Coty’s CEO Says The Dictionary’s Defintion Of Beauty Is Ageist & Sexist
Coty—and CEO Sue Nabi—launched a new campaign to redefine the meaning of beauty. Nabi says the current outdated entries for ‘beauty’ across the leading English dictionaries are both limiting and exclusive, and wrote an open letter calling for change.
Coty also created a Change.org petition as part of its #UndefineBeauty campaign. The petition states, “The term ‘beauty’ doesn’t reflect the values of today’s society.”
Nabi says the current definition of beauty is more than inaccurate—it’s ageist and sexist. “The definition of beauty hasn’t aged well…the implicit ageism and sexism in the examples were born in a different time.”
Nabi continues, “We believe it’s time to bridge the gap – time to bring the definition to where society is today. By changing the definition, if more people feel included – feel beautiful – there will be a ripple effect which touches us all.”
Coty cites the phrase, “She was a great beauty in her youth,” as an example. The company explains that all the major dictionaries use outdated examples to illustrate the concept of beauty, which has an excluding effect.
Coty is Takes Action
Nabi’s open letter “all the Dictionary publishers,” asks them to review these examples and remove the implicit ageism and sexism they currently contain. It highlights the outdated nature of their definitions and their need for review. The letter is co-signed by the company’s executive committee and senior leadership team.
“At Coty, we believe that no one can control or dictate what is, or is not, beautiful,” Nabi says. “That is why the campaign to #UndefineBeauty aims to ‘undefine’ rather than simply ‘redefine’ beauty so that no one feels excluded by the definition or examples that accompany it.”
Coty’s Change.org petition asks everyone to join the cause and officially “undefine beauty.”
Coty Asks 100 People, ‘What is Beauty’?
Coty spoke to 100 people—from all ages, genders, and ethnicities—for its #undefineBeauty campaign in the video below.
When one woman heard the dictionary’s definition, she replied with a sigh, “That is so mean.”
What were their answers to the question about how they define beauty? In our opinion, they did a much better job than the dictionary. Here are some of the responses, which are truly beautiful:
“Beauty for me is being happy with who you are.”“I feel like beauty is a synthesis of love.”
“It’s something that comes from inside.”
“…beauty isn’t something that you see; it’s something that you feel.”
“I can wear the most shimmering outfit, but if I don’t feel ok and beautiful from the inside, I will never radiate.”
“Beauty to me is having the freedom to be yourself.”
Will “undefining beauty” stick—and become more then just a PR campaign?
That’s up to beauty consumers. The Change.org petition is up to 1,100 signatures and keeps rising.
More News about Coty
Coty recently renewed its license agreement with Hugo Boss—and it includes all Boss and Hugo fragrances for men and women.
Coty also aims to double its skincare sales by 2025.
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