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When you think of Burt’s Bees, you think of earthy, eco-friendly moms. Or you remember that it was the first “cool” chap stick you used back in the day that felt like real makeup (and wasn’t Lip Smackers). Anyways, the brand you would never expect to get into a Facebook war is now in a Facebook war…over a lotion that apparently “encourages” catcalling.
It all started when Güd, a sub brand of Burt’s, released its Vanilla Flame Body Butter ($11.47). The slogan for the product was “Soak in the moisturizing seductiveness of shea butter and indulge in the scent of vanilla and rice milk. And let the catcalling commence.” Rice milk, so hot right now. But it gets worse. The company also included this line on the bottle: “A sexy moisturizer that leaves you feeling sexy and moisturized”. Is the bigger problem that the Burt’s Bees marketing team needs a thesauruses?
Basically, no one is surprised that this language offended people. An upset customer reached out to anti-street harassment group Hollaback who demanded an apology from Burt’s Bees on behalf of the woman. But it wasn’t enough. Hollaback then created a Change.org petition asking that Burt’s Bees a) “issue a real apology,” b) “agree to stop production of products that legitimize street harassment,” and c) “make a donation to Hollaback!” Burt’s Bees retaliated with a long message on the Güd Facebook page, promising to sell only what’s left of the product and not create any more. But no one was satisfied with the apology. One commenter accused Burt’s of behaving like “little girls.” #burn.
The lotion is on longer available on Güd’s website, but if you’re in the market for some “catcalling moisturizer” get it at Walmart.
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