Has International Women’s Day Jumped the Marketing Shark?

In recent years, International Women’s Day has started to feel uncomfortably similar toValentine’s Day—filled with recycled posts, a quote from Cheryl in accounting*,and an overwhelming flood of pink. Now, don’t get me wrong—I love pink in all its glorious shades. But the level of pink-washing we see at this time of year isn’t just tokenistic, it’s patronizing and sexist. It makes me want to wear black all week—my own small act of mourning for what was once a truly powerful movement.

While there have been significant strides since IWD’s inception in 1909, we are still painfully far from where we should be. Just look at what’s happening in the U.S. right now—if we’re being honest, can we really say that those in power (whether in agencies, brands, or governments) are taking gender issues seriously? The fight against systemic sexism and gender inequity is nowhere near over. We need to acknowledge and engage with the true extent of intersectionality. My experience as a Black African woman in advertising is vastly different from the handful ofBlack British women in this industry. Gender inequality is not monolithic, and we cannot afford to treat it as such.

Now more than ever, we need to do more than pink-wash the brands in our care. So, let’s do better—every single day. Let’s move beyond awareness and into action. Because if we’re not actively working to dismantle the systems that perpetuate gender inequality, we’re only helping them persist.

*Cheryl is great, by the way!

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Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash