In honor of International Women’s Day, McDonald’s is flipping the patriarchy by turning its golden arches into a bright ‘W’ for women!
Do you know what tastes better than a piping hot cheeseburger? Upending the patriarchy and ensuring equality for women across the world. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, McDonald’s will show its support for by transforming its “M” into a “W,” turning one of the most recognized symbols in the world upside down. “For the first time in our brand history, we flipped our iconic arches for International Women’s Day in honor of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere and especially in our restaurants,” Wendy Lewis, McDonald’s Chief Diversity Officer, said in a statement, per Business Insider .
“From restaurant crew and management to our C-suite of senior leadership, women play invaluable roles at all levels and together with our independent franchise owners we’re committed to their success,” she added. The brand’s logo will turn 180-degrees on all its digital channels – Twitter, Instagram, etc. – and 100 restaurants will have special “packaging, crew shirts and hats” to celebrate the day. Plus, the McDonald’s in Lynwood, California – owned by Patricia Williams for three decades – physically turned its sign upside. People driving by will see a giant golden W
“It took just about everything I had to buy my first restaurant,” Patricia said in a video shared by McDonalds, per Newsweek. She was running two restaurants and raising two daughters when she divorced her husband. Despite the hardships she faces, she refused to throw in the towel. “Those days were hard. I had mouths to feed, but I wasn’t ready to give up. The opportunity for a mother to show her kids what it’s like to be her own boss. That was invaluable. I was set on changing everyone’s mind.”
“Now, it’s 30 years later,” she added, “and we’re not even close to being finished. When life kicks you in the butt, you’ve got to be willing to say, ‘I’m going to be willing to do something different to make it better.’” Today, she runs more than 18 locations with her daughters, employing more than 700 people.
While McDonald’s pulling making a highly visible gesture for International Women’s Day, not everyone was “loving it.” Many Twitter users suggested that in addition to changing their social media icons, they should do more. “McDonalds is flipping their arches upside down to support women. I bet all the money you’d spend on doing that being used for women’s charities or scholarships would be a better one,” @MrFeelsWildRide tweeted. Others suggested the company raise its minimum wage to 15/hr, offer better family leave and more career paths as the company continues its march towards automation.
They’re not wrong, but it’s not a bad thing that the company actually recognized the day. It’s a start. After all, as McDonald’s noted, six out of 10 of its restaurant managers in the U. S. are women. “Without women, there would be no McDonald’s,” the company said.
