Starbucks India is the latest company to draw culture war fire and calls for boycotts by pushing wokeness in a commercial. In fact, the company has been accused of “going full Bud Light” after its latest promotion featuring parents meeting their transgender daughter at a Starbucks location.
The video depicts a father who struggles to accept the transition but comes to terms with it at the end of the advertisement by ordering his transgender daughter a drink in their new name. Starbucks India tweeted the video with the caption, “Your name defines who you are – whether it’s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName.”
Your name defines who you are – whether it's Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName. 💚 pic.twitter.com/DKNGhKZ1Hg
— Starbucks India (@StarbucksIndia) May 10, 2023
Starbucks India has faced massive backlash from the advertisement. Political commentator, Rukshan Fernando tweeted, “Starbucks facing a backlash in India after going full Bud Light. If saturating the market with a mediocre US coffee brand wasn’t bad enough, now they are bringing their woke corporate culture to the Sub-Continent.”
Starbucks facing a backlash in India after going full Bud Light. If saturating the market with a mediocre US coffee brand wasn't bad enough, now they are bringing their woke corporate culture to the Sub-Continent. pic.twitter.com/09EU5ZPFwe
— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) May 14, 2023
One user tweeted in Starbucks India’s comment section, “It is deeply disconcerting to witness the rapid erosion of cultural identity in our current era. Certain liberal forces persistently normalize practices that appear to undermine the very fabric of our cherished traditions and deeply held values. The pace at which this unsettling phenomenon unfolds is cause for genuine alarm. It is NOT a coincidence. It is a deliberate strategy.”
“I don’t understand why brands do this… these ads alienate huge portions of the population. What ever happened to common sense advertising? Videos like this alienate more customers than they bring in. Literally throwing advertising dollars in the trash just to virtue signal,” a disgruntled person tweeted.
An American commented a warning to Indians, “Warning to my homies in India: Do not let these woke corporations, these woke people of any kinda have even the slightest chance of representation there. Woke is a Social Cancer and it spreads quickly. Stop this before you end up confused on which bathroom to use.”
Surprisingly, given that India is a generally culturally conservative country, Starbucks wasn’t the only company to roil consumers with transgender-focused, woke advertising. A bridal magazine did as well, as The New York Post reported, saying:
An Indian bridal magazine has come under fire for “erasing women” after choosing a bearded “transfeminine” model for its digital cover issue.
Brides Today India featured Alok Vaid-Menon — a gender non-conforming author and activist — decked out in traditional Indian women’s wear: heavy makeup, various lehenga and saris and decadent jewelry.
Vaid-Menon uses they/them pronouns and goes by their first name.
Alok told the magazine about spending their entire life as a victim of bullying for choosing to live as their authentic self and embracing a de-gendered style — which they described as a “no guidelines” form of storytelling.
“I wish I could post an image of myself online without being inundated with hate mail. I wish I could be seen as a human being … But I’m not going to wait for that future, I’m going to build it now, here, with the people who are ready for love,” Alok said.
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