We asked women around the world to share the ways they tried to say to say ‘no’ that 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.

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.

The 50 Shades of No campaign was created to educate men and women about the grey areas of sexual consent. In the film component of the campaign, casting with diversity was integral to speak to a broad audience. Using social media to cast, we put a call out via various facebook channels and we received hundreds of applicants, which resulted in talented and diverse cast of people of colour, broad age range and diverse sexuality. Nearly all the cast had experience with consent ignored. Their own personal experiences were vital to the integrity of the film. In casting one male to represent men, it was imperative to cast a talented, respectful and understanding male.