In October 2020, medical-apparel company FIGS released a promotional video intended to market its neon pink scrubs. The advertisement featured a female osteopathic physician holding a copy of Medical Terminology for Dummies upside down; a subsequent close-up showed her otherwise blank identification badge marked only with the letters 'DO,' referring to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine designation. The visual joke was widely condemned by physicians, especially female physicians and osteopathic doctors, who argued that it portrayed a qualified medical professional as ignorant and relied on sexist professional stereotypes. The backlash was particularly damaging because FIGS marketed itself as a brand built around respect for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. FIGS removed the video, and co-CEOs Heather Hasson and Trina Spear apologized, acknowledging that the campaign had missed the mark and promising to hire consultants to review future advertising. The company later partnered with the American Osteopathic Association and pledged $100,000 to the organization. Although the episode did not result in a criminal case or executive ouster, it became a prominent example of how a healthcare-focused fashion brand's attempt at light comedy could be read as contemptuous toward the very professionals it claimed to serve.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 2020s
FIGS Pulls Its Upside-Down 'Medical Terminology for Dummies' Advertisement After Physician Backlash
FIGS / 2020s
In October 2020, medical-apparel company FIGS released a promotional video intended to market its neon pink scrubs. The advertisement featured a female osteopathic physician holding a copy of Medical Terminology for Dummies upside down; a subsequent close-up showed her otherwise blank identification badge marked only with the letters 'DO,' referring to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine designation. The visual joke was widely condemned by physicians, especially female physicians and osteopathic doctors, who argued that it portrayed a qualified medical professional as ignorant and relied on sexist professional stereotypes. The backlash was particularly damaging because FIGS marketed itself as a brand built around respect for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. FIGS removed the video, and co-CEOs Heather Hasson and Trina Spear apologized, acknowledging that the campaign had missed the mark and promising to hire consultants to review future advertising. The company later partnered with the American Osteopathic Association and pledged $100,000 to the organization. Although the episode did not result in a criminal case or executive ouster, it became a prominent example of how a healthcare-focused fashion brand's attempt at light comedy could be read as contemptuous toward the very professionals it claimed to serve.
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