Girli Addreses Gender Based Violence with Powerful Music Video

​Only Child has released a powerful new music video for Girli’s latest track, 'Slap On The Wrist,' created in collaboration with the feminist platform Cheer Up Luv. Rooted in real stories and lived experiences, the film confronts the everyday reality of sexual harassment and assault faced by women and gender minorities.

Cheer Up Luv is a UK-based platform dedicated to ending gender-based violence, discrimination and bias through education, art and storytelling, led by award-winning feminist photographer and educator Eliza Hatch.

“After I wrote 'Slap on the Wrist', I knew I needed a powerful video concept to really communicate the important messages in the song. I approached Eliza from Cheer Up Luv about turning a photo series she’d done of survivors of SA into a video format. I was thrilled that she wanted to be involved, and along with Sarah Dattani Tucker, was an amazing co-director. We gathered real testimonies of SA through the Cheer Up Luv platform and had actors represent their stories in various everyday locations where the abuse had been reported taking place. I’d never been on set with so many women - it was an incredible day shooting it," said Girli, singer/ songwriter.

The film was brought together by Only Child collaborators Sarah Dattani Tucker (creative director and co-director) and Eliza Hatch of Cheer Up Luv (co-director), and was produced by Only Child. Using actors in real locations, the film faithfully recreates real survivor testimonies collected anonymously through the Cheer Up Luv platform. Every scene in the film is based on a true story, and every location and time of day represents a real incident.

“I’ve been working with Girli as her creative director across this album campaign, collaborating on a series of shoots including the upcoming album packshot and overall art direction. Girli always brings strong concepts rooted in her lyrics. For this song’s feminist narrative, she was clear the video needed to feel just as powerful, which gave us a brilliant starting point. We built the world from there and brought the right team together. A call with Eliza sealed it - she was instantly excited about the idea, and everything clicked into place," said Sarah DT, creative director and co-director.

Featuring a diverse cast of actors, the film highlights the universality of these experiences across identities and backgrounds, reinforcing that this is not an isolated issue, but a systemic one. Girli powerfully delivers the track to camera, powerfully calling for accountability.

“The whole process felt collaborative, supportive and cathartic. We worked with an almost all-women crew, which created a powerful and safe environment on set and felt integral to the project. We were very conscious of striking a balance when dealing with such a sensitive subject - communicating it clearly without sensationalising or triggering people. So we focused on subtlety, letting the environments, body language and positioning do much of the talking, supported by hard-hitting facts. The aim was to make people pay attention without over-dramatising the everyday, often unnoticed realities of sexism," said Eliza Hatch, co-director.

"Honestly, we had an absolute dream team, and the whole process was filled with so much compassion and respect for one another," said Sarah DT, creative director and co-director.

The film deliberately focuses on unremarkable, everyday locations - bus stops, streets, shops and public spaces - to show how normalised and pervasive this abuse has become, while also expressing anger at the continued failures of the criminal justice system and advocating for a fairer and more equal society.

In partnership with Rape Crisis England & Wales, the project also shares support services and statistics to reflect the reality faced by survivors and ensure viewers know where to find help.

“When Girli and Sarah reached out about this project, I knew Only Child had to get involved. The grey lines crossed in everyday situations too often go unchallenged, and this project felt like an opportunity to confront those moments head-on, as they should be. As a female led creative studio, it’s important for us to use our platform and resources within visual language that sparks discomfort and conversation. This track and creative direction felt like an incredibly honest way to hold space for accountability," said Dana Leonard, Only Child MD/ EP.