#MeToo is the now infamous, ongoing social media campaign against sexual assault and harassment; and now a beauty company wants to brand their products with the hashtag.
TMZ revealed this week that Hard Candy, an American cosmetics giant, applied for a trademark application for the hashtag on October 20, a few days after it began trending.
While Falic Fashion Group – who own Hard Candy – CEO Jerome Falic told TMZ, “the company's intention is to give back to women worldwide,” many aren’t convinced. The current consensus on social media is that the hashtag should not be commercialised, even if the profits are donated to the cause. It has been described as a “cash grab”, and an attempt to cash in on women’s experiences of sexual abuse and harassment.
Hard Candy’s application hasn’t been approved yet, but if it is people are bound to push back on the makeup giant.
