Australian Brand Bonds Faces Backlash After Using A Non-Binary Model With A Beard To Show Off Its Latest Bikini

The renowned Australian underwear brand showcased two non-binary models, who use "they/them" pronouns, to promote its $18.99 "Retro Rib™ Seamless Tonal Hi Bikini" as part of the Pride 2024 collection. 

This range is a component of a Pride campaign that includes transgender models, drag queens, and people identifying as gay, bisexual, and pansexual.

However, the inclusion of "Mikey" - a model who is 1.99m tall, has a beard, and shows a bulge under his bikini bottoms - has led to some customers calling for a boycott.

One Twitter user expressed their displeasure, saying: "Just another company to never buy from again." 

Another voiced their sentiment with" "Go woke go broke come on people!"

The backlash has also been evident in the product's online reviews, where customers have left one-star ratings. 

"I use to buy Bonds but I will no longer do so, seeing a man wearing women's garments is seriously off-putting," a reviewer commented.

On Instagram, where Bonds shared images of the Pride campaign, the company faced hundreds of critical comments. 

"Never buying from bonds again!" one user declared. 

Another said, "All my previous purchases are going straight in the bin. No one needs this rubbish." 

A third comment criticized the brand for "insulting to women by putting the model in women's garments."

In contrast, there has been support for Bonds' inclusive campaign. 

Credit: Bonds

"Thank you Bonds for showing your support and the diversity of those of us who wear Bonds," a supporter wrote on the company's Instagram post. 

Another added, "Thanks for celebrating diversity, Bonds." 

A third supporter argued, "The people that are unfollowing and saying they will buy other brands, you’re the same people that are probably racists and homophobes. This is the reason why Australia is divided. People like to live black and WHITE lives... open your eyes and see the colour for once."

The situation with Bonds has drawn comparisons to recent controversies involving Rip Curl and Bud Light, where both brands faced backlash for using male-bodied transgender people to model women's clothing.

Stone Motherless Cold, pictured right, identifies as 'she/they' and is featured in Bond's latest Pride campaign Credit: Bonds

Rip Curl's feature of transgender woman Sasha Lowerson in its "Meet The Local Heroes of Western Australia" campaign led to significant criticism, prompting the brand to delete the post and issue an apology. 

"Our recent post has landed us in the divisive space around transgender participation in competitive sport," Rip Curl stated. 

"We want to promote surfing for everyone in a respectful way but recognize we upset a lot of people with our post and for that, we are sorry."

This apology did little to calm the situation, as evidenced by one customer's act of burning his Rip Curl board shorts in protest. 

"Go woke, go broke – f*** you, Rip Curl," said Steve Gleeson before disposing of his shorts in a fiery demonstration.

This came after Rip Curl had previously ended its relationship with Bethany Hamilton, a globally recognized surfer, reportedly due to her opposition to transgender individuals competing in women's sports.

In response to the criticisms on its Instagram page, Bonds made it clear that "any comments we feel are inappropriate or offensive will not be tolerated and will be removed from this page".