We asked women around the world to share the moments they tried to say to say ‘no’ but were overlooked or ignored by the other party. 50 real women gave us 50 real verbal or physical cues they used to try to stop a sexual encounter. We then printed these cues on a range of t-shirts which were worn by female cast in an online film. The film depicts a series of scenarios where women did not give consent to participate in sexual encounters, inspired by real life scenarios. The film then depicts different women in varying scenarios, with one man being cast to represent ‘everyman’.

Filming in a neutral warehouse space, the women and their performances drive the power of the film and the rawness of the subject matter.

On the 13th of January, the online publication Babe.net published an account from an anonymous woman titled: “I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life.” https://babe.net/2018/01/13/aziz-ansari-28355 In the article, the woman recounted her date with the actor, which ended in a sexual encounter. While Ansari claimed he believed the encounter was consensual, his date did not. The woman, according to the story, used “verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate how uncomfortable and distressed she was” throughout the evening.

This article sparked heated debate online. Many spoke out saying the woman was assaulted, others said it was simply a ‘bad date’ and she should have ‘just said no’. What was clear, however, is when it comes to consent, there is a grey area.

The film supports a larger campaign 50shadesofno.com, which is designed to educate and raise funds for Project Consent.