B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Cannes Lions
  • NRL
  • WPP
  • B&T Women in Media
  • AFL
  • Thinkerbell
  • Pinterest
  • State of Origin
  • Anthony Albanese
  • imaa
  • ARN
  • Meta
  • AI
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: “I F**cking Hate Honey Birdette”: Lingerie Brand Under Fire For Allegedly Using Gaza War As Inspo In Latest Campaign
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Campaigns > “I F**cking Hate Honey Birdette”: Lingerie Brand Under Fire For Allegedly Using Gaza War As Inspo In Latest Campaign
Campaigns

“I F**cking Hate Honey Birdette”: Lingerie Brand Under Fire For Allegedly Using Gaza War As Inspo In Latest Campaign

Aimee Edwards
Published on: 23rd May 2024 at 10:07 AM
Aimee Edwards
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Honey Birdette has once again found itself in the firing line after its latest email newsletter campaign played on a phrase that’s used to call awareness to the war in Gaza.

Earlier this week, in a newsletter sent out to subscribers with the subject line “ALL EYES ON AYAH!”. The email has triggered outrage across social media, with many believing the phrase mimics “All Eyes On Rafah”, which has been used widely this month to bring awareness to Israel’s invasion of the Palestinian city.

It was journalist and host of the podcast Here’s The Thing Soaliha Iqbal who first drew attention to the campaign. Pedestrian.tv reported that she had shared an Instagram Story and carousel, slamming the brand for repurposing the slogan and for using the name “Ayah,” which is a Muslim name that means “sigh of God’s existence”.

“The marketing email about the product was titled ‘ALL EYES ON AYAH!’ — which appears to be a play on ‘ALL EYES ON RAFAH!’, a phrase used to bring attention to the genocide of Palestinians who are trapped in Rafah,” Iqbal said. “At a time where we are seeing an increase in both the dehumanisation and fetishisation of Arabs and Muslims (really, these are two sides of the same coin), it is particularly questionable to use this name for lingerie set”.

“Why would Honey Birdette think this was a good idea? Who signed off on this?” Iqbal questioned in her post.

Outraged, many took to social media, slamming the “tone deaf” campaign.

“I f**cking hate Honey Birdette with every fibre of my being,” one said, sharing the campaign and highlighting the problems that have come up for the brand in the past, including accusations of sexual harassment towards staff.

I fucking hate honey birdette with every fiber of my being . from the way they allow staff to be sexually harassed daily down to how they constantly steal smaller lingerie brands designs.

Seeing this as their new ad campaign is really just the cherry on top pic.twitter.com/PNL10ueO3a

— Goobie (@GGtheSnail) May 21, 2024

are yall gonna apologise for this or keep being problematic as always??? https://t.co/DXk7kqyG9k pic.twitter.com/5kczRXtcJo

— nik 💥 heesung defender (@masangtaesimp) May 21, 2024

This is the most recent in a long line of controversies for the lingerie label. In March this year, the brand was slapped with its 68th upheld complaint from the ad standards board after an advert titled ‘Stephanie Black’ that shows two women clad in strappy leather lingerie, with one of the women wearing nothing on her breasts aside from nipple covers appeared in a shopfront window, visible to children.

Honey Birdette has not yet publicly commented on the controversy. B&T contacted the lingerie outlet for comment but received no response before publication.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: Gaza, Honey Birdette
Share
Aimee Edwards
By Aimee Edwards
Follow:
Aimee Edwards is a journalist at B&T, reporting across media, advertising, and the broader cultural forces shaping both. Her reporting covers the worlds of sport, politics, and entertainment, with a particular focus on how marketing intersects with cultural influence and social impact. Aimee is also a self-published author with a passion for storytelling around mental health, DE&I, sport, and the environment. Prior to joining B&T, she worked as a media researcher, leading projects on media trends and gender representation—most notably a deep dive into the visibility of female voices in sports media. 

Latest News

NSW Blues & Adidas Kick-Off Game III With ‘House Of Blue’
04/07/2025
TV Ratings (03/07/2025): Nearly 800K Tune In For Joanna Lumley’s ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ Danube Tour
04/07/2025
Google’s Veo 3 Being Used To Create Racist Videos For Social
04/07/2025
Enrichd Group & Greg Inglis Launch ‘Stick With It’ Mental Health Movement
04/07/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?