New research from The Representation Project and TRESemmé reveals effect of conflicting style expectations on women’s lives and achievements
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As America’s #1 styling brand, TRESemmé knows that style is more than just a look. Style is represented by how every woman presents, speaks and acts as her authentic self. Driven by the brand’s purpose to champion personal style and the power that it brings, TRESemmé announces the “Power Your Style Project,” a commitment and partnership with The Representation Project, multi-platinum artist Normani, and American fashion designer Batsheva Hay to advocate for every woman’s truest expression of her personal style.
TRESemmé believes that when personal style is embraced, it helps women reach their full potential. However, not all women are able to embrace their style due to “double binds” – the conflicting societal messages, images and queues that tell a woman how she is supposed to look, speak and act. Examples include being told to be more assertive but not bossy, dress to impress but don’t be too bold, and speak up but not too loudly. To reveal the effects of double binds on women’s personal style and professional ambitions, TRESemmé collaborated with The Representation Project, a leading global gender justice non-profit organization, on a first-of-its-kind study on double binds using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study found:
- Two-thirds of women experience double bind messages, especially Gen Z women ages 18-24. 90% of these women report that double binds prevent them from being their authentic self.
- Nearly half of women report experiencing double binds at work, with two-in-five women reporting that double binds negatively impact their professional career/job.
- A majority of women (61%) reported they would be happier if they had more freedom to express their style.
“Women of all backgrounds face sexist double binds that inhibit our happiness and success. We face conflicting social expectations that are impossible to meet and disadvantage us in our professional and personal lives,” said Dr. Caroline Heldman, Executive Director of The Representation Project. “Women shouldn’t have to choose between being liked and being respected. That’s why we’re proud to partner with TRESemmé to raise awareness on this issue and encourage women to be their authentic selves.”
To launch the program, TRESemmé is partnering with multi-platinum selling artist Normani who herself has experienced double bind criticism and has had to navigate other societal expectations throughout her career. The Representation Project found that the most common double binds prominent women* experience on social media include receiving comments that they are overly confident, yet insecure (84%) and being called lazy, while also being told that they are overly ambitious (80%).
“I know what it feels like to be criticized and doubted, which I experienced in my music career,” stated Normani. “I have since started discovering who I am and am embracing this stage in my life where I am able to express myself the way I want to and not because of anybody else. By owning my personal style, it has encouraged me to continue on this path as a soloist and create a new album. I am honored to be partnering with TRESemmé, a brand that believes in championing women’s personal style and the power that it brings, to officially launch their ‘Power Your Style Project’ and empower women everywhere to express their unique styles so they can achieve more and be their best selves.”
The brand is also showcasing and celebrating women’s personal styles through #MyStyleIsMyPower – a social movement that the brand kicked off on TikTok that encourages women to embrace their personal style, despite the double binds that keep them trapped in a world of seemingly wrong choices. Furthermore, TRESemmé has committed to evolve all brand content to ensure that a wide variety and diversity of styles are showcased across TRESemmé channels.
“For more than 70 years, TRESemmé has been committed to providing salon-quality products that empower every woman to embrace and define her personal style, every day,” said Jessica Grigoriou, Head of Beauty Marketing and Salon & Masstige Hair Portfolio Director at Unilever NA. “As a top global brand, we have an important role and a responsibility in setting the tone in how personal style is expressed and the way we represent style. We are thrilled to be launching the ‘Power Your Style Project’ with our incredible partners to inspire women everywhere to embrace their personal style.”
TRESemmé is a New York Fashion Week: The Shows sponsor and is providing designer partners, including Fe Noel, Christian Siriano, Mirror Palais and Batsheva, with professional stylists and innovative products to enhance each models’ unique style and complement the designers’ collections. On September 14th, Batsheva Hay will be participating in a panel discussion alongside Normani and TRESemmé Global Hair Stylist Justine Marjan to speak about the power of embracing personal style.
“I always dressed differently, in a way that I loved but no one else around me accepted,” said Batsheva Hay, American Fashion Designer. “When I left my career as a corporate lawyer and became a wife and mother, I yearned to be able to feel more like myself and dress as I pleased. Once I started embracing my personal style, it inspired me to design for other women to empower them to feel uplifted and that’s what ultimately began my career in fashion and starting my own label. Through partnering with TRESemmé for their ‘Power Your Style Project,’ I am continuing my mission of helping women proudly express their personal style.”
