For Simone Ashley, working with L’Oréal Paris has never just been about beauty. Now in her third year as a global brand ambassador for the French beauty giant, the actress is lending her voice to one of the brand’s most meaningful initiatives the Stand Up Against Street Harassment program and she is not taking that responsibility lightly.
A campaign with real purpose
Timed to International Anti-Street Harassment Week, which runs April 12–18, L’Oréal Paris is shining a fresh light on its Stand Up initiative through the newly launched Missed Opportunities campaign. The effort centers on the very real and often overlooked toll that street harassment takes on women from the choices they make to the spaces they feel free to occupy. Ashley is front and center in the campaign, and she makes it clear the partnership goes well beyond a brand deal.
The actress describes being surrounded by a remarkable community of women as part of the ambassador family and says the anti-harassment campaign carries a message she is genuinely proud to amplify. For her, it represents something far bigger than any individual conversation.
How she would step in
Part of what makes the Stand Up program notable is that it offers practical training giving everyday people the tools they need to safely intervene when they witness harassment in public. Ashley has given thought to what that looks like in real life, and her approach reflects both care and calm.
Rather than escalating a situation by drawing more attention to it, she says her instinct would be to redirect creating distance between a person being harassed and the source of that harassment, allowing the individual to feel safer and acknowledged without making the moment more volatile. She is quick to note that responses will differ depending on the circumstances and the people involved, and that the program’s training exists precisely to help people figure out what works best for them.
A full circle moment on set
Ashley’s schedule is about to get considerably busier. She is stepping into press week for Devil Wears Prada 2, the long anticipated follow-up to the 2006 cultural touchstone, and the timing carries a layer of meaning she has not missed. The original film, released 20 years ago, left a mark on her and landing a role in the sequel has been, by her own account, one of the more surreal experiences of her career so far.
Filming took place in New York, and she has described the experience of joining such a celebrated cast and crew as something she does not take for granted. The themes she sees in the movie ambition, self worth, not shrinking yourself track closely with the message she has been carrying through the L’Oréal campaign. Even a behind the scenes detail brought it all together: spotting the L’Oréal Extensionist Mascara campaign displayed near the production’s runway office set, a campaign she had shot with Kendall Jenner in Paris on the Eiffel Tower the previous year.
Her beauty approach during press season
With premieres and press appearances on the horizon, Ashley is keeping her personal beauty routine minimal and intentional. She is working with a team of makeup artists including Alex Babsky, Samantha Lau and Hung Vanngo who will handle the more editorial looks. Her off-duty approach leans into rest, hydration and movement, with the sauna and regular workouts factoring into how she maintains her energy through a demanding schedule.
When it comes to her go-to products, two have earned a permanent place in her rotation. The L’Oréal Extensionist Mascara is something she reaches for even on no makeup days, saying it gives her lashes a polished lift without looking overdone. A good lip balm and the L’Oréal Paris Plump Ambition lip gloss round out what she considers her everyday essentials.
It is a routine that mirrors the broader message she has spent three years helping to deliver: confidence does not require much just the right foundation, and the willingness to take up space.
