Dior honors strength, passion in femininity

March 16, 2021

South African CTAOP Youth Leaders Nokwanda Mantshintshi and Chevario Swanepoel. Image credit: Dior

French fashion house Christian Dior is continuing in its celebration of passionate and impactful women around the world with another release of its #DiorChinUp effort, coinciding with Women’s History Month.

Dior has historically pursued the idea of femininity, strength and the influence of women on the brand. Inspired by the women of its own history, Dior Parfums has released the second installment of its #DiorStandsWithWomen #DiorChinUp campaign, a series of short video portraits of several women.

#DiorStandsWithWomen
In September 2020, the brand released the first installment of the campaign, featuring longtime Dior ambassador Charlize Theron and 11 other women, including actors, models, scientists and artists.

Since the women hailed from different countries and disciplines, they remained relatable to a large audience despite their success (see story).

The series aims to show how these women bring the beauty of their land to life through strength and determination, like Dior’s fragrance producers in Grasse, France.

A new series of portraits from passionate women

The most recent iteration of the campaign includes: Ms. Theron with Charlize Theron African Outreach Project (CTAOP); Youth Leaders scholars Nokwanda Mantshintshi and Chevario Swanepoel; American actress Yara Shahidi; Korean figure skater Yuna Kim; French writer Leïla Slimani; American model Dilone; Iranian architect and scenographer India Mahdavi and American actress Natalie Portman.

In the first episode, Ms. Theron speaks with two graduates from the CTAOP who discuss the importance and value of education.

“Being a graduate from my community not only shows all the little girls that [education] is possible and that they can get to where they want to be, but also teaches parents that education is just as important for a male as it is for a female,” Ms. Mantshintshi says.

In each of their short films, the women discuss what drives them to want to make a positive impact on the world, and how they have had to overcome challenges in order to do so.

“It is important to not only view ourselves as a part of a community of women within our neighborhood, or within our family, but as part of a global community of women,” Ms. Shahidi says in her film. “Not only to be able to rely on each other, but to be able to advocate for one another.”

“When we only advocate for ourselves, we are asking for systems of power and privilege to work in our favor,” she continues. “As soon as we expand who we advocate for, to be inclusive of those we do not know, then we begin the work of actively dismantling those systems.”

Natalie Portman for the #DiorStandsWithWomen campaign. Image credit: Dior

A prevalent theme in this series is the idea of perseverance and confidence — reiterated with the #ChinUp slogan. From being independent to standing up against injustice, the women share advice on how to keep their heads held high despite adverse environments.

“The best way for a woman to keep her chin up is by embracing who she is—every part,” Ms. Dilone says. “Whatever society deems as imperfect, embracing that and just saying, ‘This is who I am.’”

Female empowerment
Luxury fashion brands have made concrete efforts toward the advancement of women and, ultimately, gender equality through education and entrepreneurial programs.

Last week, Italian fashion conglomerate Prada Group announced its collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on an initiative called “Keeping Girls Connected,” aiming to promote and assist girls’ continued education and safe returns to school.

Keeping Girls Connected is specifically aiming to assist students in Africa and to advocate for girls’ learning, empowerment, and access to online educational options (see story).

To celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, LVMH-owned beauty brand Guerlain is teaming up with UNESCO to launch a beekeeping entrepreneurship program— “Women for Bees.” The program aims to help women become beekeepers and contribute to the repopulation of bees (see story).

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Dior honors strength, passion in femininity

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