Every single year, the world celebrates IWD or the International Women’s Day. All over the world, different countries have their own ways of celebrating it, some choose to be activists by doing a rally for women’s equality rights, and some chooses to do it the peaceful way.
This was first observed back in 1909 in New York but was officially adopted by the United Nations in 1975. For this year’s the theme was ‘Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives. In some countries like Russia, this is actually observed as an official holiday to commemorate and honor the women who have gained suffrage in 1917.
Even if it is not exactly an official holiday for most countries, they have still managed to find a way to celebrate it. Just like in the United States, the most popular American fast food, McDonald’s, have done something unusual on their official “M” logo in celebration of International Women’s Day, continue reading to find out more.
McDonald’s flip their logos for International Women’s Day
From “M” to “W”
Who would’ve thought that one of the most iconic fast food chain in the world, would think of a creative way to change their logo, by flipping the “M” upside down to make it look like a “W”. This is for the celebration of the International Women’s Day. According to Wendy Lewis, who is McDonald’s chief diversity officer, this is the very first time in the history of.
McDonald’s that they have flipped their iconic gold arches that represents an “M” for this particular day in honor of the women who have achieved extraordinary measures for their rights all over the world.
Lauren Altman, McDonald’s spokesperson said that they have a history when it comes to supporting their female employees, in fact, 6 out of 10 of their restaurant managers are women and they take pride in their diversity. In 100 branches of their fast food chain, they even made new crew shirts and packaging for this special occasion and have changed their company’s logo on their official social media pages.
However, this then led to McDonald’s being referred to as feminists and a lot of people weren’t really impressed by this, especially on social media.
Trump’s Official Statement on IWD
McDonald’s is not the only known figure who is joining the world’s celebration of International Women’s Day because a well-known public figure has even released his own statement about it. United States President Donald Trump is known to have his moments of disrespect when it comes to women, especially during his campaign for the presidential elections.
In an interview, he even talked about his daughter Ivanka in a disturbing and inappropriate manner on national TV. This is only one of a couple of incidents wherein the president seem to have disrespected women, but on the 8th of March, Trump has officially released a statement in celebration of the International Women’s Day.
Today, we flip our Golden Arches to celebrate the women who have chosen McDonald's to be a part of their story, like the Williams family. In the U.S. we’re proud to share that 6 out of 10 restaurant managers are women. https://t.co/6z88OhjXpO pic.twitter.com/hXfOi3wWQf
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 8, 2018
Trump started by acknowledging the fact that there are millions of women who have contributed a lot to the society, not just in the United States but all over the world. He even mentioned how his administration is continuing to try and ensure that everyone will have an opportunity to be able to succeed in whatever they choose to do.
Trump also stated that there are so many hindrances when it comes to women having the chance to reach their full potential and it has got to top. The president also said that women are actually very important when it comes to the economic growth.
Trump even proudly acknowledged what his administration has been doing to be able to promote women empowerment by pushing the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative.
This is their take on being able to help women entrepreneurs have better access to capitals. He also mentioned the Women, Peace, and Security Act, which he actually signed last year and this basically promotes how women should be protected during conflicts around the world.
In celebration of the International Women’s Day, the U.S. president announced that his administration will be launching the USAID’s Women Connect Challenge, wherein it aims to help women, especially those who are from low-middle class families in poor countries to gain access to technology to help them be more productive as well as to to find ways to contribute to the global economy.
This has of course gained mixed-reviews from the American nation, some appreciates the president’s effort on releasing a statement but there are also some who believes that this is all for political purposes.