Lingerie brand Honey Birdette took to social media to give a pointed response to criticisms about one of its latest ad campaigns for its designs.
In a recent Instagram ad, seen below, the brand featured nonbinary model and burlesque performer Jake Dupree showing off a Honey Birdette bra, panties, garters and stockings in a burlesque-style photo.
You can probably guess how that went over with certain segments of the population--the brand, and Dupree themself, were hit with major backlash from conservatives, much of it virulently transphobic in nature.
The ad's comments, which have since been restricted, filled with irate discussions of "what a 'real' woman is," calls for a boycott, and of course, accusations that Honey Birdette and Dupree are "groomers."
Meanwhile, several conservative commentators took to Twitter to lambaste Dupree and the lingerie brand and to mock its claim that it makes lingerie "by women, for women." The brand has since changed its tagline to "A luxury lingerie brand for all!"
That progressive, inclusive change was the only concession they were willing to make amid the uproar, however. In the wake of the right wing's temper tantrum, the company altered the caption on Dupree's Instagram ad to make it crystal clear they have no interest in bowing to conservatives' bizarre obsession with gender.
The caption now reads:
"**UPDATE: Honey Birdette fosters an inclusive and diverse environment, and we will continue to use our voice to empower and support the LGBTQ+ community, women, and anyone who wants to feel fabulous in our lingerie."
"While thoughtful and constructive discussions are important to push culture forward, hate speech and bullying will not be tolerated on our channels. Comments of this negative nature will be deleted."
"@jakedupree, you are so talented and have our full support! ❤️**"
On Twitter, many people took conservatives to task for their outrage about the lingerie ad.
The ad featuring Jake Dupree has since gone on to be one of Honey Birdette's most-liked posts on its Instagram page. So much for those boycotts.
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