Retailer Closing 21 Stores, Loses $80 Million After Replacing Shark Survivor Model With Man Pretending to Be Woman
The fallout from companies embracing controversial marketing campaigns continues.
After Anheuser-Busch teamed up with self-proclaimed transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in 2023, Bud Light sales plummeted nearly 30 percent compared to the previous year, according to Fox Business. That backlash served as a warning — but some brands haven’t learned the lesson.
This year, Kathmandu Holdings (KMD Brands), the New Zealand-based parent company of Kathmandu and Rip Curl, has reported a staggering $82.9 million loss — its largest in a decade. The U.K.’s Daily Mail notes that this financial hit includes a $40.3 million writedown for its Oboz hiking boot line.
The losses follow widespread boycotts after Rip Curl used transgender surfer Sasha Lowerson in a 2024 women’s surf campaign. The decision drew heavy criticism in Australia and beyond, with many longtime customers turning away from the brand.
Adding insult to injury, Lowerson replaced Bethany Hamilton — a world-renowned surfer, shark attack survivor, wife, mother, and outspoken critic of men competing in women’s sports. Hamilton, who lost her arm at 13 but went on to dominate professional surfing, has long stood as a symbol of courage and determination. For many, sidelining her in favor of a biological man was the last straw.
Rip Curl – a famous surfing brand – have dropped Bethany Hamilton (who lost her arm in a shark attack) from their ad campaigns.
They have instead used Sasha Lowerson to advertise women’s surfing.
Their total contempt could not be more clear. pic.twitter.com/Gmc2n5aL0s— Jill Foster (@JournalistJill) January 26, 2024
KMD now plans to close 21 of its 328 Kathmandu and Rip Curl stores. While executives claim the boycott isn’t solely to blame for the company’s troubles, the timing is hard to ignore.
The pattern is clear: consumers are rejecting campaigns that push men pretending to be women into female spaces and products. Just like Bud Light before it, Rip Curl is paying the price.
The Dylan Mulvaney effect is real. The message from the public is simple: get woke, go broke.
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