Australian company Honey Birdette is coming under fire and defending itself after using a non-binary model for a three-piece set that features suspenders, a bra, and a g-string.
The company has used the slogan women, for women to advertise products. According to Honey Birdette, the backlash over using Jake Dupree as the model for the set is bullying.
Dupree, a burlesque dancer based in Los Angeles, was featured in several photos wearing the set. After posting the pictures of Dupree on a stage, there was an almost instant backlash. There were so many negative comments that the brand disabled comments so that no one could post any.
The brand did release a brief statement. The statement says that the Dupree looks fabulous, negative comments will be deleted, and the brand is inclusive. According to The Daily Mail, 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, the company wrote.
Some comments were very supportive, saying that Dupree looks fabulous and telling him to keep his head high. Others say that its unbelievable cis women feel insecure about a non-binary person wearing lingerie.
However, there were plenty of backlashes, too. Many threatened to boycott the company. According to The Post Millennial, The post with Dupree is noticeably missing from the companys Twitter page, but user Rita Pani posted a screenshot that has been viewed by over 900k people. In response, content creator Sydney Watson asked why is a man, who does not have breasts, wearing a bra?.
This comes after another Australian brand, Seafolly, hired a non-binary person with a beard as an ambassador. The brand is a bikini company. Many were irate because the announcement came before International Womens Day. Some said they would be boycotting the brand, while others accused the bikini brand of mocking women.
Login