Update the English dictionaries' outdated definitions and examples of BEAUTY!

Update the English dictionaries' outdated definitions and examples of BEAUTY!

Started
January 30, 2023
Signatures: 9,328Next Goal: 10,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Coty Inc.

UPDATE:

Thank you to all who have supported the petition so far, and a special thanks to Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Tom Daley, Vera Wang and Wolfgang Joop who have added their voices to the call to undefine beauty.

Here's what's been done since the petition was launched:

The media has played a significant role in raising awareness around the importance of inclusivity within beauty, and on this particular topic they have been instrumental in opening up vital conversations and sharing a wide range of perspectives. 

WWD

The Wall Street Journal

Harper's Bazaar UK

Coty has contacted major dictionary houses directly, asking for an opportunity to meet and discuss the proposal to update the definition of beauty. We have not yet received any response. 

Here's what needs to be done:

The definition needs to be updated! We will keep pushing for a discussion and for the change to happen. Numbers are growing but we still have a way to go. Please continue to share and sign the petition.

Every voice counts; every signature gets us one step closer to a healthier, more inclusive definition of beauty.

The current definition of the word beauty in the dictionary is based on an outdated notion of what is beautiful.

The criteria in the definition in the major English Dictionaries - or more specifically the examples used to illustrate it, were born in a different time and have not aged well. The implicit ageism and sexism in the current definition are anachronistic.

 

The definition of the word beauty as seen in the major English Dictionaries.

 

“She was a great beauty in her youth” is the phrase often cited in major dictionaries to illustrate the concept of beauty, and one whose excluding effects we witnessed in a social experiment involving 100 people from all around the world as seen here:

 

This cause to change the definition of beauty acknowledges all those who celebrate and express their own visions of beauty every day, and validates those who have felt excluded by restrictive definitions of beauty.

The campaign calls for the Dictionary publishers to review the examples in the definition and remove the implicit ageism and sexism they currently contain.

Please support by signing the petition.

 

 

 

 

 

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Signatures: 9,328Next Goal: 10,000
Support now
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