Purplewashing
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Purplewashing is the use of feminist or LGBTQ+ issues to mask discriminatory or harmful practices. It involves selectively promoting certain aspects of feminism or LGBTQ+ rights to improve a company's or organization's image, while often neglecting or undermining these same issues in other contexts.[1]
In the context of feminism, it is used to describe a variety of political and marketing strategies aimed at promoting countries, people, companies and other organizations through an appeal to gender equality.[2][3] This marketing tactic has also been called femvertising, which was most discussed in Gillette Razor's #MeToo commercial aimed towards toxic masculinity.[4]
In the context of LGBTQ+ issues, purplewashing is also a term used to refer to a phenomenon where organizations or individuals selectively represent bisexual people and issues to appear inclusive, often for marketing or public relations purposes.
Synonyms
[edit]Pinkwashing[5] is another term used similarly to purplewashing, as it can mean the same thing and is used interchangeably with purplewashing as sometimes pink is labeled as the color of feminism instead of purple. The term pinkwashing is also used for LGBTQ concerns.
Femvertising is a combination of "feminism" and "advertising" which refers to marketing strategies which highlight feminist themes such as female empowerment, gender equality, challenging female stereotypes, representation, and gender issues.[6]
Marketing
[edit]Through marketing and political strategies that reinforce a commitment to gender equality, western countries use this as a method of image-cleaning.[7] This marketing tactic has also been called, "Femvertising", which was most discussed in Gillette Razor's #MeToo commercial aimed towards toxic masculinity. In advertisements, women are often portrayed through gender stereotypes, the objectification of the female body and the little representation of women. The term "femvertising" gained popularity in 2014 after the iBlog magazine SheKnows defined it as advertising that uses female-centric talent, messaging, and visuals to uplift and inspire women and girls, specifically due to its ability to question traditional gender stereotypes tied to women in advertising. Through "femvertising" marketers are able to reach female consumers as they use female empowerment to advertise.[8][9]
One of the most well known examples today is the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, launched in 2004, which featured women of various ages and body types, as opposed to polished models. The campaign began a trend of companies incorporating body positivity messaging and "real people" casting into advertisements.[10] However, the campaign has been criticized for retaining a focus on physical beauty,[11] and from the perceived hypocrisy of Dove's parent company Unilever owning other brands (such as Axe, SlimFast and Glow & Lovely) marketed using ideas contradicting those of the campaign.[10]
Social media is a way in which companies can further market to women. Social media platforms such as Instagram portray the usage of "femvertising". Ads on social media apps provide a means for brands to bolster products and strategize the marketable content that the users interact with. These advertisements are generated based on the users' activity, increasing interest and therefore the probability of purchases and interaction.[12] Social media feed that relates to women will drive the trends within these apps. In 2016, the clothing company H&M launched a campaign titled "She's A Lady", featuring women of diverse appearances and empowering imagery,[13] which was used on social media platforms. Such campaigns online display the influence of "femvertising" to invest in the interest of women.[14]
Political
[edit]Within the Spanish Army, there have been many legislative and formal changes to fight sexism. However, it has not altered the relationship between the patriarchy and militarism that remains today within the Spanish Army. The report of Centre Delas d'Estudis per la Pau analyzes the women in the Armed Force and how they are far from actually reaching the feminist milestone for equality in the areas of power. Through certain strategies, the Army has engaged in purplewashing and therefore instrumentalized women in order to create a false reality of equality and modernity in the Armed Forces.[15]
LGBTQ+
[edit]Surface level inclusivity is a concern that the term purplewashing addresses. When it comes to pride events or awareness campaigns, companies may promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity by showcasing bisexuality as part of their broader representation of the queer community. This inclusion is often superficial, focusing on bisexuality as a marketing tool instead of meaningfully addressing the needs or challenges that bisexual individuals face, both within the LGBTQ+ community and society at large.[16]
Bisexuality is sometimes tokenized in corporate pride campaigns—used to appear inclusive, without an actual commitment to advocating for bisexual individuals' rights. This can be part of a larger trend of rainbow capitalism where companies display rainbow flags or market pride merchandise, but do little to support the community beyond that. The article suggests that this can be especially problematic for bisexual individuals, whose experiences are often invalidated or ignored, even within queer spaces.[16]
Bisexuality is often erased or misunderstood both in mainstream culture and within the LGBTQ+ movement itself. Even when companies claim to support LGBTQ+ rights, their promotional materials may fail to address the unique challenges faced by bisexual people—such as discrimination from both straight and gay communities, or the invisibility of bisexual identities. Purplewashing, in this context, is seen as further contributing to the marginalization of bisexuality by using it for profit without addressing or engaging with its complexities.[16]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ Moscoso, Melania; Platero, R. Lucas (4 May 2017). "Cripwashing: the abortion debates at the crossroads of gender and disability in the Spanish media". Continuum. 31 (3): 470–481. doi:10.1080/10304312.2016.1275158. hdl:10261/187602.
- ↑ "Del pornoburka al purplewashing, los trucos más sucios contra el feminismo". El Confidencial (in Spanish).
- ↑ "Gender and Military Culture" (PDF). Centre Delás.
- ↑ Hinman, Pip (2019-01-23). "Gillette, gender and the struggle". Green Left. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
- ↑ "The Poisoning Reality of Purplewashing and Pinkwashing". leed. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
- ↑ Sanchez, Silvia (2026-03-13). "What Is Femvertising in Modern Advertising". FERRCONN. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
- ↑ "Purplewashing". Women and feminism. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
- ↑ Becker-Herby, Elisa (July 2016). The Rise of Femvertising: Authentically Reaching Female Consumers (Thesis). hdl:11299/181494.[page needed]
- ↑ Åkestam, Nina; Rosengren, Sara; Dahlen, Micael (August 2017). "Advertising 'like a girl': Toward a better understanding of 'femvertising' and its effects". Psychology & Marketing. 34 (8): 795–806. doi:10.1002/mar.21023.
- 1 2 Rai, Annapurna. "BMI Gold: How Dove's 'Real Beauty' campaign changed advertising forever". bestmediainfo.com. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
- ↑ Friedman, Ann (2013-04-18). "Beauty Above All Else: The Problem With Dove's New Viral Ad". The Cut. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
- ↑ Descouens, Margot; Gerbault, Valentine (2021). Generation Y's attitude towards femvertising in cosmetics: women empowerment or purplewashing? : A mono-method qualitative study (Thesis).[page needed]
- ↑ Ilyashov, Alexandra. "This Fashion Ad Completely Rethinks What A "Lady" Acts (& Looks) Like". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
- ↑ Davis, Darrell (February 13, 2020). "Power of Femvertising a New Weapon for Social Media Marketing". The Daily Design.
- ↑ "Report 41: Acculturation & purplewashing in the Spanish Army. A study of token women". Delas. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
- 1 2 3 "The Paradox of Purple Washing". Queer Majority. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
Further reading
[edit]- Varghese, Neema; Kumar, Navin (June 2020). "Femvertising as a media strategy to increase self-esteem of adolescents: An experiment in India". Children and Youth Services Review. 113 104965. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104965.
External links
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