There’s no beer without women. In fact, women were among the first beer brewers in history. Yet for the years that followed, many in the beer industry (Miller Lite included) alienated the very people who helped create it.
How? By dividing women as consumers, objectifying them in their ads, and frankly, putting a lot of bad $#!T out there.
Today, Miller Lite is announcing Bad $#!T to Good $#!T, an initiative creating fertilizer made from old sexist beer advertising that will be used to grow hops for female brewers. The beer brand is teaming up with producer, comedian, actor, and undeniable arbiter of good $#!T, Ilana Glazer, to help amend the industry’s sexist history of beer marketing and rectify the past. They’re turning the age-old, objectifying beer ads (aka bad $#!T) into good $#!T - literally.
“This Women’s History Month, Miller Lite wanted to recognize that without women, there would be no beer,” said Elizabeth Hitch, senior director of marketing for Miller Lite. “To honor this we wanted to acknowledge the missteps in representation of women in beer advertising by cleaning up not just our $#!T, but the whole industry’s $#!T while benefiting the future of women and beer.”
Turning bad $#!T into good $#!T is no easy task, but Miller Lite is committed to their mission.
Here’s how it works:
1. Collect the Bad $#!T: Miller Lite has been collecting their (and all of the beer industry’s) outdated, age-old, no-thank-you sexist ads, displays and posters for months. Hundreds of pieces have already been bought and removed from the internet.
2. Convert the Bad $#!T into Good $#!T: They're turning the bad S#!T into fertilizer (literal good $#!T) that will then be used to help female hops farmers grow over 1,000 pounds of hops
3. Create More Good $#!T:
a. These hops will then be donated to over 200 female brewers to make approximately 330,000 beers. So yes, some good $#!T.
b. Miller Lite will also donate over five times the amount it spends to buy back the bad $#!T to the Pink Boots Society* to support women in advancing their careers through brewing education, and to help them put more good $#!T into the world.
“Women are amazing and infinitely creative. I know women have been erased from building many industries from the ground up, and yet I was still surprised to learn that they were among the first beer brewers in history,” said Ilana Glazer. “After years of treating women like objects, the beer industry has an opportunity to shed more light on just how powerful women's contribution has been. I'm inspired Miller Lite created the space for this reflection, and I’m proud to play a part in repping this step in the right direction. We really made some good $#!T together!”
Consumers can visit www.millerlite.com/badsht2goodsht to learn how they can join Miller Lite’s movement and turn their bad $#!T into good $#!T too.
Bad $#!T to Good $#!T continues Miller Lite’s ongoing efforts to make beer more inclusive. This campaign was spearheaded by an all-female leadership team and continues the brand’s work empowering women in beer, as it did with 2022’s Mary Lisle cans, which celebrated the firstfemale brewer in American history.
“Last year, we launched our Mary Lisle cans to celebrate women's achievements in beer,” said Hitch. “This year, we're going further in our commitment to supporting the women who love beer and the women who brew beer, helping them make their own mark in history...and their own good $#!T."
*YOUR PURCHASE OF MILLER LITE PRODUCTS SUPPORTS THE $60,000 DONATION TO PINK BOOTS SOCIETY. THIS
PURCHASE IS NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE. VISIT PINKBOOTSSOCIETY.ORG FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
All graphics and photos provided by Miller Lite/Used with permission