Yves Saint Laurent Beauty

Don't call it love

Redefining love for a cultural wake-up call

WHEN ROMANCE TURNS INTO A RED FLAG

On International Women's Day, YSL Beauty launched Don’t Call It Love under its Abuse Is Not Love program : a campaign that dares to unmask what culture keeps romanticizing. By exposing how media codes toxicity as desire, the campaign forces a collective wake-up call: if we keep calling it love, we keep teaching it as love.

A CULTURAL MYTH

One in three women will experience intimate partner violence in her lifetime. Yet toxic behaviors are still framed as intensity, jealousy as proof of care, control as devotion. Don’t Call It Love dismantles these myths scene by scene. The result: a story that looks like a romance but feels increasingly wrong : because it is. This is not just awareness, it’s narrative responsibility.

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FROM STORYTELLING TO SYSTEMIC CHANGE

Since 2020, Abuse Is Not Love has gone beyond messaging. With €5.2 million donated and more than 1.3 million people trained or supported across 25+ countries, YSL Beauty is turning brand equity into social equity. The ambition is clear: shift culture, not just perception.

A FOCUS ON PRODUCTION

Don’t Call It Love was shaped by a trio of exceptional talents: director Léa Ceheivi (known for her collaborations with music icon Justice and leading luxury brands), cinematographer Nicolas Loir (renowned for his work with artists such as Blaze and major fashion houses), and psychotherapist Dr. Sara Kuburic (globally recognized as the “Millennial Therapist” and a leading voice on modern relationships). Developed in consultation with En Avant Toute(s) and It's On Us, the campaign blends cinematic craft with lived expertise.