Hershey’s faces boycott after putting trans woman on wrappers for International Women’s Day
Hours after Canadian brand Hershey launched its HER for SHE campaign to mark International Women’s Day, social media activists began calling for a boycott of the iconic chocolatier.
In the ad, trans woman and activist Fae Johnstone is one of the five faces of the campaign. Johnstone and five others will grace five different wrappers in March.
This is the third year Hershey’s has released a product to celebrate International Women’s Day. The 2022 campaign was led by awake actress and comedian Mindy Kaling.
“Why does Hershey’s hate women?” reflected on a conservative Twitter account on Thursday.
While Johnstone, the executive director of consulting firm Wisdom2Action, tweeted on Wednesday that he was “honoured” to be on the campaign trail. On Thursday, Hershey’s Boycott was one of the hottest topics on Twitter in the United States and Canada.
Trans activist Fae Johnstone is one of five women to feature in Hershey’s Canada campaign
According to a post from Hershey’s Canada, the campaign will “shine a light on the women and girls who inspire us every day.”
The other women featured in the ad are Kelicia Massala, the founder of Girl up Quebec, Naila Moloo, a climate technology scientist, Rita Audi, a gender and education equality activist, and Autumn Peltier, an indigenous rights activist.
According to a report from Hershey’s Canada, the campaign will “shine a light on the women and girls who inspire us every day.” Hershey’s has teamed up with North Carolina-based Girls on the Run for the promotion this year.
The candy giant is donating $10,000 to each of the respective causes featured in the ads and $30,000 to Girl Up.
“You get the sense that these companies always despised women — they were just waiting for the right time to stick it to us. This is about real women, Hershey’s. We have long memories,” tweeted Abigail Shrier, the author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters.
While Oli London, announcing his plans for the transition in 2022, tweeted: ‘An organic MAN is front and center in the new Hershey’s campaign celebrating women for International Women’s Day. This is misogyny at its best! A real slap in the face for real women!’
The other women in the campaign are, from left to right, Naila Moloo, climate researcher, Kelicia Massala, founder of Girl Up Quebec, Rita Audi, gender activist, Johnstone, and Autumn Peltier, indigenous peoples activist
Johnstone is the executive director of consulting firm Wisdom2Action
On her Twitter page, Johnstone sent out multiple messages in support of the campaign, lamenting that she didn’t have many transgender role models growing up.
She wrote, “Many trans young people have not yet met a trans adult. I hope this campaign shows trans girls that they can dream big and change the world too.’
“We still have a long way to go in the fight against misogyny, patriarchy and gender-based violence. I hope this campaign helps to empower more young women and girls with role models and opportunity models. And show them how together we can change the world,” Johnstone also tweeted.
B-movie actress Erin Marie Hogan was among those who expressed support for Johnstone, saying, “She’s a woman. If terfs (trans-exclusive radical feminists) don’t like it, they’re free to fuck off.”
Twitch streamer Sarah Daniels wrote, “Thank you for representing us so beautifully.”
Hershey did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The popular conservative Twitter account Catturd2 was one of the first to draw attention to the campaign
“Hershey’s SHE bars serve as a heartwarming reminder to take a moment to reflect on the women and girls who inspire us every day,” said a press release from the Pennsylvania-based company.
“The brand invites fans to recognize the women and girls in their lives through the simple gesture of donating a Hershey’s SHE bar.”
According to the Girls on the Run website, the group is “dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.”
In addition to Johnstone’s presence, at least one TikTok user was upset that Hershey’s emphasized the “she” in the company’s name instead of the “her” in the bars.
One commenter said, “For those who don’t understand, it could have read ‘celebrate her!’ Now it says ‘celebrate them’, it’s grammatically awkward.’
Republicans have put transgender issues at the center of their agenda, a tactic many observers see as an attempt to keep conservative voters energized and to push voters sympathetic to the Democrats on other issues to the GOP camp.
In the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders mocked the Democratic president as “the first man to surrender his presidency to a wakeful mob that can’t even tell you what a woman’.