Rimmel London keep up the good work on cyberbullying, with Cybersmile
This is Anti-Bullying Week in the UK and oh, it’s nice to have some good news for a change. For some time, Rimmel London has partnered with leading anti-cyberbullying charity The Cybersmile Foundation to help deal with the problem.
The Cybersmile Assistant , which the make-up brand’s support has helped to fund, is an interactive online tool which enables people to log on easily and get advice and guidance on subjects like cyberbullying, body image, mental health and online safety. Through its interactive interface, the charity has completely eradicated wait-times for support – which is important because this isn’t a problem that’s going away.
As they explain, 2020 has seen ‘a 20% increase in cyberbullying and online abuse support requests, a 20% increase in anxiety related support requests,’ among other demands on their services.
Rimmel London first got involved when it became aware of the scale of beauty cyberbullying after conducting a global study in 2017 which found, horrendously, that one in four women have experienced beauty cyberbullying.
The beauty industry is very generous. But we especially love it when brands work to address difficult and ‘unsexy’ causes. As Sarah Alshohaib, Senior Director at Rimmel London explains: ‘Rimmel has always championed self-expression in beauty, standing against narrow definitions of beauty and people being judged because of the way they look. At Coty [Rimmel London’s parent company] we stand for everybody’s right to live a beautiful life, free from prejudice and discrimination. We want to embrace and celebrate our differences and are committed to creating a more inclusive business and society.’
As she continues, Rimmel London share Cybersmile’s ‘vision of a digital community where everyone can feel free to express themselves without fear of ridicule and abuse. It is incredible to see the impact the Cybersmile Assistant has had so far, helping over 200,000 people since it launched. We’re delighted to be working with Cybersmile throughout 2021, enabling them to expand the tool further to tackle key issues including racism, mental health and digital wellbeing.’
And we’re always happy to stand behind commitments like that.
