A bikini company and its owner are responding to criticism after posting video of a male model wearing their women's swimwear.
Moana Bikini, owned by Australian body positivity influencer Karina Irby, touts its brand as being "at the forefront of a positive movement of female empowerment and inclusivity, centred around the utilisation of Social Media as a positive force for change."
However, many women were outraged on social media after a recent promotional video on the Moana Bikini Instagram page showed male model Jake Young modeling one of their one-piece women's swimsuits.
After many questioned the brand’s commitment to women by having a man wearing an ostensibly feminine swimsuit, Irby herself took to the IG comments section.
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"Moana has been empowering ALL bodies since 2011. This video really should [sic] shock you at all. If you have to announce your ‘anger’ I strongly urge you to listen too – YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN by Taylor Swift, as I believe it was written for you," Irby declared in the comments. "See you are special."
Taylor Swift’s 2019 song, "You Need to Calm Down" is known for its pro-LGBTQ lyrics urging people, presumably more socially conservative individuals, to "control your urges to scream about all the people you hate, 'cause shade never made anybody less gay."
When one account suggested the company was being disrespectful for referencing this song, the Moana Bikini brand account responded by quoting the lyrics, "you need to calm down. You’re being too loud."
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An account appearing to represent the model, Jake Young, responded, "There are many different types of women. Women with different anatomy to what you consider ‘normal.’ I am not a woman nor have I ever claimed to be. This post is simply empowering a minority & I’m forever grateful for that. Your hate is a reflection of your own insecurities, not mine."
Recent posts from Young’s account largely feature him in what appears to be more feminine clothing, even though he lists the pronouns on his profile as "he/him."
A spokesperson for the company sent Fox News Digital a statement that defended the video and said people are cherry-picking the post.
"We find it quite absurd that people would cherry-pick this one, individual post from our 12 years of business to make a wild statement about us not being empowering to women," the statement reads. "Many commenters are using the excuse that they believe it is ‘insulting to women,' when in reality, it’s quite clear they are homophobic and have an issue with someone expressing their sexuality proudly and confidently."
"We’re happy to receive and hear people’s feedback - both negative and positive. But we’re not here to please everyone. That’s an impossible task. If people aren’t happy with this individual post of a proud, gay man wearing a piece of clothing he feels confident in… they can just keep scrolling or unfollow, can’t they?," the statement continued. "Imagine living a life where you choose to be offended by something and stick around, comment and engage, only to make yourself more and more angry."
The statement concluded, "This sounds like a them problem, not an us problem, to be honest."
