text: Stefania Gheorghe

illustration: Larisa Petcut

 

I was recently scrolling through Instagram stories and from one story to another, Google, knowing that I am this supporter of feminism, recommended me an Instagram page. An Instagram page that used the hashtags "feminism" "girlssupportgirls" "grlpwr" "feminist" and suggested joining a "group". I quickly swipe up, curious to discover a new NGO or association that promotes equality between women and men to follow. My link opens and big surprise! The "group" in question was an imaginary group of people who bought some products sold by that page. And you're probably thinking that they had something to do with the feminist movement or that they were donating their income to that cause. I hope I do not disappoint you, but contrary to even my expectations, this was not happening. Instead, a very large reach was needed, so that more people would reach and buy the respective products, because "#feminist" alone has 8.5M posts on Instagram. And this is where a good marketing strategy is born for many brands that want visibility.

 

01. Why is feminism used as a marketing strategy?

Over time, feminism has become a huge social movement that has caught the attention of billions of people with its message. With so much attention from the general public on the message, brands also wasted no time and decided to use this message. 

And don't get me wrong, it's great to see so many feminist messages on t-shirts, phone cases, hashtags all over Instagram, but let's see what these companies are doing for the feminist movement.

 

02. What position do brands have in the fight for equality and what feedback do they receive from buyers?

Many well-known clothing brands, including the mass-market stores that everyone knows, have tried to adopt feminist themes for their products. When they buy into these messages, they automatically become supporters of the movement. The problem arose when buyers judged them for the products they were selling. And this happens for two big reasons. First, because they do nothing real to promote feminism from the profits they make, and second, because they even discriminate in the workplace between women and men, paying women less, even though they all "brag" through their products or marketing campaigns promoting equality. These companies sell a message of support for women while they treat their employees unfairly. 

 

03. What do brands have to gain from this?

When big clothing brands release a collection with a feminist theme, they get attention from the public. They get attention from message advocates who will buy, like and further praise this initiative, encouraging the purchase of the products. Unfortunately, a lot of it boils down to profit, so at the end of the day we wonder if it's really "feminism" to use the movement's message only to make money the main goal, rather than creating an equal world from all points of view. view. 

 

04. How does this affect feminism for the better?

The term "feminism" has always caused arguments and contradictions among people. I've told you in the past about how people see feminism and why. When well-known brands take this message and use it to create products that people know and buy, they can help promote the concept to all people, including those who have never interacted with the movement before. The battle for gender equality won't be won by brands promoting feminism on a t-shirt, but if it's even a drop in the ocean, we can say they're at least doing something good. 

 

05. How does feminism negatively influence?

Many people complain and denigrate feminist messages precisely because of the association with certain brands involved in various problems, born precisely from the injustices towards employees or the unfair use of proceeds. Why is this happening? Because when an iconic figure or big brand shows up as promoters of the feminist movement, the movement becomes intrinsically linked to them. Anything they do wrong can directly hurt the feminist movement and the advocates of the message. 

 

06. What should brands actually do?

In order to boast of promoting social equality, you must first ensure that you meet this criterion. That you respect your employees and treat them equally, that you do something tangible for the feminist movement, more than hashtags and messages on t-shirts, you need to prove that you are a real promoter of these values. 

"If you're not ready to hold your company up to the standards of feminism, don't exploit feminism in your marketing."

– Katie Martell, marketing consultant