Bud Light. This beer is hot topic because the brand sponsored transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Since Mulvaney posted about his face-deco cans, the brand has lost more than $5 billion in market capitalization. Is this a direct result of a controversial sponsorship? Well, only an economist could draw that conclusion for sure.
On Friday, Anheuser-Busch posted a statement of quasi-apology saying that they “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.” This acknowledges that a lot of people do not want to validate Mulvaney’s identity as a woman and a lot of people do. They’re not saying which they actually meant with this statement.
Mulvaney has also drawn up controvery after posting about a partnership with Nike to promote sports bras for what Mulvaney calls “boobies.” And sure, Mulvaney can wear that if he wants but for Nike to promote it feels to me like a brand diminishing the seriousness of its own product. As a woman with boobies and curves, I have agonized over finding supportive activewear my whole life. A biological man cannot represent that struggle. You would think Nike would know that.
