A Lynwood, California McDonald's restaurant has flipped its iconic golden arches upside-down to show support for International Women's Day, which occurs tomorrow. The franchisee who owns the restaurant, Patricia Williams, started the trend and McDonald's corporate thinks it's a great idea.
But flipping the arches from M to W isn't the only step the fast-food giant is taking to honor women. It's probably no coincidence that the upside-down arches also look like breasts.
"McDonald's says it will turn its logo upside down on all its digital channels, such as Twitter and Instagram, on Thursday, while 100 restaurants will have special "packaging, crew shirts and hats, and bag stuffers" to celebrate," Yahoo News reported.
"In celebration of women everywhere, and for the first time in our brand history, we flipped our iconic arches for International Women's Day in honor of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere and especially in our restaurants," McDonald's global chief diversity officer, Wendy Lewis, said in a statement. "From restaurant crew and management to our C-suite of senior leadership, women play invaluable roles at all levels, and together with our independent franchise owners, we're committed to their success."
Some thought the switch was a nod to anime, which underscores the importance of recognizing and raising awareness about International Women's Day.
What is International Women's Day?
Established in the early 1900's, International Women's Day is a "global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity." Purple is the historical color for women's progress, and supporters often wear purple, green, and white to "symbolize women's equality originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK in 1908."
Women from all over the world will take part in marches and rallies, reminding the world that the fight for gender equality is far from over.
Calls to wear black tomorrow to "raise awareness about women who continue to be discriminated, abused and assaulted by men in society" are also trending.
MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle hosted a panel of influential women Wednesday morning; "one day early in hope of inspiring others to follow suit tomorrow!"
Time Out Film put out a list of their "100 Best Feminist Films" to help celebrate International Women's Day.
"Whenever you get the opportunity to stand up and make a difference, you do it."
Recognizing International Women's Day isn't the only change McDonald's is undergoing.
On Wednesday, the company announced that it would start using only fresh beef in their iconic Quarter Pounders in May. By then, most of the 14,000 U.S. franchises will have made the switch.
“The result is a hotter, juicier, great tasting burger,” said Chris Kempczinski, overseer of McDonald’s Corporation's American restaurants. But there are doubts about how well the meat swap will go.
"McDonald’s said the switch is a major change for the company, and has said the rollout takes time because employees need to be trained to safely handle fresh beef and to cook the patties only when ordered," said the Associated Press.
Not everyone has super-sized excitement about the change, though. In fact, many people think that the change doesn't go far enough.
Wendy's, McDonald's biggest competitor, pounced on the announcement. Wendy's has always used "fresh, never frozen" beef in all their burgers, and it's one of their most successful marketing methods.
