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L'Oréal's New Initiative Will Train You to Combat Street Harassment

L'Oréal Paris USA, YouTube

L'Oréal Paris wants to combat street harassment, and it has a plan for doing so. In a new Stand Up initiative, the beauty brand teamed up with Hollaback! to provide training for men, women, and everyone to recognize harassment when its happening and how to safely intervene. Because it's up to everyone to help.

After L'Oréal commissioned a study across eight countries, it learned that people find it difficult to recognize when sexual harassment is occurring in public places, including public transportation, the street, the gym, and other locations we (in non-pandemic times, at least) frequent every day. Now, it wants to help change that, with the help of Hollaback!

Hollaback! is an NGO that, according to its mission, aims to "end harassment in all its forms by transforming the culture that perpetuates hate and harassment." To do that, it works to build the "power of everyday people to create safe and welcoming environments for all." Harassment can be gender-based, or focused on faith, race, LGBTQ identity, ability—anything that causes hate just for who you are, its website states.

“Harassment chips away at who we are and challenges our self-worth. The good news, there is something all of us can do to change it. We’re proud to partner with L’Oréal Paris to show the world that we all have the right to be who we are—whatever that means that day, that hour, that minute,” Emily May, co-founder and executive director of Hollaback! said on the Stand Up website.

You can learn how to recognize and intervene when you witness street harassment with Stand Up trainings.

In two separate website trainings, you can learn what to do when you witness street harassment or are the target of it yourself. Each training only takes between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. Hollaback! also offers a one-hour webinar on street harassment.

Ultimately, L'Oréal Paris hopes to train one million people to become "Upstanders" against street harassment and with the goal to build a culture where it's seen as unacceptable behavior.

Add yourself to the one million goal. It will help yourself and others both in the moment and as we build a future against hate.