Proya used Women's Day to speak up for men — its female customers asked why

On March 4, 2024, Proya launched its fourth annual International Women's Day campaign with the theme '#Gender is not the boundary, prejudice is#' (#性别不是边界线 偏见才是#). The poster series featured five real people sharing experiences of gender prejudice. Two of the five were men: one described being 'misunderstood' for having a soft voice and liking beauty; another described liking plush toys despite being 'strong and brave.'

The backlash was immediate. Proya's core customers — women buying a beauty brand on the one holiday dedicated to them — asked why their day had room for men's stories. Weibo comments included 'Men have 364 days a year — and on the one Women's Day, you still speak up for male babies?' and 'The most disgusting campaign of the quarter.' The hashtags #Proya# and #DidProya'sWomen'sDayMarketingFail# trended on March 7.

Proya's initial response defended the campaign: gender prejudice affects both women and men, and 'all weak people deserve respect.' The defense deepened the anger. Proya then deleted the original post, swapped to a female-only video, turned on curated comments, and announced a legal-aid partnership for women workers. It never issued a formal apology, acting as if the incident had not happened.