Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette has been embroiled in controversy after its latest email newsletter campaign riffed on a phrase that’s used to call awareness to the bombardment in Gaza.
Earlier this week, Honey Birdette sent out a newsletter to its customers with the subject matter “ALL EYES ON AYAH!”. The email, which was shared across social media, has sparked outrage after some people noticed that it heavily mirrored the phrase “All Eyes On Rafah” which was used this month to bring awareness to Israel’s invasion of the Palestinian city.
All eyes where?
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Journalist and podcaster Soaliha Iqbal called out the lingerie brand via an Instagram Story and carousel, slamming the brand for the slogan as well as the use of the name “Ayah”, which is a Muslim name that refers to a “sigh of God’s existence”.
“The marketing email about the product was titled ‘ALL EYES ON AYAH!’ — which appears to be a play on ‘ALL EYES ON RAFAH!’, a phrase used to bring attention to the genocide of Palestinians who are trapped in Rafah,” Iqbal began.
“At a time where we are seeing an increase in both the dehumanisation and fetishisation of Arabs and Muslims (really, these are two sides of the same coin) it is particularly questionable to use this name for lingerie set.”
Iqbal continued to call out the “Ayah” collection, noting that the lingerie sets featured a variety of details that resemble “accessories used for belly dancing” such as waist chains.
“Why would Honey Birdette think this is a good idea? Who signed off on this? What purpose could there be for this marketing ploy aside from either mocking or co-opting Palestinian resistance?” Iqbal wrote.
Soon after the campaign made its rounds online, people flooded Honey Birdette’s social accounts with angry comments about the campaign.
“ALL EYES ON YOUR TRASH MARKETING CAMPAIGN,” one person wrote.
“Another day, another comment to ask for an apology 🍉🇵🇸,” a second person commented.
“Nah you guys should be absolutely ASHAMED for taking ‘all eyes on Rafah’ and putting a marketing spin on it and turning it into “all eyes on ayah” to jump on the hype from the saying. Do better,” wrote a third.
Social posts advertising the “Ayah” range are still public, with most posts being flooded with questions and outrage regarding the newsletter.
Since October 7, at least 36,067 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to Al Jazeera. More than 75,000 have been wounded. The Israeli death toll remains 1,139.
Honey Birdette has yet to comment publicly on the backlash; PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out for comment.
Image source: Getty Images /Mahmud Bassam/Anadolu
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