The numbers about violence and harassment against women in Brazil are alarming. Researches show that 503 Brazilian women are victims of physical violence every hour. 86% of them have been harassed in a club, and 85% have been touched without consent. By fearing violence, 9 in 10 women have given up going out or changed the clothes they were wearing. But are women the ones who should be worried about changing their clothes or men who should be changing their behavior? Despite those numbers, many men still think unconsented touches are ok and that women are over complaining about this issue.

For Schweppes, a brand that is so present at clubs and parties, this is a discussion that needs to start. So that women have the freedom to wear what they want, dance like they want to, and act the way they feel like when going out.

(Data sources: “Chega de Fiu Fiu” – Think Olga, 2013; “Violência Contra a Mulher” – Datafolha, 2016)

To make men see the harassment women face when going out, Schweppes created “Dress for Respect”. It’s a dress made with an ultrasensitive tissue that registers every touch received. 3 different women wore the Dress for Respect to a popular nightclub in São Paulo, Brazil. As they made their way to the bar, the dress sent to a control unit every information in real-time of the unconsented touches (where they happened, the intensity and duration, for example) they received from men who tried to approach – or simply put their hands on them. With the help of 6 hidden cameras and 2 disguised photographers, we could also register what those men said and how they acted close. The whole experience became a video shared by Schweppes. This time, there was no way men couldn’t see the harassment. And definitely realize that this isn’t flirting.

The execution took place at a São Paulo’s club. In one night, 3 women wore the Dress For Respect and behaved just like regular partygoers. In a house nearby, a control room kept track of the cameras hidden and the information the dress sent in real-time. Whenever someone touched one of the women, her dress’s sensors signaled it immediately to our screens via wi-fi. In the end of the night, we had a complete overview of the harassment women faced that night: 41, 53 touches per hour. If every woman in that nightclub had worn the Dress for Respect (considering the maximum capacity of 1000 people at the party, being half of it formed by women), we would have registered 20 000 touches per hour – and a total of 60 000 touches throughout the whole night. A few days later, Schweppes published a video about this experiment.

The content published by Schweppes on Facebook with footage and data from the experience generated a lot of discussion about harassment in Brazil, being the difference between flirting and harassment one of the most related subjects. Women shared it and demanded a change from men, registering about 97% positive feeling towards the content. In less than a week, the video registered more than 600 000 views. Registering majorly positive feeling towards the content, they related to the situation shown on the video. On the other hand, many men interacted too, criticizing those who act disrespectfully towards women. The fact that a big consumer brand had finally talked about the harassment issue was also recognized.

Dress For Respect was built with sensors can measure changes in pressure, acceleration, force, strain and temperature and convert them into an electrical charge. This way, the dress could signal in real-time, via wi-fi, to our control unit, information of every touch received. Whenever someone was touched while wearing it, we would know when the touch happened, on which part of the dress and how intense this contact was. To avoid signaling touches like light bumps or leaning on walls as harassment indicators, we could adjust the dress’ sensibility. Dress For Respect had to look like a regular dress, going unnoticed in the party. Also, design details like long sleeve, high collar and tight waist were important so that no touch would go missing. Then, we invited 3 women with very different physical appearances and personalities. That was important to show that harassment happens to every kind of woman.

For Schweppes, the nightlife is the best thing about adulthood. But how can Brazilian women enjoy the night if 86% of them have been harassed in nightclubs? In Brazil, many men approach women at parties by initiating contact without their consent, like pulling their hair, holding their arms, forcing a kiss and other disrespectful ways. And the worst: they don’t see anything wrong in it, saying it’s just flirting. Since Schweppes is always present at clubs and parties, we needed to make a statement against the physical and sexual harassment women suffer at night. And as brand that positions itself as a character building agent, it was important to encourage men to recognize how bad this behavior is and show them more respectful ways to approach women.

It was the first time in Brazil that a consumer brand would take the initiative to talk about harassment publically.