Starbucks' Naked Woman Logo leads to Boycott Call by US Christian Group
02/06/2008
2 June, 2008 – Starbucks has been strongly criticised over a new logo, which critics claim is offensive.
The US Christian group, The Resistance, has called for consumers to boycott the US coffee giant after saying its new logo has a naked woman on it with her legs “spread like a prostitute”. The group added Starbucks should call itself “Slutbucks”.
But Starbucks has said the image, which is based on a 16th century Norse design of a mermaid with two tails, is not inappropriate. Instead, it is actually a more conservative version of the original design that hung above the chain’s first store which opened in Seattle in 1971.
The image is appearing on some of its cups as a promotion and will continue to be used for several weeks.
Starbucks owner Howard Schultz has described the logo as “bare-breasted and Rubenesque”, adding it “was supposed to be as seductive as the coffee itself”.
Starbucks, which has just opened its first outlet in Argentina, has some 16,000 coffee shops in 44 countries.