After a fiery petition and subsequent protests outside their flagship store in New York City, Reebok has finally dropped rapper Rick Ross from their campaign. The controversy with the rapper stemmed from a line of his lyrics that glamorized date rape.
UltraViolet, the gender equality group that spearheaded the movement, celebrates this positive turn in events. Co-founder Nita Chaudhary says, “We are thrilled to hear that Reebok is joining the fight against rape culture and dropping Rick Ross. This is a huge victory for women, for the 526 survivors of rape who were brave enough to publicly confront rape culture, and for the nearly 100,000 UltraViolet members who have poured their hearts and time into this campaign. This sends a strong message that rapping about drugging and raping an unconscious woman is not only morally wrong, but has real consequences. After Steubenville, Americans expect and demand better. Thank you Reebok for taking a stand.”
Here are some photos from last week’s protest.
via FitzGibbon Media, Inc
images via UltraViolet photostream, Art-Dept.net
