Lauren Boebert has hit out at clothing company North Face over an advertising campaign featuring a drag queen, telling her followers: “It’s time to boycott ANY product North Face has ever made.”
The Republican Colorado representative’s remarks come amid rising calls by conservatives for a boycott over its “Summer of Pride” campaign, which features Pattie Gonia and was released on Instagram on Wednesday.
Several brands have been the target of condemnation from conservatives over marketing products for the LGBTQ+ community in recent months. While experts have said such campaigns provide an opportunity for brands to appeal to consumers in new markets, critics have accused companies of alienating their traditional customer base.
The controversies sit at the heart of a culture war, and feed into a broader debate about the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in public life.
John Keeble/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In the North Face advert, Pattie Gonia says: “Hi, it’s me, Pattie Gonia, a real-life homosexual. And today, I’m here with The North Face; we are here to invite you to come out… in nature with us.”
Referring to the Summer of Pride hikes it is planning for a second year running, they added: “Last year, we gay sashayed across the nation and celebrated pride across the nation with hundreds of you.”
Following the release of the advert, GOP representative for Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene accused the company of “grooming our children,” while former Republican congressional candidate Robby Starbuck said North Face was “screaming at you to not but their products.”
Boebert added her voice to the chorus of criticism, writing on Thursday: “I guess North Face wanted to get a taste of what conservatives did to Bud Light and Target.
“How many times do we have to explain to the woke marketing departments at these disgusting companies that America is not a nation of degenerates?”
She added: “Let’s make it as shameful to wear North Face as it is to drink Bud Light!”
Newsweek approached the VF Corporation, North Face’s parent company, via email for comment on Friday.
North Face is the latest company to be targeted for “woke” marketing that’s supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.
Well, I guess North Face wanted to get a taste of what conservatives did to Bud Light and Target.
How many times do we have to explain to the woke marketing departments at these disgusting companies that America is not a nation of degenerates?
It’s time to boycott ANY product…
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 25, 2023
Bud Light has been embroiled in controversy since the beginning of April, after it sent a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to celebrate her first year of transitioning to a woman.
The promotional move sparked calls for a boycott, and industry data shows sales of Bud Light declined more than 17 percent across the month.
Since then, Miller Lite has also been targeted for an ad campaign that celebrated women’s historic role in beer brewing for Women’s History Month, and retailer Target has faced boycott calls over its LGBTQ+ pride range, and it has said it will be removing items that were the focus of “threats” towards staff.
As branding strategists have noted, the responses to the outrage by the different companies have been markedly different.
While Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, went silent and placed two of its top marketing executives on leave, Miller Lite’s parent firm, Molson Coors, stood by the advertising campaign and those who had created it.
North Face appears to be among those sticking to its guns on its Summer of Pride advertising campaign.
In a statement on Instagram in response to the criticism, the company wrote: “We recognize the opportunity our brand has to shape the future of the outdoors and we want that future to be a more accepting and loving place. We’re partnering with Pattie because we believe the outdoors are for everyone.
“The North Face online community is designed to be a safe, positive and inclusive environment. It’s why we have a zero-tolerance policy against racist, discriminatory, threatening, abusive, harmful, vulgar or attacking social media comments, which will be removed immediately.”
Comments on the advertising posts have since been turned off.