To learn more about the TRESemmé “Power Your Style Project”, visit here or follow @Tresemme on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 148,000 employees and generated sales of €52.4 billion in 2021. Over half of our footprint is in developing and emerging markets. We have around 400 brands found in homes all over the world – including iconic brands like Dove, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Magnum, Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Degree, Seventh Generation, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé, and Vaseline.
Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world’s first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it’s at the heart of how we run our company today.
The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while:
- improving the health of the planet;
- improving people’s health, confidence and wellbeing; and
- contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.
While there is still more to do, in the past year we’re proud to have achieved sector leadership in S&P’s Dow Jones Sustainability Index, ‘Triple A’ status in CDP’s Climate, Water and Forest benchmarks, and to be named as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey for the eleventh consecutive year.
For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com
For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca
*Methodology: The survey research was based on a representative, opt-in survey of 1,000 women in Canada and 1,000 women in the U.S., ages 18 – 65. This sample is representative of women in each country based on age, race/ethnicity, household income, and region. The content analysis was based on a sample of 158,615 viewer comments from the top 50 most circulated posts on Facebook and the top 50 most circulated posts on Tik Tok about the top 25 most globally prominent women. “Prominence” was determined based on search volume, total social following, number of GIFs, and search hits on Wikipedia. The list of prominent women included those from business, media and entertainment, politics and sports. More information can be found in the full report here.
About The Representation Project
The Representation Project is a leading global gender justice non-profit organization that uses films, education, and research to challenge harmful gender norms and stereotypes. In 2011, Jennifer Siebel Newsom founded The Rep Project in response to the overwhelming public demand for ongoing education in response to her first film, Miss Representation. Since then, Siebel Newsom has released three more acclaimed films, The Mask You Live In (2015) and The Great American Lie (2019), and Fair Play (2022). The organization runs educational programs in schools across the U.S. and is known for its impactful social activism campaigns– #NotBuyingIt, #AskHerMore, and #RepresentHer.
About Normani
Normani exudes and emanates the kind of confidence you can only earn. The multi-platinum chart-topping singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist speaks her mind through unshakable anthems spiked with style, soul, and spirit. With sky high ambition and a work ethic to match, she consistently progresses with clarity and without compromise. The New Orleans/Texas-raised talent rose to international renown as a member of pop juggernaut Fifth Harmony, performing to sold out arenas, gathering awards, and releasing a string of multiplatinum hits. In 2018, she kickstarted her solo career with the quintuple-platinum “Love Lies” [feat. Khalid]. She joined forces with Sam Smith for 2019’s “Dancing With A Stranger,” reaching quadruple-platinum status and marking her second Top 10 bow on the Billboard Top 200. Following the platinum “Motivation,” she linked up with Megan Thee Stallion for “Diamonds” from the blockbuster soundtrack Birds of Prey: The Album. Meanwhile, she ignited 2021 with the platinum “Wild Side” [feat. Cardi B], which ascended to #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart. NPR predicted the latter “pushes the Fifth Harmony breakout star one step closer to pop sensation.” In between tallying billions of streams, she garnered six BMI Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards, a MTV VMA, and a Soul Train Music Award. Along the way, she has also given back at every turn. The Cybersmile Foundation tapped her as Diversity Ambassador, while the American Cancer Society named her a Global Ambassador. Now, she embraces her poise, passion, and power like never before on a series of 2022 singles and her forthcoming full-length debut album. Normani is managed by Brandon Silverstein (S10 Entertainment, Management Division).
About Batsheva
Queens-born Batsheva Hay started her clothing label 5 years ago after leaving her job as a lawyer and deciding to experiment with designing dresses for herself and her daughter. Growing up, Batsheva’s artist mother would often take her to flea markets and vintage shops, dressing her in antique dresses, which became Batsheva’s uniform throughout her time at Stanford University and Georgetown Law School. After leaving her job at a big law firm, she began to redesign some vintage dresses, which were worn to bits, and quickly became obsessed with the design process. She bought her fabrics on eBay and at quilting shops, and she still uses vintage and limited-run cotton quilting fabric to make her clothing. Batsheva initially made a small collection of four matching mother-daughter dresses and set up a simple website. As her dresses got more attention from magazines and retailers, her collections grew. Now she designs four collections a year and sells to retailers such as Net-a-Porter, Matchesfashion, and Saks. Batsheva lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, photographer Alexei Hay, who she collaborates with on brand imagery, and their two children.
Media contact
Lauren Beene
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212-537-8733
SOURCE TRESemmé
