We asked women around the world to share moments where their lack of consent was overlooked or ignored by the other party. 50 real women gave us 50 verbal or physical cues they used to try to stop or slow a sexual encounter. We then printed these cues on t-shirts in 50 shades of grey. On International Women’s Day 50 influencers committed to wear and share a tshirt on their social channels, spreading the message to millions. All 50 shirts were also featured in a film depicting a series of scenarios where women did not give consent to participate in sexual encounter. An e-commerce site was launched where the tshirts are available to purchase, raising funds for Project Consent.

Inspired by the Aziz Ansari scandal, a Facebook page was created asking women to share the ways they tried to stop or slow a sexual encounter that were ignored by the other party. These statements were then printed onto tshirts in 50 shades of grey.

Purposely launched on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2018, the project was released via social media (Facebook and Instagram). 50 public figure committed to take part, wearing a t-shirt, sharing it on Instagram and spreading the message to millions. All 50 t-shirts also featured in a film, launching the same day, depicting a series of scenarios where women did not give consent to participate in sexual encounter.

The t-shirts were made available online for purchase to raise money for Project Consent. Hundreds have already been sold, and reshared on social media. People could create their own custom versions using statements or actions of their own.

The film was posted by influencers and shared by millions worldwide, garnering over 55 million media impressions, 6 million social media impressions and 50 countries reached. On March 8 alone, over 200 tshirts were sold with 100% of profits from TShirt sales donated to Project Consent, an organisation dedicated to consent education, dismantling rape culture and supporting survivors of sexual assault.

Social influencers and celebrities such as Abigail Breslin (500k followers), Steph Smith (1.3 mill followers) and Ashy Bines (1 million followers) posted pics of themselves wearing the shirts and shared to their followers.

Radio interviews, online conversations and unpaid media extended the reach and engagement, with other countries now planning their own 50shadesofno campaigns.

It was time to broaden the conversation from NO means NO to what's said and done in these situations. Yes, there's a ‘grey area’ around what constitutes consent. However, the solution is simple. By checking in with our partners, looking for signs of discomfort, we can make sure everyone's safe and having a good time. The campaign was targeted at men and women of all ages and demographics, intending to raise awareness around the issue. We reached out to women to understand the cues used where they didn't feel comfortable or confident to give an outright 'no'. 50 real statements from 50 women were printed onto t-shirts which were made available for purchase on an ecommerce site, and featured in an online film retelling the women's stories. Viewers were encouraged to start a conversation using the hashtag #50shadesofno, and to purchase a t-shirt online, with proceeds going to Project Consent.

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.

50 Shades of No seeks to eradicate the grey area and educate men on the ways women demonstrate non-consent.