Shopee apologizes for controversial ad accused of mocking sexual harassment

Online marketplace giant Shopee apologized after coming under fire over a controversial paid post that made fun of sexual harassment victims, which prompted netizens to trend #UninstallShopee on Twitter.

The paid post ⁠— which was recently uploaded on Indonesia’s biggest gossip page on Instagram, Lambe Turah ⁠— appeared to mimic viral posts from sexual harassment victims in the past, featuring screenshots of the victim’s social media posts that called on other women to be careful when using dating apps.

One slide of the paid post showed a screen recording illustrating predatory dating behavior, in which the man insisted on sending a video ⁠— implied to be sexual in nature ⁠— to the woman. The video, it turned out, was a Shopee ad.

fuck your riding the wave bullshit @ShopeeID this is NOT FUNNY AND VERY INSENSITIVE TO THE VICTIMS. lo kira orang pada speak up about assault/harassment tuh cuma nyari clout/viral doang? lo tau gak SUSAHNYA CERITA APALAGI DIPERCAYA ORANG and you use it for fucking gimmick? pic.twitter.com/dNmkxtWZlv

— Janit (@jxnxt) February 2, 2021

“Fuck your riding the wave bullshit @ShopeeID this NOT FUNNY AND VERY INSENSITIVE TO THE VICTIMS. You think people who spoke up about [sexual] assault or harassment just wanted to seek clout/getting viral? Do you know how HARD IT IS TO SPEAK UP ESPECIALLY GETTING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE YOU and you use it for fucking gimmick?” the tweet below, which gained among the most traction on Twitter, reads.

ancur sih gue ampe gemeter ngetik ini. ngga lucu @ShopeeID pic.twitter.com/QCvTw0sKkM

— Janit (@jxnxt) February 2, 2021

The post on Lambe Turah has since been taken down following a huge backlash online. On Twitter, netizens rallied the #UninstallShopee hashtag in light of the insensitive ad.

Shopee Indonesia Director Handika Jahja issued an official statement of apology, which included recognition that sexual assault is a matter that needs to be handled with great care and seriousness.

“For that, we fully apologize for the use of the materials that were not appropriate for marketing material,” Handhika said in the statement yesterday.

“We thank you for the criticism and input so that we can do better and be more careful in the future, so that similar cases won’t happen again.”

Also Read — Shopee’s latest BLACKPINK ad, featuring the lower halves of their bodies censored, is cheekily half-assed