McDonald’s made good on its promise of flipping its iconic golden arches in celebration of International Women’s Day.
The fast food giant created an entirely new set of inverted golden arches for the sign outside its Lynwood, Calif. location. But it didn’t stop there. Dozens of locations will also have special packaging emblazoned with the inverted arches. They’ll also appear on some employees’ hats and t-shirts as well.
The chain’s chief diversity officer Wendy Lewis explained that the move was intended to honor “the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere and especially in our restaurants. From restaurant crew and management to our C-suite of senior leadership, women play invaluable roles at all levels and together with our independent franchise owners. We’re committed to their success.”
But some were not a fan of the fast food giant’s stunt. Naysayers decided to poke fun at the move, with one Twitter user suggesting that “Now that it was inverted to make a ‘W’ for women, reversing it will make it an ‘M’ for men. Forever.”
Meanwhile, other Twitter users pointed to the hypocrisy of the chain celebrating women’s day while continuing to underpay its staff. One wrote, “You could also provide livable wages, better benefits, equal pay, legitimate career paths for the future, paid maternity leave…Or you can flip a logo upside down that works too.”
Another took a similar tone:
Of course, McDonald’s isn’t the only brand capitalizing on the holiday that is intended to represent women empowerment. Brands from Mattel to Nike have created products or campaigns in celebration of International Women’s Day. Another fast food brand, KFC, changed the Colonel Sanders logo to be one of Mrs. Claudia Sanders. Google employed 12 female artists for its Google Doodle.
