Purplewashing is a

compound word In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme (less precisely, a word or sign) that consists of more than one stem. Compounding, composition or nominal composition is the process of word formation that creates compound lexemes. Compounding occurs when ...

modeled on the term ''

whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used ...

''. The prefix "purple" is associated with

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

while the verb "wash" refers to the co-opting strategies that use minority rights to maintain or enhance structural forms of discrimination. In the context of feminism, it is used to describe a variety of

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

and

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

strategies aimed at promoting countries, people, companies and other organizations through an appeal to

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

. This marketing tactic has also been called "Femvertising", which was most discussed in Gillette Razor's #

MeToo #MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...

commercial aimed towards

toxic masculinity Toxic masculinity is a set of certain male behaviors associated with harm to society and men themselves. Traditional stereotypes of men as socially dominant, along with related traits such as misogyny and homophobia, can be considered "toxic" d ...

. The term is commonly used to denounce the use of feminism to justify what is perceived as

xenophobic Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

policies. The word is also used to criticize how

Western countries The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

that have not achieved complete gender equality justify this by pointing out that other countries (often majority

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

) or cultures still have a worse

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

for women.

Political

There have been many well-known politicians who have said controversial statements regarding women yet continue to introduce schemes and policies that are for women’s development. A very well known Chief Minister who has introduced many reforms and policies for women empowerment campaigns, such as, Mission Shakti which hopes to raise awareness and tackle crime against women has said “Comparing women to energy, he says just like unbridled energy can be destructive and can go haywire, so too if the spirit of women is not controlled then it can prove dangerous.”Within the Spanish Army, there have been many legislative and formal changes to fight sexism. However, it has not altered the relationship between the patriarchy and militarism that remains today within the Spanish Army. The report of Centre Delas d’Estudis per la Pau analyzes the women in the Armed Force and how they are far from actually reaching the feminist milestone for equality in the areas of power. Once again demonstrating the militaristic logic and patriarchal domination. The mechanisms and behaviours are perpetuated, regardless of changes, due to the preformative patriarchy. Through certain strategies, the Army has purple washed and therefore instrumentalized women in order to create a false reality of equality and modernity in the Armed Forces.

Marketing

Through marketing and political strategies that reinforce a commitment to gender equality, western countries use this as an image-cleaning. This marketing tactic has also been called, "Femvertising", which was most discussed in Gillette Razor's #MeToo commercial aimed towards toxic masculinity. In advertisement, women are often portrayed through gender stereotypes, the objectification of the female body and the little representation of women. The term “femvertising” gained popularity in 2014 after the iBlog magazine SheKnows defined it as “advertising that employs pro-female talent, messages, and imagery to empower women and girls.” Specifically due to its ability to question traditional gender stereotypes tied to women in advertising. Through “femvertising” marketers are able to reach female consumers as they use female empowerment to advertise. One of the most well known examples today, the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty (2004) which aimed to help young women and children gain confidence. By bringing up the idea of physical traits and other stereotypical traits associated to females whether it was personality, role, or occupation, it made sure to raise awareness that everyone was beautiful. Therefore, Dove is known for being positive advocates for women when it comes to social standards as they have used feminism in their advertising. This strategy is now used by many other brands and companies to attract female consumers. Social media is a way in which companies can further market to females. Social media platforms such as Instagram portray the usage of "femvertising". Ads on social media apps provide a means for brands to bolster products and will strategize the marketable content that the users interacts with. These advertisements are generated based on the users’ activity, increasing interest and therefore the probability of purchases and interaction. Social media feed that relates to females will drive the trends within these apps. Feminism is a popular way social media apps use female topics, such as campaigns for feminism or highlighting social issues involving females. The clothing company H&M designed a campaign titled "She's A Lady" in 2016 that was used on social media platforms. Campaigns as such online display the influence "femvertising" to invest in the interest of females.

References

{{feminism Feminist economics

Political

Marketing

See also

References