‘The Final Copy Of Ilon Specht,’ About Woman Who Created “Because I’m Worth It” Ad Campaign, Begins Streaming On TED YouTube Channel

EXCLUSIVE: In the history of advertising, few if any taglines have rivaled the impact and enduring power of this one: “Because I’m worth it.”

That phrase, deceptively simple yet embedded with cultural meaning, became indelibly linked with L’Oréal Paris, the beauty brand which first embraced that line of copy more than 50 years ago. The words were the brainchild of Ilon Specht, who in the early 1970s worked as a young copywriter for the advertising firm McCann-Erickson (now McCann). Her story is told in The Final Copy of Ilon Spechtdirected by two-time Oscar winner .

The documentary began streaming for free today on the TED YouTube channel, a day before International Women’s Day. The short film, a production of Traverse32, Proudfoot’s Breakwater Studios, and McCann, has been licensed by TED for global distribution, “becoming the first film the platform has ever distributed in its forty-year history.”

Simultaneously, The Final Copy of Ilon Specht has been licensed by AMC+ for nationwide streaming across the U.S. (AMC, of course, was the home to the Emmy-winning TV series Mad Menset in the New York advertising world of the 1960s, slightly before Specht’s time on Madison Avenue).

“At a time when women were to be seen and not heard and men dictated a woman’s worth, Ilon rebelled, defiantly penning a line which doubled as both the tagline for the world’s leading beauty brand and served as a global rallying cry for gender equality,” notes a release about the film. Audiences meet Specht, then aged 80, “as she reflect[s] upon the enduring impacts of her extraordinary life and trailblazing career… Through a series of moving, and at times, comical, interviews with Ilon and her stepdaughter, Alison, viewers get an intimate glimpse into Ilon’s incredible life, and bear witness to her fiery spirit which remained ever-present until the end.”

Specht participated in the documentary knowing she had little time left after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died last May at the age of 81.

Proudfoot said in a statement, “It’s a thrilling day for all of us who made this film to see its release. But as we celebrate her life and impact on our culture, we all miss Ilon, too. I can hear her voice telling us that though a short documentary is nice and though we have come a long way from 1972, there is so much more to do in our journey toward equity and justice. That fight in this country is far from over. And we must keep going.”

Added producer Rachel Greenwald of Breakwater Studios, “Ilon was a creative force whose powerful words reshaped the world. Collaborating with her to tell her story–as she wanted it to be told—was truly an honor. Her message remains as powerful today as it was when she first wrote the groundbreaking phrase. She said it because she fundamentally believed that women should believe in their worth.”

Advertising copy, if it is to resonate, must capture some kind of truth. In the case of “Because I’m Worth It” (or its various iterations “Because You’re Worth It” and “Because We’re Worth It”), the underlying message is a feminist and humanist one.

“It’s about humans, it’s not about advertising,” Specht says in the documentary. “It’s about caring for people. Because we’re all worth it or no one is worth it.”

TED, as a forum for thoughtful exchange in the realms of Technology, Entertainment and Design, makes an appropriate partner for the documentary.

“TED has long been dedicated to amplifying ideas that foster conversation and inspire meaningful change, and we’re committed to doing that in new formats that go beyond the TED stage,” said Jay Herratti, CEO and executive director of TED. “We’re excited to explore new documentary storytelling further and are honored to be working with Ben Proudfoot to bring The Final Copy of Ilon Spechta film about the bold power of an idea, to our community and the world.”

Proudfoot directed the film and produced it alongside Breakwater Studios’ Rachel Greenwald and Kirstin Falk, and Traverse32’s Brendan Gaul and Brett Henenberg. McCann’s Daryl Lee, Charlotte Franceries, and Julien Calot serve as executive producers.

“Ilon was a woman of many firsts,” commented Traverse32’s Gaul. “She was the first creative to have the courage to insist that a woman’s ‘worth’ was hers alone to define. She also spearheaded the first commercial in which a woman looked straight into camera and declared the arrival of gender equality. It is exceptionally fitting that Ilon should make history once again through this first-of-its-kind film distribution deal. We are thrilled to now have the opportunity to partner with Jay and the team at TED to bring Ilon’s story to audiences around the world.”

Proudfoot won the second Academy Award of his career a year ago, for the documentary The Last Repair Shopwhich he directed with Kris Bowers. His first Oscar came in 2022 for the short documentary The Queen of Basketballabout the late hoops star Lusia “Lucy” Harris. Proudfoot and Bowers co-directed A Concerto Is a Conversationwhich earned an Oscar nomination in 2021.

The Final Copy of Ilon Specht premiered last June at the Tribeca X festival in New York and went on to earn Best Documentary Short at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, the Hot Springs Documentary Festival in Arkansas, and the Chelsea Film Festival in New York, as well as Best Short Documentary and the Best Atlantic Filmmaker Award at the Lunenberg Film Festival in Nova Scotia.

A remarkable array of stars have taken part in L’Oréal Paris ads, voicing those famous lines “Because I’m Worth It,” including Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Kate Winslet, Andie MacDowell, Gwen Stefani, Beyoncé, and Cybill Shepherd, among others.

“Since its inception, ‘Because You’re Worth It’ has been translated into 40 languages,” notes L’Oréal Paris on its website, “and has become the militant tagline uniting women around the world, encouraging them to fearlessly embrace their ambitions and believe in their self-worth every day.”