Castle Lite has released a video apologising to the women of South Africa for excluding them from years of advertising and objectifying them in their male-dominated adverts.
Castle Lite used International Women’s Day as a learning moment when the #HoldMyBeer movement took front and centre. It all started with a simple tweet by Dineo Ranaka, a TV and Radio host, who posted a picture of her beer after a long day of making magic happen.
After such a long day making magic, a cold beer is all that's needed to unwind. #HoldMyBeer pic.twitter.com/kxSj6rJnh2
— #DineoOnDecks (@dineoranaka) March 7, 2018
Her tweet was met with some pretty misogynistic responses that are pretty baffling in 2018. Some men said it was a “turn off” and unattractive, making them look manly, while others were not sure if a woman who drank beer could be trusted.
What followed was a stream of women posting their selfies while holding a cold one. The moment was a very loud one, especially because it took place just hours before International Women’s Day. The beer in Dineo’s tweet was a Castle Lite and they obviously got wind of the trending Twitter topic and used the moment to apologise to all women in South Africa.
“The #HoldMyBeer movement pushed us to take a long hard look at the role our advertising plays in shaping cultural norms. From here on out we promise to be better, to stop the exclusion and objectification and unlock more inclusion because women should do anything, be anything, drink anything.”
#HoldMyBeer pushed us to take a long hard look at the role we play in shaping cultural norms. From now #CastleLite promises to be better, to stop the exclusion & unlock more inclusion because women should do anything, be anything, drink anything. #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/fIr34SAERX
— CastleLiteSA (@castlelitesa) March 8, 2018