Fighting for equal rights and counteracting sexism, be it in the workplace, in relationships, or individually battling our own sense of personal worth, has been a decades long and ongoing fight for women the world over.
And it was a sense of frustration and desire to advance women’s equality that motivated Ilona Specht, a 23-year-old, female, advertising copywriter in New York in 1971, to create one of the most well known beauty ad taglines of all time. And we bet you can guess what it is right now…
Yep, L’Oreal’s ‘Because You’re Worth it’ is a phrase that has been repeated in the brand’s hair, skincare and makeup adverts by celebrity spokespeople, including Beyonce, J’Lo, Eva Longoria, Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren, for the past 50 years. And has been an unlikely, but ever present, rallying cry alongside the movement for female empowerment, throughout the decades.
At the time of its inception, women were objectified in adverts and despite the products they were promoting being aimed at women, they featured men’s voices. As a result, a female voice describing their own experience and sentiments was revolutionary.
Specht later admitted in an interview, “My feeling [at the time] was that I’m not writing another ad about looking good for men. I sat down and did it, in five minutes. It was very personal. I can recite to you the whole commercial, because I was so angry when I wrote it.”
In the decades following, this famous tagline helped sell millions of products, not just through the story of beauty empowerment, but also echoing the social and cultural empowerment issues of the time. In the 70’s it aligned with the women’s rights movement, as women fought to have their voice heard and break free from ‘women in the home’ stereotypes. In the 80’s it was linked to women’s sense of self esteem and assertiveness, and in the 90’s as women fought for their rightful status in the workplace.
In 2020, Viola Davis appeared in the brand’s ‘Lessons in Worth’ video series with a powerfully resonant reminder the fight for worth for all women is ongoing and real.
The Oscar winning actress passionately encouraged women not to doubt themselves and to embrace their self-worth every day. “The next time you doubt your place in the world, in the workplace, in your home or in your own skin, say these three words to yourself: I’m worth it.”
The most recent member to join the L’Oreal Paris family as global spokespeople, Gemma Chan, explained exclusively to GLAMOUR the relevancy this saying holds for her.
“[It’s] an affirmation that if you are living your own truth, wherever you are on your journey, you are enough. Each of us – no matter our age, colour, size, shape, anything – deserves to feel accepted, most importantly by ourselves. In the tumultuous and difficult times, we find ourselves in, it’s an expression of self-worth and permission to take care of yourself.”
And Gemma, we’re most definitely here for that!