Multinational coffee chain Starbucks has been facing a major backlash in India following its new advertisement highlighting transgender inclusivity. Following Starbucks’ new ad on transgender inclusivity, a large number of Indian social media users are calling for boycotting the coffee chain using the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks.
Starbucks’ new ad on transgender inclusivity was released on May 10th, with the tagline “It Starts With Your Name”. The 2.04-minute-long advertisement video was released on social media. It portrays the anxiety and inner contradictions of an urban Indian middle-class family over their transgender ward’s decision to go for a transition.
The ad shows the anxious parents of a transgender named Arpit waiting for him in a Starbucks outlet. The father appeared quite unhappy with Arpit’s decision to undergo a gender transition. Arpit wants to become Arpita, putting the parents in a dilemma.
However, later the ad shows the father coming to terms with Arpit’s decision to become Arpita. He was shown ordering coffee for the “family of Arpita”. Starbucks wrote in the tweet, “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”.
Within a span of 48 hours, Starbucks’ new ad on transgender inclusivity garnered over 3.6m views. While many appreciated the multinational chain for its daring approach towards an issue considered taboo in India, others condemned the company for promoting western ultra-wokeism in India.
Starbucks’ new ad on transgender inclusivity came under attack for disrespecting Indian sensitivities and imposing the western ideas of ‘gender inclusivity’ forcefully on the people of the country. Although the brand itself is a high-end one, which only a small section of the country’s urban affluent sections can afford, the #BoycottStarbucks call gained immense traction.
It has been alleged by many Indians on Twitter that the business is moving beyond its scope of work and trying to influence social and political issues in the country. The move is seen as a part of the western wokeism that’s promoted by the big corporations to undermine traditional values of the East and the eastern way of life.
“Aside from extraordinary coffee, Starbucks has made a business out of human connections, community involvement and the celebration of cultures”, the company claims on its website’s diversity section. It also claims, “We’re committed to upholding a culture where diversity is valued and respected. So it’s only natural that as a guiding principle, diversity is integral to everything we do (sic).”
Also, in the aftermath of Starbucks’ ad on transgender inclusivity and amid calls for #BoycottStarbucks, many Indians have started promoting ethnic Indian coffee, especially the filter coffee of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
There has been a lot of discussion on how the West has been using multinational corporations like Starbucks to build opinions in favour of agendas, especially on gender identity, that it promotes to split traditional societies.
Although there has been a social media outrage over Starbucks’ ad on transgender inclusivity and #BoycottStarbucks has gained traction, the company didn’t issue any clarification on the matter. When East Post tried reaching out to Starbucks for its comment, the calls went unanswered.