According to the Official International Women’s Day website, March 8th “is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.” If you drove past the McDonald’s in Lynwood, CA, in 2018, you might have thought you were seeing things.
If you woke up the next morning and scrolled through your Facebook feed, you might have noticed what appeared to be a glitch or even felt like you were in an episode of Black Mirror. None of those theories were true – it wasn’t a mistake.
Your eyes were not deceiving you: McDonald’s famous arches logo had been flipped upside down. It looked like a big, bubbly “W” and had nothing to do with their ongoing Twitter feud with Wendy’s. The logo had been flipped in “celebration of women everywhere,” a McDonald’s representative shared.
People could have already witnessed the flip on the sign at the Lynwood, CA store, but on Thursday, March 8 — International Women’s Day — McDonald’s displayed its arches upside down across its social media accounts. Employees sported the “W“-style logo on their shirts and hats, and there was special packaging featuring the logo at 100 stores nationwide.
McDonald’s spokesperson, Wendy Lewis, offered some insight
“For the first time in our brand history, we flipped our iconic arches for International Women’s Day in honor of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere and especially in our restaurants,” said McDonald’s Chief Diversity Officer Wendy Lewis.
McDonald’s representative Lauren Altmin added that the logo change was in celebration of women across the globe. “We have a long history of supporting women in the workplace, giving them the opportunity to grow and succeed,” Altmin mentioned. “In the U.S., we take pride in our diversity and are proud to share that today six out of 10 restaurant managers are women.” The logo was changed on all of the company’s social media channels, and 100 restaurants featured special “packaging, crew shirts, hats, and bag stuffers.”
Other brands had also taken similar initiatives to acknowledge women. Johnnie Walker introduced a ‘Jane Walker’ bottle, donating $1 per bottle to charities benefiting women. “Important conversations about gender continue to be at the forefront of culture. And we strongly believe there is no better time than now to introduce our Jane Walker icon and contribute to pioneering organizations that share our mission,” said Stephanie Jacoby, vice president of Johnnie Walker. “We are proud to toast the many achievements of women and everyone on the journey towards progress in gender equality.”
Brawny launched a ‘Strength Knows No Gender’ campaign, replacing the Brawny Man with female figures and donating $100,000 to Girls, Inc., a nonprofit that helps young women learn leadership and financial skills. However, McDonald’s did not announce any plans to make a donation as part of this initiative.
