Looks like jeans are going from white washing, to “woke washing” as one person said in the comments! The popular Levi Strauss & Co. fashion brand, better known as Levi’s, faced boycott calls recently, as some people started to get furious over its campaign showcasing unisex style. A YouTube clip that was shared back in September 2019, and is also on Levi’s website, is the reason why people started to take shots at the popular fashion brand.
In this clip, a model called Jesus with long hair and a beard, and another model called Matia, with a mullet hairstyle, are shown while discussing the “freedom” they feel in their respective styles. Throughout the video, Jesus is described as a designer and vintage curator, while he is shown wearing a denim dress and roll-neck sweater, and Matia is described as a fashion lover. In the video, one of the things Jesus says is that he was always obsessed with the women in his life, adding: “The way that what they did was for themselves.” And then Matia says: “I feel a lot more freedom when I include more masculine elements into my style.” Jesus then adds that “whatever feels the most natural is what anyone should be doing,” saying that it is an amazing time to be able to express yourself in a very personal style. “It’s a time where we’re all really free to express ourselves how we want to,” Jesus adds.
After seeing this campaign video clip, a large number of conservatives were angered very quickly by Levi’s collaboration featuring LGBTQ people. These are the same people who have already vowed to step away from a range of brands including Bud Light, Starbucks, Target, Nike, and Adidas for similar campaigns. A large number of negative tweets came out regarding this video, so here are just some of them… “Another woke company @LEVIS, Levi’s Follows Bud Light And Adidas In Woke Propaganda Campaigns. ‘Make jeans – ignore genes?'” wrote one X, former Twitter, user who shared a clip of the company’s campaign on the platform.
Another one wrote: “I will never wear a pair of Levi’s again. Growing up I had cords in every color they made!” “Oh no…I am a Levi’s person and this ticks me off. I am going to make my voice heard,” commented another, while one just called them “disgusting.” One of them did not hesitate and wrote: “Buh bye, @LEVIS. I will never buy your overpriced jeans again. I hope you go the way of @budweiserusa and lose sales and stock value,” said another. “THE SILENT MAJORITY DOES NOT GO ALONG WITH THIS SICK, GROOMING BULLS***!,” as reported by Newsweek.
But, as always, there were also those who did not see it that way, as some of the other X users ridiculed the ever-increasing list of companies that detractors have publicly declared they’re turning away from. One of them asked: “So will Republicans boycott every company who supports LGBTQ+? If so what will you wear and eat and drink? No more McDonald’s, Levi’s, Old Navy, Skittles, Hershey’s etc etc.” And another one added: “Imagine telling a Republican 10 years ago that someday they will have to boycott… NFL, Ford Trucks, Harley-Davidsons, Fox ‘News’, Disney, Budweiser, Levi’s, M&M’s, Nike, Sesame Street, Mr. Potato Head, Starbucks, Target, UPS… Just to be obedient to the party.”
One more user remembered that Levi’s was already a target of the public as that user wrote: “Didn’t y’all already boycott Levi’s ages ago for something else? I don’t remember the idiot reason why but I do remember y’all doing it already. So basically you’re just announcing more of the same then? Or is this a ‘well this time we really mean it’ moment?”
Levi’s has launched a campaign dedicated to Pride Month, which is observed and celebrated every June, while their website also features a “Pride 2023 cast” that includes “six inspiring LGBTQ+ individuals from across the globe, living as their authentic selves and helping others do the same.”
“We actually have a gender-neutral line. It was a small collection. And we know that women buy some men’s products and men buy some women’s products,” said Levi Strauss & Co. CEO Chip Bergh, adding that they know that goes on, and that they have got the market research and the data to show it. The video below shows just how hard Levi’s is trying to get themselves boycotted into extinction:
