We messed up and we are sorry. We did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments and apologise for the Women’s Day mes… https://t.co/Cwduo4p49z
— Flipkart (@Flipkart) 1646742207000
Flipkart tweeted an apology on Wednesday, saying, “We messed up and we are sorry. We did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments and apologise for the Women’s Day message shared earlier.”
On March 7, the eve of International Women’s Day, Flipkart had sent the following promotional message to customers: “Dear Customer, this Women’s Day, let’s celebrate You. Get kitchen appliances from Rs 299.”
The company faced a huge backlash on social media, especially Twitter, after a user shared a screenshot of the message and wrote: “Can you spot the problem here?” The tweet quickly went viral, gathering nearly 5,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
Can you spot the problem here? https://t.co/MVWA8so9p7
— Raj S || রাজ শেখর (@DiscourseDancer) 1646714262000
Many Twitter users called out Flipkart for reinforcing stereotypes about women.
Discover the stories of your interest
@DiscourseDancer It’s offensive Why women are being identified with kitchen appliance..only ?? Whole world is ours… https://t.co/tyKjIhzwFt
— Harmeet Kaur (@iamharmeetK) 1646718847000
One user said, “Epic Failure on Women’s Day by @Flipkart – reducing women to the kitchen and making it sound like a favor!
Epic Failure on Women’s Day by @Flipkart – reducing women to the kitchen and making it sound like a favor! https://t.co/dU99DtdXF0
— AkankshaDureja (@AkankshaDureja) 1646719501000
Flipkart isn’t the only company to have faced criticism for a poorly judged Women’s Day message.
Last year, Burger King faced a backlash in the UK after tweeting “Women belong in the kitchen”. Though meant sarcastically (the tweet was promoting a new culinary scholarship for women), the company’s approach came in for severe criticism. Burger King eventually deleted the tweet and issued an apology.
We hear you. We got our initial tweet wrong and we’re sorry. Our aim was to draw attention to the fact that only 20… https://t.co/EBlRMWGBY5
— Burger King (@BurgerKingUK) 1615238597000
In August 2021, Zomato was criticised for an ad that depicted delivery workers as too busy to take selfies with celebrities such as Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.
Many criticised the ad for glorifying the gruelling jobs of delivery workers and criticised the company for “underpaying” them.
Zomato said in response to the backlash that the ads were “well-intentioned”.
