Myntra, one of the largest online retailers for clothes and accessories in India has decided to change its official logo after a woman in Mumbai filed a complaint claiming it to be offensive and derogatory to women.
The complaint was lodged in December last year at the Mumbai police station by an activist Naaz Patel. She is associated with the Avesta Foundation NGO in Mumbai.
Patel sought the removal of logo by the Flipkart-backed e-commerce giant and appropriate action against the company. She also took up this matter across various forums and platforms on social media.
In a statement to 'The Quint', Patel said:
I was at a social gathering when I noticed two men started giggling after Myntras advertisement was played on television. When I asked them about it, they refused to tell me why. But I asked a few men later and they pointed that the logo was designed like a woman whose legs are spread open.
She then tried to reach out to the company through emails but there was no response from their end.
Before filing the complaint, Patel had reportedly asked the e-commerce brand to remove the logo and threatened appropriate action against the company in case they failed in implementing the suggested changes.
She further said that after getting negative responses from the other activists and lawyers regarding the issue, she felt like someone should take the matter to Mumbai Police and so she did the same.
Acting on the complaint filed by the activist, DCP Rashmi Karandikar of Mumbai Police's Cyber Crime Department said,
We found that the logo was offensive in nature for women. Following the complaint, we sent an email to Myntra and their officials came and met us. The officials said they will change the logo in a month's time.
Myntra has written to the Mumbai Police claiming that they would revise their logo on their website, app and on all packaging material. Further, they said that they had already issued printing orders for packaging material with the new logo. However, they have not issued a statement in connection with the issue.
The incident did not go unnoticed online. Several users took to social media over the company's move to change its logo.
Avesta Foundation even thanked Myntra for addressing the concerns and respecting the sentiments of millions of women. It also thanked people for their support.
"Congratulations to our founder. She did it what apparently seemed impossible. Thank you everyone for your support. We're overwhelmed by the response. Kudos to @myntra for addressing the concerns and respecting the sentiments of millions of women," the foundation tweeted.
This is not the first instance of a brand facing backlash for its logos and promotional mediums. Similar incidents have taken place in the past too.
