This Is The Dress Exposing Sexual Harassment In Brazil

A study in Brazil conducted by feminist NGO Think Olga revealed that 42% of Brazilian women have suffered from sexual harassment to some degree in their lives. In an effort to highlight these startling statistics, Schweppes collaborated with Agencia Ogilvy to launch the campaign, ‘The Dress for Respect’.

With the #MeToo movement voicing stories of harassment across the globe, statistics like these are not unique to Brazil. However, the research also narrowed in on assault women face in nightclubs and found that 86% of women in Brazil have been harassed while on a night out, stressing the culture of machismo typically associated with Latin American countries.

A new initiative of beverage brand Schweppes decided to put these figures to the test by working with advertising company Agencia Ogilvy and development technology specialist Nagib Nassif to create a dress lined with touch-sensitive sensors. They then gave three women a sensor-covered dress each to wear to a nightclub in São Paulo in order to measure how many times they were touched. The experiment was filmed and condensed into this video:

The women were subjected to repeated harassment from male club-goers, with one man calling one of the women ‘annoying’ for not wanting to engage with him. Overall, the three women were in the club for a total of three hours and 47 minutes. Within that time period, they were touched a total of 157 times or, in other words, 52 times per woman. That equates to 40 times per hour between the three women.

The experiment isn’t without flaws. It’s not clear how sensitive the sensors are and if they are able to distinguish between deliberate grabs and accidental bumps expected from a crowded nightclub. However, the video raises important and valid questions that need to be addressed in terms of consent and respect.

The video has already gone viral and has had nearly 300,000 views on YouTube. Schweppes hopes it will generate a social awareness of the realities that women in Brazil and around the world face on a daily basis.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.