The game allows for a safe, honest space where players can talk about the good and bad parts of relationships. It is also used to identify the nine warning signs of an abusive relationship by asking questions like:
“Who are real-life ‘relationship goals’ for you? Why did you choose them?”
“Who could you turn to if a partner hurt you?”
“How do you make your partner or friends feel valued? How do they express the same in return?”
“How would you describe your communication style?”
“Have you ever been afraid to make a partner mad?”
Rachel Jakovac, UA student and Founder of End The Silence, said, “The partnership with It’s On Us shows a dedication to and understanding of the unique environment of college campuses as they relate to interpersonal violence.”
Jakovac started her nonprofit to give survivors of interpersonal violence room to heal, and she has led multiple on campus events that show UA survivors that they have our support. She noted, “We need more college students working against media normalization of relationship abuse, and I’m happy to see YSL Beauty working to this end.”
Going forward, YSL Beauty aims to educate two million people around the world on IPV. This campaign is an example of a brand stepping behind and funding a cause critical to the safety of women around the world. Here at Her Campus at Alabama, we support all survivors and aim to be a safe space where all UA students can thrive.