#NOTBUYINGIT / #MEDIAWELIKE
Our #NotBuyingIt and #MediaWeLike campaign inspires people to join together in celebrating good representations and calling out the bad, everywhere from advertising to merchandising.
At the Super Bowl, our #NotBuyingIt / #MediaWeLike campaign ignites a global conversation, engaging millions in calling for better representation for all.
Year round, individuals like you call out companies for their stereotypical advertising and merchandising with #NotBuyingIt. Others quickly join, and together we create a groundswell that holds companies accountable. We’ve gotten major companies to apologize and remove harmful ads. Check out some of our past wins below! We all have a stake in making the communities we’re a part of, the media we consume, and the teams we root for more just and equitable for all.
There Were More Dinosaurs Than Women In 2018 Super Bowl Ads
It’s hard to believe that only four years ago, nearly every ad featured a limiting and often harmful message about women. From Carl’s Jr. to Go Daddy to Victoria’s Secret, brands told us time and time again that a woman’s value lays solely in her youth, beauty, and sexuality. This year, instead of ads that objectified women, many advertisements either didn’t have women in them or simply used them as accessories. Not only did most ads fail the Bechdel test, very few people of color were in ads or given speaking roles. Check out which ads passed as #MediaWeLike and the ones we’re #NotBuyingIt this year.
DEFUND HATE SPEECH
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#NotBuyingIt
Impact
We Changed the Super Bowl
Super Bowl 2018
This year, instead of ads that objectified women, many advertisements either didn’t have women in them or simply used them as accessories. Not only did most ads fail the Bechdel test, very few people of color were in ads or given speaking roles.
Super Bowl 2017
This year's Super Bowl advertisements were filled with important and heartwarming messages like supporting paid family leave and celebrating diversity across America. Compare that to just four years ago when nearly every ad featured a limiting and often harmful message about women, telling us that our value lies solely in our youth, beauty, and sexuality. Check out how your voice made a difference at Super Bowl 2017.
Super Bowl 2016
For the second year, we brought media makers and consumers together for a Super Bowl tweet up with our partner, 3 Percent Conference. Together, we told advertisers whether their ad was a fumble with #NotBuyingIt or a touchdown with #MediaWeLike. Learn more about how your voice made a difference!
Super Bowl 2015
Our #NotBuyingIt / #MediaWeLike Super Bowl campaign ignited a global conversation, engaging millions in calling for better representation for all. Check out what we accomplished at Super Bowl 2015.
Super Bowl 2014
The #NotBuyingIt hashtag was used by thousands to call out sexist Super Bowl commercials and reached millions with a strong message about advertising: sexism doesn't sell.
Super Bowl 2013
In 2013, thousands of people worldwide used the hashtag #NotBuyingIt to call out sexist Super Bowl commercials in real-time.
WE’RE HOLDING COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE
X-Men and 20th Century Fox
In depicting Jennifer Lawrence being strangled, 20th Century Fox's recent "X-Men: Apocalypse" ad glorified violence against women so we sprang into action with a #NotBuyingIt campaign. Joined by celebrities like Rose McGowan and Twitter users around the world, we caused 20th Century Fox to apologize and remove the ad.
Scholastic
Scholastic's children's book "A Birthday Cake for George Washington" tells the story of the President's slave Hercules and his daughter whose biggest obstacle is not having enough sugar - rather than not having their freedom. We launched a #NotBuyingIt campaign against the book's revisionism and within two days, Scholastic pulled it and issued a statement recognizing that the book misleads it readers.
FOX32 Chicago
Dan Salamone, a producer at FOX32 Chicago, instructed only female reporters not to wear hats while reporting outside because he thinks they "look better without". In response to this blatant example of sexism, we launched a #NotBuyingIt campaign to hold Fox32 accountable. Within a couple hours, Fox 32 General Manager Dennis Welsh told the Chicago Tribune that the station does not stand by Salamone's "absurd" comments and that Salamone would face disciplinary action.
CNN
A CNN article evoked racial stereotypes in describing Freddie Gray, a black Baltimore teen who died in police custody, with irrelevant details about his mother. To hold CNN accountable for perpetuating harmful racial stereotypes, The Representation Project sprung into action with a #NotBuyingIt campaign. Within three hours, CNN had removed the description.
SXSW
When SXSW canceled two panels on gaming and online harassment due to threats of violence, rape, and animal abuse, they sent the message that they condone the very type of harassment the panels sought to highlight. That's why we launched a #NotBuyingIt campaign, resulting in SXSW publicly apologizing within five days and announcing an all-day summit on harassment.
Wholesale Halloween Costumes
When Wholesale Halloween Costumes released a Caitlyn Jenner costume mocking and trivializing the lives of trans people, we sprang into action with a #NotBuyingIt campaign. With tweets pouring in from around the world and major media outlets joining in, Wholesale Halloween costumes was forced to remove the costume.
BudLight
Bud Light apologized for their tagline that perpetuates rape culture, removing the label that read, "the perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night,” after two hours of #NotBuyingIt tweets!
Barbie
Within three days of Mattel and Barbie receiving #NotBuyingIt tweets about their sexist book, Barbie was forced to issue an apology and a promise: "all Barbie titles moving forward will be written to inspire girls' imaginations and portray an empowered Barbie character."
La Perla
Within 14 hours of receiving #NotBuyingIt tweets, La Perla Lingerie responded by removing a mannequin with protruding ribs and pledging to review all their window displays.
Veet
In each of Veet's three "Don't Risk Dudeness" commercials, a woman was transformed into a hairy, bearded, and "unappealing" man when her partner, beautician, or a random taxi driver realized she had stubble. We're #NotBuyingIt.
Zulily
It took The Representation Project and Miss Representation followers less than three hours tweeting #NotBuyingIt at @Zulily to force the company to remove an offensive infant bodysuit from their website.
Amazon
In less than 24 hours, using #NotBuyingIt, Twitter users forced Amazon UK and manufacturers Solid Gold Bomb to remove "Keep Calm and Rape" t-shirts from their sites.
Harrods
Twitter users, utilizing their consumer power and the hashtag #NotBuyingIt, forced Harrods to remove two books displayed in the children's reading room of their London store, all within the span of a single day.