Fast-food giant McDonald’s has come under fire in India for an advertisement that has been deemed inappropriate and sexist. The ad, which was meant to promote the McSaver meal, shows a man flirting with a female cashier while ordering at McDonald’s. Social media users have accused the company of objectifying the female staff and promoting harassment in the workplace. The ad’s slogan, “Date sort of… @ Rs 179,” has particularly riled some people. The backlash has been so severe that people are calling for the ad to be removed from YouTube. It is not the first time that an advertisement in India has been criticized for having misogynistic undertones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously called on Indians to fight misogyny in a 2016 Independence Day speech. The recent McDonald’s ad campaign has been criticized for promoting a “wrong precedent” by inviting customers to hit on employees and objectifying female staff for profit. Some Twitter users have called the ad outrageous and disgusting, potentially putting female workers at risk. This criticism comes at the same time as backlash against another advertisement from food delivery company Zomato, which was accused of being casteist and offensive.
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The backlash against the McDonald’s advert in India shows the need for companies to be more mindful of their advertising campaigns and the messages they convey, one person said on Twitter. While advertisements are meant to increase sales and profits, they should not come at the cost of objectifying or exploiting individuals, especially women, another argued. As we’ve seen time and time again by now, in today’s social media-driven world, a poorly thought-out ad campaign can quickly escalate into a full-blown public relations crisis.
In 2018, the Time’s Up movement launched an initiative to fight sexual harassment at McDonald’s and Walmart. The initiative aimed to address the widespread problem of harassment in the fast-food industry. A former employee of McDonald’s, Jovanna Bastien, is suing Yahoo and NBCUniversal after her image was used in stories discussing the sexual harassment of McDonald’s employees.
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Bastien claims that her photo was taken by a photographer without her knowledge and was used next to stories referring to protests, lawsuits, and complaints against the fast food chain. She alleges that potential employers may have seen the stories, which could damage her future job prospects. She is seeking more than $30,000 in damages, plus “interest, costs and attorney’s fees.”
The issue of sexual harassment is not limited to employees alone but extends to customers as well. In 2020, a group of employees filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s for failing to protect them from harassment and violence from customers.
The lawsuit claimed that female employees were subjected to groping, lewd comments, and even physical assault from customers. The complaint also highlighted the challenges presented by the fact that 90% of the company’s restaurants are franchised.
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