Half the world's female population has given up on its dreams. For many, throwing the towel in on lifelong aspirations ultimately comes down to a fear of failure. "As a woman, have you ever felt like we don't have the right to fail? That you're judged for every mistake you make? Sometimes even stopping before you've tried?" Actor and film producer Eva Longoria asks in a video for L'Oréal's latest campaign, Worth It Resume.
Developed in collaboration with the McCann Agency, L'Oréal's Worth It Resume campaign is a platform for women to share their stories of failure. It underscores how these challenges and setbacks are not roadblocks but rather the very stepping stones that lead to success. As Longoria puts it, "In my life, some failures have been more beneficial than successes. They've shown me what I'm truly capable of. We often forget that failures shape us, and they can also be part of our achievements."
Longoria, along with other influential women such as Andie MacDowell, Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Aja Naomi King, and Kate Winslet, shared their Worth It Resumes on LinkedIn. These resumes are not your typical CVs; they are a testament to the struggles and setbacks that shaped their successful careers today.
"Didn't impress in my first major role in the theater," reads Helen Mirren's profile. The actor's resume highlights that in her first major role in theater, she was named in a review as "the weakest link in an otherwise great production." Mirren then goes on to note that instead of letting this "failure" bring her down, it motivated her and led to her becoming a Shakespearean actor for the next five years of her career.
The campaign stems from research that found 81% of women feel more pressure not to fail than men, which sparked L'Oréal's desire to uplift women in a new and creative way. "For more than half a century, L'Oréal Paris has been relentless in its dedication to breaking down barriers that prevent women from asserting their self-worth. Inspired by the brand's iconic tagline, 'Because I'm Worth It,' which mission is to value self-confidence and give every woman the power to express their worth, the 'Worth It Resume' aims to create a new definition of success. It's really a tribute to the challenges we all face that are, in truth, the stepping stones to success," said Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President, L'Oréal Paris.
Other notable campaigns with a similar aim from L'Oréal include Lessons of Worth, where spokespeople are invited to embrace subjects close to their hearts, from mental health to body positivity. Lessons of Worth have previously been given by Liya Kebede on surpassing limits and labels and Luma Grothe on calling out judgment, among many others. L'Oréal’s Women of Worth initiative also aims to uplift women and highlight their favorite career moments. The program gives $25,000 to 10 nonprofit leaders who work continuously to address issues in their communities. The initiative has been running for over 18 years and currently has over 180 honorees.
L'Oréal's Worth It Resumes encourage a culture of innovation and risk-taking, supporting women in the industry to explore new ideas and chase their dreams without fear of failure. The campaign reiterates that in an often "perfect" industry, we are all human; while failure is natural, it is what we make of our failures that defines our successes.
