Sexual harassment and abuse in Australia and around the world has received unprecedented attention since allegations began surfacing that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted or harassed dozens of women. Since then, new accusations against other high-profile men seem to surface almost daily. It’s a powerful moment in time, and a rare one, when both the media and the public are ready and willing to affect positive change. The allegations and subsequent #MeToo campaign are part of a larger resurgence of the women’s movement, including burgeoning discussion that is igniting concrete progress for women. Prompted by the Aziz Ansari scandal, 50 Shades of No was created as a social awareness campaign that seeks to eradicate the perceived ‘grey area’ and educate men on the ways women demonstrate non-consent. We spoke to 50 real women who provided 50 real verbal and physical cues they’d used to try to stop or slow an unwanted sexual encounter, all of which were ignored. These cues were then printed onto a range of t-shirts which were made available for purchase online, and featured in an online film depicting scenarios retelling the women’s stories. The film launched on International Women’s Day, and the campaign was seen by millions.

The 50 Shades of No campaign was created to educate men and women about the grey areas of sexual consent. We wanted to help the world become aware of all the different ways to say ‘slow down’ or ‘stop’, so 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 a range of t-shirts which were worn by influencers and posted online, and by female cast in an online film, The film depicts scenarios where women did not give consent to participate in sexual encounters, and was part of a broader campaign including an e-commerce site selling the T-Shirts. Profits from the sale of the t-shirts goes to Project Consent.

13th of January, online publication Babe.net published an account from an anonymous woman: “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.

Launched on March 8th 2018, International Womens Day, 50 Shades of No seeks to eradicate the grey area and educate men on the ways women demonstrate non-consent. Posted on the instagram pages of 50 Social Media Influencers, and using the hashtag #50shadesofno, women were encouraged to share posts and stories. The campaign was seen by millions, and reached over 70 countries, with plans to expand globally.

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 is 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.

Men have been prompted to assess and reflect on their own behaviours, and women have been given the confidence to speak up. Funds raised from sales of t-shirts support Project Consent to educate further generations and other countries are planning their own movements.

The campaign has provoked thought and reconsideration of behaviours and patterns.

It was time to broaden the conversation from NO means NO to what's actually said and done in these situations. Yes, there's ‘grey area’ around what constitutes consent. However, the solution is simple. The campaign was targeted at men and women, and intended to raise awareness around the issue. We reached out to women to understand cues they used where they didn't feel comfortable or confident enough to give an outright 'no'. 50 real statements from 50 women of all ages, racial backgrounds and demographics were printed onto a range of t-shirts which were made available for purchase on an ecommerce site, and also featured in an online film retelling the women's stories. Viewers were encouraged to start conversations using the hashtag #50shadesofno, and to purchase a t-shirt online, with all proceeds going to Project Consent, an organisation focused around education, support and advocacy.

The world has been taught that NO means NO. However, the way we communicate is more complex and nuanced. We can violate someone’s boundaries by not picking up on their verbal and nonverbal cues, even if we have no ill intentions. 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.

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, is when it comes to consent, there is a grey area.

A group of young women created a brave new social awareness campaign. 50 Shades of No seeks to eradicate the grey area and educate men on the ways women demonstrate non-consent.