A popular Instagram star cut ties with a lingerie brand after it used a non-binary, biologically male model to advertise her women’s underwear.
Bri Teresi, a fashion influencer who has been outspoken about her conservative views, announced she was cutting ties with the Honey Birdette brand after it posted photos of non-binary model Jake Dupree modeling a red bra, panties and girdle model in a post promoting LQBTQ+ inclusivity .
Teresi, who has 1.4 million followers on Instagram, said the post was “pure misogyny” and told Fox News that Honey Birdette robbed a woman of her job by giving ad space to a biological man.
She also pointed out that Honey Birdette’s biography on Instagram previously said it was “by women, for women,” but now reads “a luxury lingerie brand for everyone!” Teresi said she was “furious” by the brand’s decision, which she says she worked with for three years while carrying about $40,000 worth of products.
Honey Birdette told Fox News that they had never worked with Teresi and that they have always promoted the LGBTQ+ communities as well as women. They characterized Teresi’s words as an “attack” in a statement to Fox News.
The controversy comes after Nike sparked controversy by using trans woman Dylan Mulvaney to advertise their women’s sportswear.
Jack Dupree in the Honey Birdette lingerie commercial that led to Bri Teresi cutting ties
Bri Teresi has 1.4 million followers on Instagram and said she worked with Honey Birdette for three years and modeled about $40,000 worth of lingerie
When the post featuring Dupree was first made in April, Teresi commented, “Sad to see you guys jumping on the waking bandwagon! Again, another thing that has been adopted by men. Know your audience!’
Dupree’s photo is captioned “Red curtain moment!” and the announcement “Honey Birdette promotes an inclusive and diverse environment, and we will continue to use our voice to empower and support the LGBTQ+ community, women and anyone who wants to feel fabulous in our lingerie.”
It added that negative comments, “hate speech” and “bullying” would not be tolerated on the post. Comments have since been disabled.
Teresi told Fox News that she felt she couldn’t sit around while women’s rights were flouted, saying, “They’re trying to get rid of women altogether, I really believe that.”
“The only way to stop this nonsense and propaganda is not to support companies that don’t support our values. It’s that simple!’
“As a model, I can tell you that a real woman has been robbed of a spot because of a misleading diversity flyer. That is pure misogyny. More than ever, we must support companies that support our values. Wake up, go bankrupt.”
Honey Birdette, headquartered in Australia, said in a statement that it disagrees with “anyone who attacks our inclusive values.”
Teresi said “waking up is a disease” and said that Honey Birdette was only costing itself customers.
“Their target audience will no longer buy lingerie modeled by a man.”
Teresi has previously been candid about her beliefs on her Instagram page, which she has used to show her support for Donald Trump and speak out against his impeachment.
Honey Birdette said it wanted its products to promote inclusivity for everyone in the Instagram post
Teresi has been outspoken about her conservative views in her Instagram presence
Honey Birdette’s Instagram bio previously stated that it’s “by women, for women!” used to be.
Honey Birdette’s new Instagram bio says it’s a “luxury lingerie brand for everyone”!
It’s amid a wave of backlash as numerous brands have used transgender people to promote their products.
Bud Light recently used Dylan Mulvaney to promote their beer, resulting in a nationwide boycott that resulted in a multi-billion dollar loss for the company and the marketing executive behind the move taking a leave of absence.
A number of female athletes also called for a boycott of Nike after Mulvaney was used as a spokesperson to sell sports bras and other products in their women’s athletic line.
Mulvaney, who gained popularity with her Days of Girlhood series, posted videos and photos to her Instagram page in early April, tagging Nike Women, while linking to product pages.
Outraged feminists, and some men, criticized Nike’s decision to give coveted sponsorship for a prominent women’s line to a transgender woman.
It is not the first time that Nike has used a trans star in their marketing, launching their ‘Play New’ campaign in 2021 featuring Mara Gomez, the first trans woman to play in Argentina’s professional football league.
Mulvaney was also hired by Tampax to promote menstrual products for women.