Adjoa Andoh in U.K. retailer Boots’ 2024 holiday ad.
Right-wing bigots in the U.K. are calling for a boycott of retailer Boots after the health and beauty chain released a holiday ad featuring Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh.
Andoh stars in the one-minute spot as a sassy Mrs. Claus who takes over Santa’s workshop, distributing make-up, fragrances and other beauty supplies with the help of a team of very glamorous elves, including queer influencer William Grande.
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In a blink-and-you’d-miss-it moment, a queer-coded elf suggests a gift for a particular recipient, to which Andoh replies, “Oh, that’s very them!”
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According to U.K. outlet The Daily Mail, the hashtag #BoycottBoots began trending on Trump ally Elon Musk’s social media platform X not long after the ad went live. Users complained that the ad was too “woke,” barely trying to disguise their racist and anti-LGBTQ+ critiques.
“They’re trying to appeal to the woke-minority and playing the black-drags card over traditional values,” one user wrote, according to The Daily Mail.
“The @BootsUK Christmas Ad is one of the worst woke adverts I’ve seen tbh,” another reportedly wrote. “Santa is a lazy, oversleeping, old white man taking all the credit for his DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) filled staff made up of diverse women and drag queens…”
Fascist party Britain First has also launched a campaign to get Boots to pull the ad and issue a public apology, while encouraging supporters to boycott the brand.
On its website, Britain First describes the ad as “sickeningly woke” and Andoh as an “anti-white racist.” The actress stirred controversy among the British right during King Charles’s 2023 coronation when she said she was struck by the contrast between the “rich diversity” of the crowd at Westminster Abbey and the “terribly white” faces of the Royal Family gathered later on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Britain First complained that the Boots ad “promotes ‘They/Them’ transgender pronouns, a concept created by far-left extremist LGBT movements in an attempt to undermine traditional gender norms, biological sex and the traditional Christian family.”
The party also took issue with the ad’s depiction of Santa Claus, who is seen sleeping while Andoh and her elves work. “Santa Claus is the only heterosexual white man in the whole advert and he is deliberately portrayed as a lazy good-for-nothing.”
In a statement to The Daily Mail, a Boots spokesperson defended Andoh’s involvement in the ad, describing her as “an incredibly talented British actor.”
“We recognize that people look forward to seeing our Christmas advert each year and will have their own opinions on the creative direction,” the Boots spokesperson said. “We always strive to create inclusive campaigns and remind viewers that Boots has a gift for every kind of beauty enthusiast. We firmly stand against discrimination of any kind.”
As the Mail notes, Andoh previously commented that she was “thrilled” to take on the role of Mrs. Claus in the ad. “How beauty can make you feel and how it shapes your identity is very important to me,” she said, adding that the ad “brilliantly shows how beauty can help us feel empowered and fabulous. It can lift your spirits in minutes.”
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