See Something? These Ads Want Bystanders to Say Something 

L'Oréal and The Mayor of London are among those advocating for bystander intervention, but such campaigns stir debate

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Picture the scene. A group of male friends are hanging out playing video games when one of them starts making derogatory comments about women. He remarks that women aren’t good at sports, brandishes a nude photo from his DMs and says a former female classmate was “asking for it.”

If you were there, would you call him out? If so, what would you say? 

A recent campaign from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses this quandary, proposing a way for men to step in when encountering problematic language or behavior: Say “maaate.”  

Since launching in July, “Say Maaate to a Mate” has been met with mixed reactions among the British public, including critics who say it falls short of properly tackling misogyny, polices conversations or takes a cringeworthy approach.

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