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Journalism of Courage
Starbucks, the multinational coffee chain, has stirred up controversy with its latest campaign promoting trans inclusivity, adding fuel to the ongoing debate over queer rights in India. Starbucks India on Wednesday launched an ad, directed by Gaurav Gupta and featuring transgender model and actor Sia, titled ‘It Starts With Your Name’ featuring a transgender woman meeting her parents at a Starbucks outlet.
It shows a transgender woman named Arpita who is going to meet her parents seemingly after a long time. The ad begins with Arpita’s parents waiting for her at a Starbucks outlet. The father is visibly upset, while the mother is trying to calm him down. When Arpita arrives, she introduces herself as Arpita, not Arpit, her birth name. Her parents are initially hesitant, but they eventually come to accept her for who she is. The ad ends with Arpita and her parents enjoying a cup of coffee together. “Beta, you will always be my child. Just a single letter has been added to your name,” her father reassures her.
“Your name defines who you are – whether it’s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName,” Starbucks India captioned the post.
The ad has been praised by many for its message of acceptance and inclusivity. However, on the other hand, it has also been criticised by some for being “too woke”.
“Seriously, we will deal with our issues when they come up; the last thing I need is preaching by a Western MNC. You take care of serving coffee,” a user wrote.
Another tweeted: “Way to go. Thank you for standing up for this.”
One user wrote: “Fail to understand the need for a multinational to get into sensitive topics in a country of hypersensitive sentimental people. Huge dent in the brand!”
“Why’s everyone crying? We wanted development. This is development. This is exactly what comes with development,” a user tweeted.
“I am a huge Starbucks fan. Virtually spend thousands of rupees in their coffee shop every year. But still, I can’t believe why @StarbucksIndia would launch a woke campaign in the name of advertisement. Can’t they just market their coffee and service to India? Their service is the best in the world. Who designs such campaigns to guilt trip people which don’t appeal/apply to even 0.1 % of Indians? Perhaps I should my allegiance to Thirdwave coffee which has better coffee and equally good service and interiors like #Starbucks,” Another user wrote.
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