Cancel culture watchdogs want to Hershey’s Kiss the iconic chocolate-maker goodbye.
Incensed social media critics are threatening to boycott Hershey’s after the brand featured a transgender woman in an ad campaign for International Woman’s Day 2023.
The chocolate meltdown came to light after the Pennsylvania-based candy company brought back its “She” bar — known as “Her” in Canada — in an effort to “celebrate the women changing the future,” according to the candy giant’s website.
The wrapper features the faces of five women who were selected to be part of the cacao-fueled empowerment campaign. One of the featured candy-promoters is Fae Johnstone, a Canadian transgender rights activist, who celebrated her selection on Twitter.
“The chocolate’s out of the wrapper!” Johnstone, 24, gushed. “Honored to be featured in this campaign by @Hersheys Canada for #InternationalWomensDay alongside 4 brilliant sisters and change-makers.”
“It also means a lot to be included, as a young(ish?) trans woman,” she added in a followup Tweet. “I grew up with few trans role models. Many young trans folks haven’t met a trans adult. I hope this campaign shows trans girls they can dream big and change the world too.”
Needless to say, Johnstone’s inclusion prompted digital torches and pitchforks, with Twitter critics calling the ad an insult to “real women.”
“Hershey’s is ‘honoring’ women by featuring delusional, disfigured men on its candy bars. Feel empowered yet, ladies?” scoffed Federalist CEO Sean Davis.
“In Shakespeare’s day, women weren’t allowed on stage and were played by men,” argued teacher Cari Kelemen. “Are we going back to that? How is this progress?”
“Men are better at everything. Even being women!” snarked political commentator Jim Treacher.
“The patriarchy wins again. Checkmate, females,” seconded conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong.
Meanwhile, Abigail Shrier, author of “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” fumed: “You get the feeling that these companies *always* despised women — they were just waiting for the right moment to stick it to us. Here’s the thing about real women, @Hersheys: We have long memories.”
Other dissenters threatened to cease their patronage of the sugar merchant.
“@Hersheys you’ve taken the ‘her’ and the ‘she’ right out of your dumbass godawful chocolate,” threatened voice actress Mary Macdonald-Lewis. “If you want to see the women changing how we see YOUR future, watch the women boycott you to back to the stone age. #BoycottHersheys.”
Hershey’s reps did not immediately respond to noti.group’s request for comment.
However, some defended Hershey’s decision to feature Johnstone in the advert. “Congrats to you!!” fawned one supporter. “Thank you for representing us so beautifully.”
“She is a woman,” actress Erin Marie Hogan declared. “If terfs [trans-exclusionary radical feminists] don’t like it they’re free to f–k off.”
Trans rights have been a contentious issue with detractors accusing transgender women — those who were not assigned the female gender at birth — of encroaching upon “real women’s” spaces. Meanwhile, trans advocates have accused institutions of discriminating against them for being their “authentic selves.”
In November, a federal court ruled that beauty pageants can’t be forced to admit transgender contestants after trans applicant Anita Green sued Miss United States Of America for rejecting her from a pageant.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
