Research shows that women are 10X more likely than men to be objectified in sports. Media cameras covering female athletes often zoom in to their breasts, buttocks, thighs and crotches.LUX, a beauty brand helps women to rise above everyday sexism felt that it was time to call out this insidious practice.LUX sponsored Durban Open Women’s Beach Volleyball 2023 and hijacked media cameras to expose sexist camera angles during a live broadcast. Instead of wearing LUX logos, top women beach volleyball players sported QR codes on parts of their bodies where the media cameras focus. Scanning the QR code led to Change The Angle film where female athletes spoke about sexist camera angles. It ended with a call for media cameras to focus on their strengths and prowess; and to follow actionable guidelines. South African Broadcasting Corporation(SABC) broadcast the tournament live and other media companies have adopted the guidelines.
Philosophy
While the growing global popularity of professional and amateur female sports is something to celebrate, much of the media coverage of women athletes in competition still misses the mark, quite literally - focusing too often on female anatomy rather than sporting achievements, through invasive angles and excessive close up shots which can potentially devalue the empowerment that sports bring to participants. As a beauty brand that aims to support women against everyday sexism, Unilever’s beauty brand LUX wants to raise awareness of the issue and start a conversation with both broadcasters and audiences to encourage them to ‘Change The Angle’. Working closely with Wunderman Thompson Singapore, LUX teamed up with Volleyball SA (South Africa) and sports broadcaster SABC on a bold new initiative in which they hacked a live tournament by highlighting potentially sexist camera angles - and in so doing, flipping the male gaze back on itself. The initiative is also supported by a host of top female athletes, sports commentators and officials. Organised by the South African Volleyball Association, the Durban Open live Volleyball game took place on April 15 and 16 in Durban, where eight different teams of South Africa’s top women beach volleyball athletes participated. This was broadcast live by SABC reaching an estimated audience of 19.7 million in South Africa. As part of the ‘Change The Angle’ initiative, female players wore QR codes on their bodies - the same areas that sports broadcasters tend to focus on. When scanned, the code directs the viewer to a film made by LUX, where leading sportswomen call on broadcasters and cameras to ‘Change The Angle’ of how female athletes are portrayed - by focusing on their strengths and aiming the lens at their sporting prowess, rather than their physical attributes. The video highlights shocking statistics regarding sexist sports coverage, including “2500 pictures objectifying women reported at the 2021 Olympics”(1) and includes powerful statements from female athletes. It ends with six best practice tips for the media on how female athletes should be portrayed. The choice of beach volleyball is a strategic one, as the sport suffers more than most from baked-in bias, due to being played under hot conditions and in minimal clothing. But while beach volleyball may be one of the most obvious sports in terms of misdirected attention, the problem is a global one. As a result, key sports influencers including Cricket commentator Kass Naidoo, Netball star Bongi Msomi, LUX Brand Ambassador Zozibini Tunzi have thrown their considerable online and real world influence behind the campaign, helping to spread the QR code and its underlying message. And the issue is not just confined to the sports arena. Objectification is a global issue - from film sets to the streets - and the vast majority of women globally, have been subject to it at some point in their everyday lives. Which is why the ‘Change The Angle’ campaign is only the first step in highlighting a much broader cause. To that end, LUX has partnered with South African NGO, Sonke Gender Justice, to work towards helping women in South Africa to combat street harassment by affecting sustained behaviour change amongst men and boys. This partnership aims to change social norms that reinforce everyday sexism by training religious and community leaders, media personnel, teachers and student influencers to create communities that are safe spaces for women to express their beauty, fully and authentically.