Reebok Russia Faces Backlash Over Sexist 'Face-Sitting' Ad

The Russian branch of the sportswear brand Reebok has made a botched attempt to come up with a feminist campaign, but it somehow backfired and turned out to allegedly be utterly sexist. The company shared several photos of activists and athletes who joined the “Be More Human” campaign, which focuses on strong women.

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One commercial, which was supposed to promote female empowerment, features Zalina Marshenkulova, the co-creator of the Telegram channel Zhenskaya Vlast (Woman Power) and, apparently, the co-author of the campaign’s slogans, with the background text reading: “Get off the needle of men’s approval – sit on a man’s face”.

Another photo of the digital influencer read: “When they say ‘carry you in my arms’ I imagine being carried in a coffin”, while the official hashtag for the campaign is “not fit for frames”.

By contrast, Reebok’s summer campaign with Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel showed the actress posing in gym gear alongside text that read: “Never apologize for being strong”.

TWEET: “Telegram channel ‘Russian Marketing’ writes: This is Reebok advertising in the West: ‘Never apologise for being strong’. And this is Reebok advertising in Russia: ‘Go sit on a man’s face’”.

After sparking backlash both on social media and beyond, Reebok Russia deleted the sexually suggestive ads from its Instagram account.

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The company, however, uploaded some of them once again, except for the images featuring Marshenkulova’s provocative slogan. The ads also feature MMA fighter Justyna Graczyk and European champion in grappling Anzhelika Pilyaeva.