In the last week, trans-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney, a man who dons makeup and dresses while documenting his journey to “girlhood” on social media, announced paid partnerships with Bud Light and Nike. Thankfully, it appears that the more companies that hire Mulvaney to parody women in order to sell their product, the more ire they draw as Americans become increasingly fed up with corporate trans activism.
In a post advertising for Bud Light, Mulvaney played into his typical strategy of utilizing offensive tropes about women in his attempt to disguise himself as one; the influencer feigned ignorance about what March Madness is, writing, “Happy March Madness!! Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month!” The partnership has sparked immense controversy and calls for boycotts. One Twitter user shared, “We just refused our #budlight orders for my liquor store. We are pulling it from our shelves. We are not the only ones according to our reps. They said it’s bad.”
Bud Light’s willingness to promote a figure who deeply offends women has also drawn public backlash from celebrities. Musical artist Kid Rock took to social media to share a video of himself outside, shooting up a pack of Bud Light with a gun. Likewise, country music star Travis Tritt shared, “I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same.” He added, “Other artists who are deleting Anheuser-Busch products from their hospitality rider might not say so in public for fear of being ridiculed and canceled. I have no such fear.”
Of course, Bud Light is not the only popular brand to face backlash this week for beginning a paid partnership with Mulvaney. He posted a series of photos and videos of himself prancing around his backyard barefoot wearing Nike leggings and a Nike sports bra — revealing that he is Nike Women’s latest partner. It should go without saying that squeezing male genitals into a pair of leggings isn’t exactly a selling point for the women who are actually intended to use the product; nor are women tempted to purchase a sports bra after seeing it modeled on the chest of a male who has no idea what qualities a bra needs in order to be functional or comfortable for breasts.
Women, and men with common sense, are sick of watching woke corporate activism destroy brands that they once used every day. This is why a quick search for “Nike” on Twitter shows a barrage of frustration and calls for boycotting the company rather than mass support for the decision to platform Mulvaney. This is why both #NikeHatesWomen and #BoycottAnheuserBusch are trending on social media as everyday Americans rally together to express their frustration at being forced to make a political statement with which they disagree if they drink the beer or wear the clothing they’ve already purchased.
There is no doubt that noise is being made — the question is, is it loud enough to drown out the woke siren’s song that has ensnared so many mainstream companies? Are conservatives and likeminded individuals willing to make long-term changes to their spending habits to ensure that corporate America receives the message loudly and clearly?
It is worth noting that even some of the most traditionally conservative platforms are betraying the truth by caving to the new language of the Left. Fox News’s coverage of Mulvaney’s new partnership with Nike frames him as a “trans woman” and uses female pronouns to describe him, saying, “She now has a paid partnership with Nike that has her modeling its sports bras on social media.” How can conservatives hope to form a united front against the trans oppression of women when even right-wing media cowers away from reporting the truth? If such outlets aren’t careful, they may find themselves facing the same backlash and rejection as other woke corporate entities.
In order for boycotts and calls to action to achieve real change, we must sacrifice a luxury that has become all too commonly expected in our modern American lives: convenience. Researching, recording, and keeping tabs on companies with a demonstrated history of contradicting your values is inconvenient. Returning gifts that you’ve already purchased, choosing new favorites for your pantry, and changing the brands that once defined your personal style is all inconvenient.
However, the momentary inconveniences that it takes to send a message to corporate America, radical activists, and the legislators who take their cues from both pales in comparison to the tragedy of allowing eternal truths about biological sex and the beautiful reality of being male or female to be erased in the public square. If you’re considering boycotting brands that sponsor Dylan Mulvaney’s hateful mockery of women, it’s time to take a page out of Nike’s book: just do it.
For more information about identifying brands to support or avoid based on your values, check out Public Sq. or 2ndVote.