Chinese activewear brand sparks uproar with message to ‘shut up’ on International Women’s Day

Yesterday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, a day globally dedicated to celebrating the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present and future. For brands, it’s that one time of the year when they can shamelessly pander to women in the name of consumer empowerment and then pat themselves on the back.

Usually, companies go for broadly appreciative messages or cosplay support for feminist ideas. But this year, Chinese women-centric athleisure brand Maia Active decided to think outside the box.

The company wrote on its official WeChat account Wednesday morning that “excessive feminism is not a good idea” and urged people to refrain from “engaging in gender antagonism,” a negative term often used by Chinese officials to vilify Chinese feminists or censor online discussions about gender-related issues.

“Because feminism is a novel subject [in China], people should take things one step at a time. The development of women’s rights won’t progress if opinions are too polarized,” it wrote. “Women can fight for freedom and independence, and not all men want to be the head of the household. Considering that phrases like ‘male gaze’ and ‘for the pleasure of men’ have developed negative connotations, it’s imperative that we don’t create splits among people of the same gender or opposite sex.”

Within hours, the message backfired magnificently. Some described the article as tone deaf and anti-feminist on a day meant to empower women. Others took specific issue with the title — 这个38，闭嘴巴 (zhège 38, bì zuǐbā) — which can be interpreted in two ways. Its literal translation is, “This March 8, shut your mouth,” but because “three eight” (三八 sānbā) in Chinese is a derogatory, misogynistic term for women who seem dull-minded and crass, some critics took the headline to meaning something like “hey bitch, shut up.”

Maia Active deleted its post. As the PR crisis escalated, the company issued an apology on Weibo on Wednesday night, saying that the message was misunderstood. “Our real intention behind the message was to tell the public to stop lecturing women and make more room for women to express themselves freely,” it wrote. “We didn’t think it through when writing the post and we missed the mark in our wording. We are sorry for making people uncomfortable.”

The apology did little to stop the backlash, with many Weibo users calling for a boycott of the company.

“I’ve seen comments saying the author must be a man, and our entire team — which is all female — was really disappointed,” Maia Active CEO Mia Wang posted on her personal WeChat account. “As women, we never had malicious intentions towards our peers. I want to apologize to everyone who felt hurt or offended by our post today.”

Founded in 2016, Maia Active is a Chinese activewear maker that specializes in creating products that fit Asian women’s bodies. As a popular women-centric brand that’s primarily known for its yoga apparel, Maia Active has made it clear in its past marketing campaigns that young female professionals are its target customers.

Over the last few years, Maia Active has grown its offline shops to more than 10 locations across China, most of which are in major cities including Shanghai and Beijing. In 2021, its sales exceeded 300 million yuan ($43 million), with an average annual growth rate of 166 percent.

Maia Active wasn’t the only Chinese company that failed to read the room on International Women’s Day. Haohuanluo, a popular snack brand famous for its “snail rice noodle” (螺蛳粉 luósīfěn) — an odorous dish that some find delicious while others hate — also came under fire for posting an article on social media titled, “What’s the smell of women?”