If you come across a dating app match who's wearing red lipstick in their profile photo next week, it could be for a good cause.
Happn, one of our favorite dating apps, is calling upon male users to wear red lipstick on March 8, International Women's Day, to show that they take a stand against sexual violence against women. For the initiative, Happn is joining forces with the Mettez du Rouge movement, a global campaign that encourages men to stand against sexual assault.
To show support for survivors of sexual violence, Happn is encouraging its users to take photos of themselves wearing red lipstick and upload them to their dating profiles as well as their social media pages using the hashtag #MettezDuRouge. Though both men and women are welcome to participate, the campaign is calling on men in particular to join the conversation.
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On March 8, Happn will add features to raise awareness of sexual violence, such as a pop-up screen announcing the campaign, as well as several profiles of men wearing red lipstick shown in their timelines. The profiles will give users more information about the campaign, including statistics about sexual violence against women in the U.S., according to a press release shared with Refinery29.
The statistics include:
"— An estimated 17.7 million American women have been victims of completed or attempted rape as of 1998.
— Females between the ages of 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
— College-aged female students between the ages of 18-24 are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence; females of the same age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely."
"The statistics about sexual assault towards women are frightening, scandalous and outrageous, even more so when we think about the people behind those statistics," Claire Certain, Happn’s international director of communications, said in a statement, adding that Happn was taking International Women's Day to draw attention to these issues.
According to RAINN, a person is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds in the U.S., and on average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the U.S. If you'd like to participate in #MettezDuRouge, you can take a photo of yourself with red lipstick and post it to your Happn profile or various social media accounts on Wednesday March 8.