Lux tries to show men what it's like to walk while female

Unilever brand Lux and Wunderman Thompson Singapore have launched a campaign that attempts to teach men what it's like to walk in a woman's shoes—nearly literally.

Called 'In her shoes', the initiative use the City Walks platform, with the addition of a toggle switch that allows the user to virtually walk around Cairo as either a man or a woman.  

As a man, you walk the street unmolested. As a woman, you experience sexist criticism, lecherous leers, demands to "Stop here, I wanna talk to you", and even having your path physically blocked by men. You can try it here, or watch the video below for a sample.

The brand says it aims to "transform the perpetrators of sexism into allies". The company reports that the campaign has "kicked off" in the Middle East, but did not provide details about future expansion before publication time. 

Severine Vauleon, global vice president of Lux:

LUX has been celebrating beauty and femininity since 1925. We understand that beauty is a woman’s armour, 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. Hence this campaign is in line with the brand’s purpose. At LUX, we believe that beauty should be a source of strength rather than a source of judgement.

Marco Versolato, chief creative officer, WPP@Unilever and Wunderman Thompson Singapore:

It's one thing to be aware of sexism, but to actually experience it, is a whole other thing. That's why this idea is about experiencing it for yourself. Because changing how we see and feel can change how we behave and act on this issue.

CREDITS

Agency Creative – Wunderman Thompson
Bas Korsten, Global CCO Wunderman Thompson
Marco Versolato, CCO WPP@Unilever/Wunderman Thompson, Singapore
Facundo Paglia, CCO Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico
Ricardo Tronquini, Creative Director Wunderman Thompson, Singapore
Andres Aranguren, Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico
Javier De Bourg, Wunderman Thompson, Puerto Rico

Agency Account Management - Wunderman Thompson, Singapore
Hinoti Joshi, Business Director, Global Lux
Ricca Teotico, Account Director
Deeksha Siwach, Account Manager

Agency Strategy - Wunderman Thompson, Singapore
Rebecca Nadilo, Chief Strategy Officer

Agency Production - Wunderman Thompson, Singapore
Gerri Hamill, Head of Integrated Production
Zakee Talib, Production Coordinator
Team Chameleon

Production
Production House: SMC, Dubai
Producer: Shamim Kassibawi

PR
Jessica Hartley, Global PR

Platform
Citywalks - Aristomenis Georgiopoulos & Artemis Stiga,

Clients
Unilever, Lux
Severine Vauleon, Global Brand Vice President
Swarnim Bharadwaj, Global Brand Director, Lux
Vivien Ng, Assistant Brand Manager, Lux