One of the world’s largest beauty companies, Coty, has announced a groundbreaking move to change the current English dictionary definition of ‘beauty’ with its #UndefineBeauty campaign.
Coty, which is home to Gucci Beauty, Burberry Beauty, Chloe and Calvin Klein perfumes, has launched its #UndefineBeauty campaign, which sets out to ‘undefine’ rather than simply ‘redefine’ beauty, so that no one feels excluded by the definition.
Right now official beauty definitions are determined largely by youth and gender, specifically a beautiful woman. Take the phrase, “She was a great beauty in her youth”. It’s often cited in major dictionaries to illustrate the concept of beauty, but is both limited and exclusive, and alienates many.
What Coty is proposing to do is have any implicit ageism and sexism removed from the definition that stands now.
“The beauty of today is a different notion to what it was even a few years ago,” Sue Y. Nabi, Coty’s CEO, told GLAMOUR.
“New generations have thrown out the old, restrictive rules, deconstructed the beauty paradigm, and built a new one that is fluid and ever-changing,” she continues. “However, the current definition of beauty in major English dictionaries is based on an outdated notion of what is beautiful. The definition, or more specifically the examples used to illustrate them were born in a different time and have not aged well.”
To prove the point, Coty spoke to 100 people from around the world. In a Youtube video, some couldn’t believe this dictionary example actually existed; one woman declared “that is so mean”. Then people from all walks of life, different ages and the LGBTQIA+ community were asked to define beauty. Answers included “being happy with who you are” and “it’s something that comes from inside”, while another declared that “beauty is having the freedom to be yourself”.
Sue has written an open letter to the major Dictionary houses, co-signed by the Company’s Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team, highlighting the need to review these current definitions of beauty and “bring the definition to where society is today,” she added in a press release. “By changing the definition, if more people feel included – feel beautiful – there will be a ripple effect which touches us all.”
It’s not the first time a company has called out wording in the beauty landscape that encouraged unrealistic – and harmful – stereotypes. In 2021, Unilever pledged to remove its ‘normal’ hair and skin labels from its beauty packaging in a move towards greater inclusivity.
If you would like to support Coty’s campaign calling for change you can sign the petition here.
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