Published on February 15, 2024, 1:51 am

The hotly debated topic surrounding transgenderism in women’s sports has not only been a significant talking point in media and politics but also played a prevalent role in corporate advertising. Renowned brands such as Target, Starbucks, and Bud Light were the frontrunners in promoting the LGBT agenda.

In 2021, one of the prominent soap and personal care brands, Dove, joined this movement when it commended Laurel Hubbard, a male weightlifter who participated as a woman in the Olympics. Through their post on Twitter, Dove celebrated this moment as “History in the making.”

This type of progressive advertisement was somewhat anticipated three years ago when most brands had no qualms about openly endorsing their ideologies through social media platforms. But after this year’s Dove ad during the Super Bowl (first since 2015), many Americans are left contemplating where the corporation actually stands on this issue.

Presently, Dove is endeavoring to create a campaign themed around “body confidence in sports,” which uses the hashtag #KEEPHERCONFIDENT. Interestingly enough, their latest commercial hardly featured any transgender individuals but instead opted for biological girls along with projecting messages such as “Let’s help keep girls in sports.”

Hence arises a pertinent question: Has Dove shifted its stance on trans-identifying males participating in women’s sports? Or are they reconsidering their approach amidst ongoing boycotts against companies like Bud Light?

Riley Gaines – a former recognized NCAA swimmer remains skeptical about whether Dove’s stance truly altered or if this shift was purely another strategic move aimed at profiting more from their advertisements.

Suzanne Bowdey of Family Research Council’s The Washington Stand noted that even if that were true, it would still represent an astonishing change for corporate America. Companies have typically depended on their progressivism to attract customers. But just a year after Bud Light faced severe backlash, other companies like Rip Curl publicly apologized for endorsing trans activism—a sign that change might be the wind

Despite Dove maintaining strong connections within the LGBT community, this shift from trans-centric advertisements to focusing on girls’ sports could be seen as detrimental evidence of how contentious transgenderism in sports has become.

Why has Dove suddenly diverted its marketing strategy toward girls’ sports during one of the world’s most-watched football games? In answer to this question, Joseph Backholm from Family Research Council theorized that it could be a result of prioritizing their financial bottom line.

“Dove is trying to sell soap,” he affirmed. “Sometimes they believe promoting women will augment their sales. At other times they think virtue-signaling on LGBT issues will do the trick.”

Backholm hypothesized that such toggling stems from those who prioritize emotions to determine truth and may hold conflicting positions if it makes them feel virtuous independently.

In discussing Dove’s newfound focus on supporting girls in sports rather than stressing transgender inclusivity, Backholm speculated: “The reason behind this could very well be explained by simple commercial interests. Women represent a significantly larger market than men identifying as women.”

This decision might also have roots in what happened to Disney, Bud Light – companies whose controversial advertising strategies greatly impacted their stock prices.”

Although an official rationalization for Dove’s revised marketing strategy is still missing, there’s no doubt that any corporation would prefer avoiding potentially destructive advertisement campaigns given recent precedents. This area remains speculative and open for ongoing debate based on real news and trusted news sources approaching the matter from a Christian worldview perspective.