Sephora Uses AI to Open Up Discussion on Phenomenon of Victim Blaming

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Sephora Italy and Media.Monks launch their campaign to raise awareness and give platform to share the stories of the effects of victim blaming. The awareness campaign 'mAI colpevoli,', translated as ‘never guilty’, supports the Pangea ETS Foundation.

In three videos, created by Media.Monks Milan and directed by Viola Foladorshare, three monologues are about three situations where women are a victim of violence. The three films harness Generative AI to show the still prevalent phenomenon of ‘victim blaming’.

ChatGPT was asked to create the narrative of three stories of violence from the perspective of the victims, based on opinions gathered online regarding gender-based violence. The AI, being an abstract interlocutor, devoid of a personal point of view other than that of the internet, created three monologues scattered with moments where the victims blamed themselves for the violence they experienced, finding justifications for the perpetrator. This demonstrates how deeply ingrained victim blaming still is in our culture and how necessary it is to raise awareness and talk about it in order to dismantle it, and prevent victims of violence from being burdened with the stigma of ‘victim blaming’.

Maddalena Meneghetti, client director at Media.Monks, comments, "We thank Sephora for involving us in this project. Once again, we have been able to experience how the role of a brand, and consequently that of a brand’s creative partner, should also be to promote causes that resonate with us and for which we can take active action. This involves not only opening up discussion on important topics but also taking concrete actions, both through our work and in everyday life."

Felice Arborea, head of content at Media.Monks, adds, "AI proceeds through imitation, through assimilation. In a way, it's like an alien arriving on planet Earth and learning from what it sees. In our project, artificial intelligence is the 'alien' that deduces a cultural system (a mindset, a language) regarding the issue of violence against women. And it interprets it with a sense of 'blaming women'."

The campaign is now live on Sephora Italy's social media channels on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.