Of Struggles and Sales

-Satabdi Das

 

 One of the very first instances of appropriation and co-option might have been the claim by Hinduism that Buddha was the tenth incarnation of Vishnu. While the rise of Buddhism was against the complex ritualist traditions of Hinduism, Hinduism endeavoured and partly succeeded to co-opt its competitor. Hinduism, before BJP, has always been like that— open-ended, highly and intelligently adaptive. Any entity bearing such features generally survives through ages. Capitalism can be called its close contestant in this regard. It thrives as it keeps on changing rapidly.

When we discuss corporate appropriation of movements, the foremost examples that may come to mind are the co-option of International Women's Day and Pride Month. Before International Women's Day, we had Suffrage Day. It all started with women asking for their rights to vote. If one thinks of it today, there seems to be no logic behind why women did not have voting rights. It is very recently that women are being considered citizens of their respective countries. It is even more recently that they are being deemed as consumers by capitalism. Their previous status was solely that of the consumed and consumable. We have mainstreamed the gender movement , yet there is a long way to go. And in this struggle, a known enemy is easier to fight than an enemy who is disguised as a friend.

Come March, and the corporate workplaces commence a huge celebration centred on IWD with a lot of pinks and purples, chocolates, balloons, cakes, special food and what not. Men wearing pink shirts in solidarity or women employees getting gifts such as make-up or skincare products are considered tokens of appraisal towards women and their struggle. It is not only the office that is giving women soap bars and face packs for IWD, but also all the brands who use this day for their promotion. The beauty and jewellery brands offer discounts for women to buy themselves gifts with hashtags like 'you deserve it'. These activities promote the woman as a girl boss who can do anything, who is a multitasker and a perfectionist. Under capitalism, the cost of reproducing labour power is largely borne by women’s unpaid labour at home. Patriarchal norms, especially in countries like ours, reinforce women’s roles within the family, When one celebrates women's multitasking, one is actually catering to unpaid domestic labour. Through ages, however, the mode of campaigning has changed. We used to bash Nykaa or Myntra for giving women vouchers on IWD and they rapidly altered their narrative. Maybelline came with the tagline ‘It's not your fault’ for showcasing their lipstick and Myntra came up with the idea ‘choose your style freely.’. Both the concepts of street sexual harassment and body shaming are apt in Feminism, however. So they took no time to shift from the male-gaze oriented trade cry to a more Feminist trade cry. This is why I consider Capitalism as one of the smartest chap. But have the corporate biggies changed inwardly? How much do they actually contribute to the upliftment of women? What share of their profit is meant for that? 

Moreover, do the same companies ensure whatever is actually needed to make the workplace women-friendly? Or are they trying to fix women's demand for workplace safety or equal pay or maternity leave with a pink lollipop? Do the ICCs work in their institution? Do women get a promotion even when she chooses to bear a child? Is their gusto for gender justice well-thought out and effective? Or is it simply a case of pink-washing? Some corporations may use IWD as a way to improve their image and appear more socially responsible, even if their actual policies and practices do not align with their stated values and goals in relation to gender equality. 

While the original focus of International Working women’s day was on collective struggle for women's rights, right for equal pay and safe working conditions, the contemporary celebrations often highlight individual women's achievements and success, more so because capitalism is afraid of collective movements. History gets obscured thereby. 

Same thing goes for Pride. India’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual, and other identities (LGBTQIA+) community likely exceeds available incomplete statistics. Members of this community are pivotal stakeholders for brands, serving as employees, customers, collaborators, and more. In 2018, the court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising same-sex relationships between consenting adults. LGBTQIA+ individuals are now legally allowed to engage in consensual relationships. In October 2024, the Supreme Court of India further delivered its judgement on pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages. While the court did not legalise same-sex marriage, it emphasised that an individual’s right to engage in a union cannot be denied based on sexual orientation.

The month of June is celebrated as Pride Month also in India to commemorate the Stonewall Riot of 1969, with brands changing their logos to the colours of the Pride Flag and launching initiatives celebrating the community and its achievements. Brands like Starbucks India, Tanishq, and FabIndia have often faced serious trolling for supporting LGBTQIA+ causes in their promotions. But more is to be done. When carrying out a Pride campaign, brands should prioritise authenticity, involve LGBTQIA+ voices in planning, and support LGBTQIA+ causes year-round. They should use inclusive imagery and language that represents the community's diversity.

 TRA Research, a brand intelligence and data insights company, says that approximately 10% of the Indian population is likely to belong to LGBTQIA+. The sympathisers of the LGBTQIA+ community constitute about another 30% of the total population. A brand’s positive campaigns about this community targets to be in the good book of this 40% of the population. But if a brand takes a stand, it must stand by its belief system. Brands must be cautious not to ‘rainbow-wash’ the consumers by running campaigns that superficially sympathise with the cause without genuinely understanding the issues the community faces. Most importantly, they should not don’t forget about the community as soon as Pride Month is over. Sustained, holistic efforts are at the core of long-term success in expanding a brand's reach to the queer community. For example, Gilead, the pharma company, has followed through with their promise to provide free Truvada (PrEP) to support the initiative to end the HIV epidemic. Brands like Adidas, Apple, and Bath & Body Works back up their Pride merchandise releases with real financial contributions to LGBTQ+ causes. Bit such endeavours are rare. In the other hand, H&M has an extensive Pride collection of apparel, all with some sort of LGBTQ imagery. They also contribute 10% of the profits from their Pride collection to LGBTQ charities. Nonetheless, many of their manufacturing plants are in China, a country notorious for its historic oppression and persecution of the gay community. One outcome that stems from brands behaving like this may be the rise of slacktivism. The incentive to purchase clothes because some marginal portion of the profits will go to a good cause allows the consumers also the pleasure of doing sort of token activism in support of the LGBTQ community, instead of indulging them to delve deeper. The companies should work more effectively to empower the trans employees, divest from the economies of countries with explicit LGBTQ discriminatory policies, and make the products available to communities of people who need it the most. 

Finally, the corporate takeover of movements may also divert attention and resources away from more meaningful and impactful efforts to promote gender equality. Instead of focusing on real and tangible changes that can help address gender-based inequalities, the emphasis may shift to superficial or symbolic gestures that do not address the root causes of these issues.