Pepsi has apologized and deleted a controversial social media post that used the phrase “asking for permission” and that critics said made light of consent.
“Pepsi Wild Cherry is what happens when regular cherries stop asking for permission,” a post on Pepsi’s thread account said, according to screenshots shared on social media.
On July 7, the soda brand apologized for the post.
Pepsi’s post reads, “Our recent Wild Cherry post was posted in a way we did not intend. We apologize for your request, but the post has been removed.” According to social media users, the post remained online for several hours before being deleted.
The post discussed Pepsi’s cherry and wild cherry soda flavors, but some people claimed it glorified something they disagreed with.
When contacted on July 8, Pepsi provided an apology to USA TODAY.
Here’s what you need to know:
Why was Pepsi’s Wild Cherry post so controversial?
Some social media users likened it to Pepsi’s post about not “asking for permission” for consent for sexual contact.
“SA is the only way to interpret this post that Pepsi has already been running for 10 hours. This is absolutely abhorrent,” said one user. “SA” is an abbreviation that stands for sexual assault.
Another person wrote, “Deleting a post doesn’t erase the mindset it took to write it. Consent is not a marketing perspective and sexual assault is not a joke. Pepsi should not have posted it. Piri piri!”
Other social media users will interpret your post differently
Others, however, defended Pepsi in light of the backlash, saying the post did not discuss the assault.
“Personally, I read ‘Permission’ for the kind of kid who would raise hell, not assault. But that’s me,” one person wrote.
“I don’t think this is a rape joke or someone inside Pepsi making fun of assault victims. I think Cherry is saying she’s doing what she wants instead of asking permission,” said another user.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. X Keep up with her at @melinakh and on Instagram @bymelinakhan.
