For International women's day Hershey's "Her for she" - where he is a she (2023) (Canada)

Here's a new twist on the Hershey's HER for SHE chocolate bars, her for she where he is a she. Hershey's Canada is celebrating International Women's Day on March 8, in partnership with Girl Up, by launching five special edition bars available across Canada. For a few years now, Hershey's has noted the words "HER" and "SHE" on their candy wrapper, and in 2020 they even made an art exhibition for their Women's Day campaign.

"This is part of a global initiative from The Hershey Company, which has been ranked as the World's Top Female Friendly Company, to shine light on the voices of more women making an impact in their communities. To further this commitment to a more equitable future, Hershey Canada has also pledged $40,000 to Girl Up, an organization providing young women with the training, tools, and community to build leadership and accelerate social change."

The "see the future she sees #HERFORSHE" unlisted video on Youtube already has plenty of complaints as it's obvious the future is women are still second-class citizens in the world. The more things change, the more they stay the same. 

update: The Dailywire launches Jeremy's chocolate binary in response 

This year's HER for SHE initiative spotlights five Canadians working to build a better future through their passion, activism, and work in their communities: Autumn Peltier, Indigenous Rights, and Water Activist; Fae Johnstone, 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocate; Rita Audi, Gender and Education Equality Activist; Naila Moloo, Climate Tech Researcher; and Kélicia Massala, founder of Girl Up Québec.

The illustrations on the limited-edition packaging is created by Toronto-based mural artist, Gosia Komorski.

"The HER for SHE 2023 campaign is crucial to empower women to become leaders and to teach young girls that anything is possible," says Rita Audi of the easy decision to collaborate with Hershey Canada. "By featuring the accomplishments of local women, Hershey's raises awareness of both the progress we have made towards gender equality and the amount of work we still have to do."

Online people have reacted quite harshly to this ad already, in particular to Fae Johnstone the trans-identified 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocate in the ad. Fae tweeted "the chocolate is out of the wrapper" on Twitter and was met with a lot of criticism.

The chocolate's out of the wrapper!

Honoured to be featured in this campaign by @Hersheys Canada for #InternationalWomensDay alongside 4 brilliant sisters and change-makers. https://t.co/0s9uh8MvHv pic.twitter.com/jdXNJfcZmo

— Fae Johnstone, MSW (@FaeJohnstone) March 1, 2023

"Look you do you", tweeted Ani O'Brien, "but this is so exhaustingly insulting to women."

Look you do you, but this is so exhaustingly insulting to women. 50% of the population is female & on the one day supposed to celebrate us, @hersheys chooses to celebrate a male who presents according to feminine stereotypes.

— Ani O'Brien (@aniobrien) March 2, 2023

I happen to agree with Ani, it's an insult to women, but there is more. I also find the grouping here, indigenous women, black women, and then Fae, quite revealing in itself. I'll just leave it at that.

"The Hershey Company is working to make advancements in gender equity through meaningful partnerships and programming that provide young girls and women the support to develop their skills and get involved in leadership opportunities. This includes a global partnership with Girl Up, and the "Future CEO" program, a company-wide program that offers mentorship and education to young women in Canada and around the world. In working closely with Girl Up Canada to amplify women's stories, Hershey Canada hopes to spark a movement and inspire more women to continue fighting for the future they want to see. To further drive the conversation and support Girl Up, Hershey Canada is calling Canadians to celebrate the incredible women around them by shouting them out on @hersheyscanada's Instagram channel. This call to highlight more women making an impact will not only highlight more women across the country, but will also incite donations to Girl Up. For every comment on HERforSHE posts, Hershey Canada will donate $1 (up to $10,000 and until March 18) to the women's leadership organization. This social media-driven initiative will be bolstered by an additional $30,000 donation to Girl Up. "As a society it is ever more important to continue to uplift and recognize the strength of all women," says Autumn Peltier, who is excited to see her bar wrapper and story come to life. "Everyone deserves a seat at the table—there is power in the word 'she.'"

Credits: Client: Hershey's Canada

Senior Marketing Manager: Brittany Chopra

Creative agency The Mint Agency

Artwork: Gosia Komorski

update: The Dailywire launches Jeremy's chocolate binary in response