In Hong Kong, like most of the world, objectification of women and gender inequality in the workplace are still major issues. The gender wage gap has widened in the last five years, with women now earning 25% less than men and comprising just 33% of managers and senior roles. The Women's Foundation is a local NGO whose remit includes fighting gender stereotypes and promoting equal opportunity at work. They’d commissioned research that showed, among other things, that 53% of people believe women are discriminated against because of their looks and 40% of women have heard inappropriate comments about their body parts at work. Our brief was to provoke a debate about discrimination and objectification at work. And to encourage media companies and employers to actively show support for equality and respect. All on an extremely limited budget.

For phase one, to highlight the problem with everyday sexism such as ‘career line’, we set up the (fake) Career Line Cosmetic Surgery. We created Facebook ads based on online quotes from recruiters and the media about how a more prominent ‘career line’ could boost your career prospects. These were targeted at women with an interest in women’s rights and provoked the outraged reaction we’d hoped for. Then, on International Women’s Day, The Women’s Foundation held a press conference revealing the real reason for the campaign and the #MyRealCareerLine message. Our film featured some of Hong Kong’s most famous female icons sharing the real reasons for their success before tearing up our ‘career line’ poster. On our website, people could create their own #MyRealCareerLine messages and share them on Facebook. Tatler also provided a free ‘rip-able’ insert while Facebook, LinkedIn, Marie Claire and others offered free media support.