06.20.22
Urban Decay is partnering with actress Ava Michelle to stop cyberbullying. The beauty brand's new campaign is "Words Hurt IRL."
Michelle will star in a series of videos, where she will share her personal story about being bullied. Watch the video below.
Michelle's career debuted as a star on "Dance Moms", where she was dismissed from the show as too tall, given her 6'2" stature. She went on to find success on "So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation," and as the lead actor on Netflix's hit show, "Tall Girl" and its sequel, "Tall Girl 2."
"I feel that one of the best things that you can do with the hardships you have faced, is to truly share those experiences with others and be able to learn and grow together," said Michelle. "I am so thankful to Urban Decay for asking me to be a part of such a wonderful project and for always being a company that wants to do good."
"Words Hurt IRL" is the newest element in Urban Decay's ongoing pledge to champion a call-to-action denouncing cyberbullying, one of the most destructive forms of mental health abuse plaguing the world today. More than 50% of young adults are personally subjected to harassing behavior online.
In 2021, the brand committed to a three-year partnership with The Cybersmile Foundation, an award-winning nonprofit committed to digital wellbeing and tackling all forms of bullying and abuse online.
The first element premiered in February 2022 with six interactive Urban Decay x Cybersmile Education Modules and an accompanying digital changemaker toolkit, available for free to users of all ages. With the goal of reaching 500,000 people online, this education walks users through simple, impactful materials on everything from "Allyship on Social Media" to "Dealing With Online Bullying" to "Becoming a Changemaker."
The partnership also features a three-part $300,000 donation from Urban Decay to The Cybersmile Foundation, to be used towards furthering its work and efforts in the fight against cyberbullying.
