One Love For All

Love Has No Labels

"We are all human. It's time to embrace diversity. Let's put aside labels in the name of love."

Maybe you’ve seen the images? A white square superimposed over a picture of your friend, mom or coworker, an NFL quarterback, celebrity or news anchor. Inside the box, this phrase: “love has no labels.”

This campaign—though “campaign” can’t really capture its essence—is spreading, and fast.

The motto is simple, as the most powerful revolutionary thoughts tend to be: “Before anything else, we are human. One love for all.”

Personally, I cannot help but think of the opening to Pride & Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that…” It seems painfully simple to say that we are human. Obviously, we humans are human. But as Austen goes on to muse about a man wanting a wife, Love Has No Labels turns a microscope on our assumptions.

If we are all human, why don’t we act like it?

Can We All Just Be Human ?

You are accepting of other people, right? Tolerant of differences and believe that people should be treated fairly?

Eighty-five percent of you would say yes. That’s a majority the likes of which are rarely seen in such a diverse and often divided population. Yet discrimination still unequivocally exists. If someone tells you otherwise, it’s a good example of internal bias at work.

In practice, it’s unexpectedly hard to act without bias. A lot of this has to do with unintentional discrimination. Ninety-eight percent of human thought takes place in our subconscious mind, when implicit biases are collected and perpetuated. Even unintentionally, these biases can have life-altering—even deadly—effects when they impact factors like someone’s job, home, health, security or sanity.

We denounce discrimination. We say we are accepting. Still, implicit biases can be hiding inside our brains. The first step to fixing this is awareness. The more we self-assess and get inspired by stories of love that go beyond race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability—the more we can thrive collectively as human.

“Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. I’ve known what love is since I was a child, but as I got older I’ve seen so much pain in our world due to others treating each other so poorly.  The definition never says anything about who you should love. It ties in with passion and respect for one another, not with gender, race, sexuality, religion, etc. Everyone should be able feel that strong passion and give others that distinctive sensation. Love has no labels and we’re are all human, but why are we treating others like they’re not?”

Why are we treating others like they’re not human?

Become The Face Of Love

One powerful solution that the Love Has No Labels campaign has hit on the nose is our human affinity for faces. When you see a human face, your brain triggers a chemical reaction that you experience as recognition, similarity and possibly affinity. Putting a face—or in this case, thousands—to the campaign is one of the most powerful ways to reiterate our shared humanity.

Love, especially when it comes to Valentine’s Day, does not come in the shape of a diamond. If anything, it comes in the shape of the human face.

On the site, a Faces of Love tool lets people superimpose their own images with that white square and the words "love has no labels.” You can try it out yourself: lovehasnolabels.com.

There are plenty of ways to connect with and support this campaign. Between Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and the campaign shop, you have plenty of ways to get involved.

Know Your Own Labels.

Bias and discrimination are among the most pressing issues facing our nation today. Love Has No Labels is a movement to promote acceptance and inclusion of all people across race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability.

Throughout its duration, Love Has No Labels has opened a dialogue about our implicit biases—our assumptions, stereotypes, and unintentional actions toward others based on their perceived differences or labels—and erodes those biases by flooding the market with diverse images of love.

We believe love is the most powerful force to overcome bias. Together, we can create a more inclusive world.

Then we can move together toward that quippy Austen line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

It Is A Truth Universally Acknowledged That Love Has No Labels.

For ongoing support and tools for creating healthy relationships and healthy love in the world, visit One Love For All often.

REFERENCES:

ad council. (2022). Love Has No Labels. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://lovehasnolabels.com/

Anti-Bias Education. (2017, May 25). Love Has No Labels [web log]. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/love-has-no-labels.

Jardine, A. (2021, March 3). THE AD COUNCIL'S 'LOVE HAS NO LABELS' TAKES ON THE 'TOXIC POLARIZATION' OF AMERICA. Ad Age. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://adage.com/creativity/work/ad-councils-love-has-no-labels-takes-toxic-polarization-america/2317651

Kala, A. (2019). Love Has No Labels. photograph.

The Ad Council. (2022, June 23). New films from Love Has No Labels Inspire Acts of Love that Address Bias, Hate and Discrimination [web log]. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-films-from-love-has-no-labels-inspire-acts-of-love-that-address-bias-hate-and-discrimination-301574166.html.

The Ad Council. (2015). "LOVE HAS NO LABELS" DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CAMPAIGN [web log]. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://shortyawards.com/8th/love-has-no-labels-diversity-inclusion-campaign.

The Ad Council. (2015). Love Has No Labels. Twitter. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://twitter.com/lovehasno_

Miller, M. (2022, February 18). Amazon Ads and the Ad Council redefined Alexa’s meaning of love [web log]. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://advertising.amazon.com/en-ca/blog/love-has-no-labels/?ref_=a20m_us_blglbr.

Peterlin, A. (2015). Skeletons Dance, Kiss, And Hug Behind A Screen, Audience Is Full Of Smiles When They Step Out [Watch]. Social News Daily. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://socialnewsdaily.com/blog/2015/03/04/skeletons-dance-kiss-and-hug-behind-a-screen-audience-is-full-of-smiles-when-they-step-out-watch/