In this week’s Our Take, White Ribbon takes on the Manosphere, GOATs chew through Miami bars, Mums’ careers get shredded, and Shadrinsky is making fashion fun.
Manfluencers, Misinformation & Misogyny: White Ribbon Fights Back
If you thought the biggest risk to boys online was wasting hours on Fortnite, think again. The real battle for young minds is happening in the manosphere – a digital cesspit where influencers mask misogyny as self-improvement, pushing young men down a rabbit hole of resentment and radicalisation. And the worst part? 49% of parents have no idea it’s happening.
White Ribbon’s latest campaign, My Friend Max Hate, is pulling back the curtain on the online grooming of boys—not by predators in the way we traditionally think, but by so-called “mentors” who disguise toxic ideology as empowerment. What starts as fitness tips or dating advice quickly turns into full-blown hostility towards women, feminism, and society at large. The 40% of young men who now trust these harmful voices online aren’t just watching—they’re being recruited.
This isn’t a niche problem; it’s an algorithm-driven epidemic. The manosphere thrives on outrage, and platforms are serving it up in endless, personalised loops. White Ribbon’s campaign offers tools for parents, educators, and young men themselves to break the cycle. So, what’s the game plan? Open conversations, critical thinking, and male role models who don’t rely on outdated macho nonsense. The internet isn’t going anywhere, but neither is White Ribbon’s fight to reclaim young minds from the grip of digital extremism.
The GOATs Need Crisps!
Imagine settling in at your favourite pub, ready to watch a Champions League match, when BAM! – Messi and Suárez stroll in like it’s just another Tuesday. No, this isn’t a fever dream fuelled by too many halftime snacks. It’s Lay’s latest marketing masterpiece, and it’s pure gold!
In their new “No Lay’s, No Game“ campaign, Lay’s assembled a squad of legends – Messi, Suárez, Henry, and Putellas, on a mission to find the ultimate football-viewing pub. But there’s a catch: no crisps, no vibes. That’s right, if a pub doesn’t serve Lay’s, these icons simply moved to the next, leaving fans heartbroken.
The result? Shocked fans, epic reactions, and one very clear message: football and Lay’s are the ultimate duo. Whether in Miami or Barcelona, these superstars prove that a good game night needs good snacks.
Food brands are no longer just feeding audiences – they’re creating experiences and making an emotional connection to them. Lay’s isn’t saying, “Eat our crisps while you watch the match.” They’re making the absence of Lay’s a problem. And, let’s be honest, nobody wants to be the pub that got ghosted by Messi.
This campaign thrives on the power of what’s missing. By showing fans what they could have had, Lay’s turns their crisps into a ticket to football greatness. Add in neon-lit Lay’s bars across Europe and a chance for Henry to cover your tab? That’s next-level snack-vertising.
Moral of the story? Stock up on Lay’s – because you never know who might walk through the door.
Baby on Board, Job Overboard: The Motherhood Penalty Strikes Again
Welcome to 2024, where women are still getting booted from their jobs for the audacity of having a baby. Every single year, a staggering 74,000 women in the UK are pushed out of work simply because they dared to get pregnant or take maternity leave. That’s a 37% increase from 2016. Progress? Not exactly.
The latest research from Pregnant Then Screwed and Women in Data paints a grim picture: almost half of pregnant women, those on maternity leave and new mums returning to work report having a negative experience. A survey of 35,800 parents found that 12.3% of women are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant while pregnant or on maternity leave. That’s one mother pushed out of work every seven minutes.
To make this injustice impossible to ignore, Pregnant Then Screwed has launched the Career Shredder, a live-streamed spectacle where a giant shredder quite literally destroys mothers’ CVs on digital billboard at Westfield. You can even virtually shred your LinkedIn profile to raise awareness.
The campaign also includes outdoor ads across the UK featuring the tagline: “Mum, you’re fired.” Print and podcast spots amplify real women’s voices, driving home the message: pregnancy discrimination is rampant and businesses are losing valuable talent because of it.
So, what’s the solution? The campaign is calling on companies to step up:
— Increase paternity leave (because parenting isn’t just a mum’s job).
— Advertise jobs as flexible unless there’s a solid reason not to.
— Collect maternity retention data to hold themselves accountable.
With DEI initiatives under threat and enforced office returns on the rise, more women are being fed into the career shredder. It’s time for change.
Luxury is getting Lo-Fi with Shadrinsky
Luxury fashion is trying to connect with Gen Z in new ways, and while most brands chase the latest online obsession, Paris-based creative duo Shadrinsky is doing the exact opposite and high-fashion houses are paying attention to it.
Yulya Shadrinsky and Marita Gurcciani don’t just make fashion ads—they make entertainment. Shot entirely on grainy CCTV, their work feels like a high-stakes heist: fast, funny, and completely unpolished. It’s a refreshing contrast to the hyper-curated world of luxury, rejecting exclusivity in favor of something raw, real, and a little chaotic.
Shadrinsky is making fashion fun. By embracing absurdity and ditching the usual gloss, they make designer brands feel accessible, even if you never own a single piece. Their philosophy? Fashion’s magic isn’t just about what you buy—it’s about the feeling it creates.
At a time when traditional marketing is running out of ideas, Shadrinsky proves that standing out isn’t about following trends. It’s about creating something so unexpected, you can’t look away.