These Spoof Fashion Ads Help Women Spot Signs of Domestic Abuse

At first glance, this new series of ads appears to be a typical fashion campaign. But look a little closer and its darker meaning is revealed. Women’s Aid, a British charity that aims to end domestic violence, has subverted fashion advertising tropes to raise awareness of coercive control—a pattern of behaviors used to control, manipulate or frighten another person. Coercive control became illegal in the U.K. in December 2015, but since then records of such offenses have been steadily rising. In the year ending March 2020, police in England and Wales recorded 24,856 coercive control offenses—an increase from 16,679 the previous year. Covid-19 spike in abuse cases It has also been widely reported that cases of domestic violence have risen globally during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the first two weeks of the U.K.’s lockdown in March 2020, there was a 41% increase in visitors to the Women’s Aid Live Chat site. However, coercive control is a form of abuse that is often difficult to identify, according to the charity. Behaviors can escalate over time and cause emotional rather than physical damage, meaning many victims may second-guess themselves and their experiences while becoming dependant on the perpetrator. Coercive control may entail isolating survivors from family and friends, taking control of aspects of everyday life and humiliating or degrading behavior. 'Not the model's own' Women’s Aid wants to help more young people understand what coercive control is so that it will be easier to identify, prevent and prosecute. Created by Engine Creative, the “Not Model’s Own” campaign targets 16 to 34-year-old women with print and outdoor ads that appear to feature fashion models. In fashion campaigns, the model’s clothing is usually selected by stylists and the brands shown are name checked. Women’s Aid mimics this practice in its ads, but instead of brands, the model’s clothing has been selected for her by her partner. Lines read: “Skirt—by model’s partner; Hair—by model’s partner; Make-up—by model’s partner; Anxiety—by model’s partner; Isolation—by model’s partner; Insecurities—by model’s partner.” The spoof ads reveal perpetrators’ controlling behavior and the emotional effects on women, while directing people to sources of advice and help if they recognize such patterns in their own relationship. The campaign will run in women’s magazines and in some fast-food outlets in the U.K. “Drawing young women in with aspirational fashion shots and then letting them realise there is a sinister vulnerability behind the glossy look will hopefully raise awareness of coercive control and help the viewer question anything that does not feel right in their own relationship,” Christopher Ringswell, creative director at Engine Creative, said in a statement. CREDITS: Agency: Engine CreativeCreative Director: Christopher RingsellCreatives: Jo Moore and Antonia ClaytonSenior Strategist: Katherine MorrisAccount Management: Marianne Roberts and Eve BuiAgency Producer: Chelsea ChapmanDesigner: Aaron PaceyPhotographer: Sean De SparengoProduction Company: Curious ProductionsProducers: Lee Sands and Harley BrooksHair and Makeup: Helen AsherStylist: Annie SwainRetoucher: Rob LanarioModels: Isabelle Liddall, Lauryn Bryan, Melinda Aszepesi Unsettling Spot Highlights Rise in Domestic Abuse During Quarantine