Sometimes in social media, a great hashtag and a single well-written post is all you need.
Sir Elton John’s hashtag #BoycottDolceGabbana has ‘gone viral’ several million times over. Hardly surprising as one half of the design duo, Stefano Dolce, criticised same-sex families and the use of fertility treatment and labeled children born through IVF ‘synthetic’ – alienating same sex parents, anyone who’s ever had IVF and everyone else on the planet who believes in progress…
Elton’s campaign is gathering pace – in the last three hours the hashtag has gained a reach of 24m (14:30 – 17:30, 17th March) with re Tweets from the likes of Victoria Beckham, Perez Hilton and People Magazine. And don’t get us started on the oodles of coverage, blogs and social media posts repeating Sir Elton’s powerful words. All the while, the man himself retains a dignified silence – he’s said his piece.
On the other hand, Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘retaliation’ hashtag #BoycottEltonJohn hasn’t really taken off, and we won’t even mention their #JeSuisDG hashtag (#BADTASTE).
Just in case you’ve been living in a cave, Sir Elton’s eloquent words:
How dare you refer to my beautiful children as “synthetic? And shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children. Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana.’