The iconic Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas has found itself thrust into the heart of the country's political culture wars, facing a furious boycott from supporters of the jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro. The backlash was triggered by a television advertisement and has already had a significant financial impact, wiping an estimated £20 million off the company's market value in a single day.
The Advert That Sparked a Political Firestorm
The controversy centres on a commercial featuring the acclaimed actor Fernanda Torres, who starred in the Oscar-winning Brazilian film I'm Still Here. In the advert, Torres expresses a hope for the new year, saying she wishes for audiences to start 2026 not "on the right foot," but "with both feet." This seemingly innocuous play on words was interpreted by Bolsonaro's base as a direct political jab against the right wing.
The reaction echoed tactics seen among supporters of Donald Trump in the United States, who have previously targeted brands like Bud Light, Keurig, and Kellogg's. Leading the charge was one of the former president's sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, whose mandate as a congressman was recently revoked after he moved to the US. In a symbolic video posted online, he discarded a pair of the sandals into a bin.
"I thought this here was a national symbol," Eduardo Bolsonaro stated, pointing to the small Brazilian flag featured on the footwear. "But I was mistaken. They chose as the spokesperson for the sandal someone who is openly leftwing." Neither Torres nor Havaianas have issued a public comment on the growing row.
Financial Fallout and Mockery from the Left
The economic consequence of the campaign was swift and severe. The first day of the coordinated boycott, which took place on a Monday, reportedly erased approximately £20 million from the market capitalisation of the company behind the globally recognised brand.
Eduardo Bolsonaro drew a direct parallel to the US culture wars, quipping, "I'll tell the marketing people [at Havaianas] to get advice from the Budweiser marketing department here in the US, which also lost touch with reality and took a billion-dollar loss." He was referring to the backlash faced by Bud Light after its campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
On the opposing side of Brazil's political divide, reactions ranged from sincere to sarcastic. Some earnestly urged boycotters to donate their unwanted flip-flops to charity. Others offered to exchange the sandals for an electronic ankle tag in Brazil's national colours of green and yellow—a pointed reference to the legal troubles of their former leader.
A Symbolic Nemesis for a Leaderless Movement
This episode highlights how Brazil's far right, now leaderless since Jair Bolsonaro was jailed for attempting a coup following the 2022 election, has latched onto consumer brands as symbolic battlegrounds. The ankle tag joke is a particularly biting one: Bolsonaro was caught trying to destroy his own monitoring device with a soldering iron, an act that led to his transfer from house arrest to a prison cell.
The campaign against Havaianas underscores the deepening polarisation in Brazilian society and the potent influence of politically motivated consumer activism. It remains to be seen whether the financial damage will be lasting or if, as with some boycotted US brands, the storm will eventually pass.
