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- Doritos is the latest brand to come under attack from right-wing boycotters.
- The brand partnered with a Spanish transgender influencer.
- Doritos said it ended the partnership because of past posts she allegedly wrote.
Right-wing boycotters are turning to another major brand: Doritos.
Conservatives online are calling for a boycott of PepsiCo’s popular chip brand over its social media partnership with Spanish transgender influencer Samantha Hudson.
Doritos Spain collaborated with Hudson to create a 50-second brand video called “Crunch Talk” that was featured on the 24-year-old singer’s Instagram page, but the post has since been deleted. NBC News reported.
Representatives for Doritos, PepsiCo and Hudson did not immediately respond to BI’s requests for comment.
On Tuesday, Doritos Spain announced it was severing ties with Hudson over comments she allegedly made that resurfaced online. Newsweek reported.
These comments included that Hudson had previously mocked rape victims and said in a post when she was 15 that she wanted to do “depraved” things to a 12-year-old girl. According to Rolling Stone magazine.
I gave Hudson too. spanish tv interview As translated by Rolling Stone magazine, she said she was advocating for “the abolition of the traditional monogamous nuclear family.”
Hudson has apologized for her past posts since becoming famous, noting that she was an edgy teen.
“I don’t remember writing anything that barbaric,” she wrote, according to Rolling Stone. translation. “At that time, I was all about saying nonsense. The heavier the better, because I thought ‘black humor’ was funny.”
But it was too late for the Doritos partnership.
A spokesperson for Doritos Spain told Rolling Stone, “Due to the comments, we have terminated our relationship and suspended all related campaign activity.” He added that he only found out after working with her. “We strongly condemn speech and behavior that promotes violence and sexism of any kind,” she said.
Doritos clarified that Hudson’s gender identity was not factored into their decision to stop working with her.
Right-wing activists wield power
The hashtag #BoycottDoritos has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) this week, with some users calling for a boycott of all PepsiCo products.
This is the latest example of conservative activists using the power of boycotts to put pressure on major brands.
Anti-trans critics blackmailed Target last year over LGBTQ pride-themed products, including “tuck-friendly” swimsuits for adults and T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Transgender people will always be here!” I put it on the list.
And many of X’s anti-Doritos posts this week specifically referenced last year’s boycott of Bud Light, when conservatives vowed never to drink the beer again after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. ing.
The beer maker’s sales fell as a result, but have since rebounded again, a potential sign that the conservative boycott is not a death sentence for the brand.
While brand boycotts are nothing new, experts previously told Business Insider that political polarization in the United States has gained momentum in recent years, coupled with culture wars and panic-mongering media coverage.
Ultimately, brands have to choose between exiting or facing a firestorm.