The Levi’s® brand’s I Shape My World initiative may seem simple in concept—it’s meant to bring women everywhere the full recognition they deserve—but it sheds light on the fact that we have a long way to go when it comes to gender equality.
“Women’s achievements are human achievements. Historically these stories – stories of women changing the world, changing their communities – have not been told,” said Jen Sey, chief marketing officer of Levi Strauss & Co. Global Brands. This year’s campaign taps into female changemakers who are making an impact without the gender qualifiers that can imply they are the “female version” of this or they are good at that “for a woman” which downplays their roles. As the campaign states:
We think it’s time to start focusing more on the incredible skills and talents that got them there. Women are qualified. Their titles shouldn’t be.
I Shape My World is a program that was created by the late Meeta Bharvani, Levi’s® Marketing Director, in March 2017 in recognition of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. The goal of the program was to elevate women’s voices and promote the power of the female collective – when women tell their stories and claim their achievements, it inspires other women to do the same, which moves the collective forward.
The initiative grew to become a global campaign which transcends cultures, languages, and politics. And it continues to resonate globally – and have an impact with consumers – because of the ubiquitous issue it is shining a light on.
“We were so inspired by the initial I Shape My World campaign that we elevated it and made it global in order to further stories about women who shape the world,” Jen said. “And now, every March in honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrate women from across the globe – activists, artists, business leaders, athletes, social justice champions – who are changing the world by speaking up.”
I Shape My World is a direct extension of the values of the Levi’s® brand and personifies the concept of “using your voice” for positive change. The fact that one woman from India can spark a global movement within a corporation is an important story to tell.
“We honor these women by telling their stories,” Jen said, “and hope to inspire women around the world to use their voices to shape the world.”
