This year, “Because you’re worth it” is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Here, the L’Oréal Paris ambassador gives her take on why the slogan has become such a memorable, empowering mantra.
Certain brand taglines and slogans make brief, fleeting appearances in our lives and quickly leave, never to be thought of again. And then there are the select few that fully ingrain themselves into pop culture and are impossible to forget. “Because you’re worth it,” L’Oréal’s inarguably iconic phrase coined by a freelance copywriter in 1971, sits very comfortably in the latter category.
This year, “Because you’re worth it” is celebrating its 50th anniversary. We chatted with one of the brand’s A-list ambassadors, Eva Longoria, to get her take on why the slogan has become such a memorable, empowering mantra.
Read on for our interview with the one and only Longoria below.
On the emotionally transformative effects of beauty
“Beauty has a way to transform us in the way we feel, not only the way we look. If [you’ve] ever dramatically changed your hair colour, you feel like a different woman. [Even] when you put a red lipstick. There is power in makeup, hair, and skincare that provides a woman with a boost of energy.”
On the lasting power of “Because I’m worth it”
“I don’t know another company that has such a powerful slogan. It says so much more than just ‘buy our products.’ I remember the first time I said it I cried on set because I grew up with this empowerment slogan that meant so much more than beauty products. It meant trust yourself, make sure you value yourself, make sure you know your worth. It’s such an empowering thing to say, and L’Oréal Paris gave us all permission to say it. They said you should say it, you should declare it.
“The tagline is a call to inspiration, a call to women, to give them the permission to evaluate everything in their lives and make sure they’re valuing themselves. This tiny slogan has so much power.”
On her message for younger generations of women today
“It is so cliché, but you can accomplish anything. Sometimes women [feel they need] permission. [So if you’re asking] ‘Should I? Can I? Will I? Could I?’ — yes, you can, and you will.
On her female role models
“My mom and my sisters. I never had to look far for role models. All the women in my family were independent, educated and driven. All the role models in my life were my family [members].”
On her philanthropic endeavours
“I have so many. The Eva Longoria Foundation is my main charity which supports Latina women in helping them live their full potential as women, through educational and entrepreneurial programs. For years in the United States, we’ve been the fastest growing demographic, which means we are the future workforce. So we need to prepare this workforce for the success of the Latino community. The success of America depends on the Latino community, too.”
