China is currently a modern and progressive society, yet the country’s widely known preference for sons over daughters continues to remain a cultural phenomenon. Deeply ingrained in patriarchy, economy, and social structure, with the one-child policy further intensifying parents’ preference for giving birth to boys, China faces a gender imbalance, with the number of men exceeding that of women. The practice is reflected not only in the demographic statistics but also in the emotional state of the girls whose names carry their parents’ hope to have a son.
Daughters named 亚楠 Ya Nan, 根娣 Gen Di, and 萃娣 Cui Di carry the burden of not being born male on their shoulders each day. And that’s because these names translate to “Inferior to Man,” “Bring A Son,” and “Pushing For A Boy” respectively. To tackle China’s sexist naming culture, beauty brand LUX teamed up with the VML Singapore agency for the launch of the “Reclaim Her Name” campaign. The initiative encourages women around the country to take the matter into their own hands and take control over their identity.
The campaign consists of an interactive experience that allows ladies to change their name by simply shaking their mobile phones. Integrated into China’s three biggest social platforms, WeChat, Weibo, and Rednote, the “Shake for Change” digital platform serves as an empowering tool for women to express their identity on their terms.
To unlock the experience, female users are invited to enter their current name into the app and then shake their mobile. The movement prompts the app to generate a new name, crafted using the characters from the original name. The process can be repeated as many times as the user wants, until they find the name that perfectly resonates with who they are.
“Each Chinese character is an alchemy of sound and symbol – the same strokes, rearranged, weave blessings or critiques. At LUX, we believe every woman deserves a name that becomes a mirror to her strength and a compass for her journey. Yet, even today, profound bias still lurks behind many women’s names. That’s why we created Shake For Change: not just to rename, but to reignite. Because every woman can – and should – sculpt her identity unapologetically. Just as characters transform with every stroke, so can we,” explained Judy Zu, Global Brand Director, LUX.
The characters of the newly generated names follow the writing system of Nu Shu, an ancient and female-only language. Developed to communicate in secrecy, Nu Shu is the only writing system in the world created and used only by women. Passed down through generations within female communities, this script is currently an endangered language, with ongoing efforts made to preserve it.
While not officially part of a plan affiliated with Chinese local and national authorities, the “Reclaim Her Name” campaign can be seen as a creative way to revive the language, effortlessly generating an interest in this ancient writing system and drawing attention to a long-lasting female legacy.
Marco Versolato, Chief Creative Officer, WPP@Unilever, VML Singapore, added: “Inspired by an ancient, secret language created only for women, we’re rewriting sexist traditions to create meaningful new names that reflect the spirit of modern, dynamic women in China.”
CREDITS
Brand: LUX
Agency: VML Singapore
