Bikini Company Faces Backlash Over Ad Showing Male Model In Women’s Swimsuit (3 of 3)

The brand doubled down, not only keeping the original video of Young but also adding a new photo with the caption, “Moana Babe @jakeytho is a vibe in our SLOP RUNCH BTM!” This move was seen by some customers as adding more fuel to the fire, with accusations of a “publicity stunt” being thrown around.

Moana Bikini, however, remained unshaken by the backlash. The company stated that while they welcomed both kinds of feedback, negative and positive, pleasing everyone was not on their agenda. “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 brand brushed off the criticism, implying that the problem lay with the critics, not with them, by saying, “This sounds like a them problem, not an us problem, to be honest.”