Comedian Shane Gillis joked on live TV that women now 'dress like whores' at the gym, and activewear brand ONER responded with a discount code that spells out an insult. ONER's 'FCKYOU' promo code gave shoppers 10% off all shorts for 24 hours, ending at 11:59 PM PDT on 14 October, and the brand is now facing criticism of its own.
ONER also pledged $50,000 (£37,300) to one of the largest anti-sexual-violence organisations in the US. Many people have focused on the language rather than the money, and they are split on whether answering a crude joke with a crude sales hook helps women or simply sells shorts.
The SNL Monologue That Sparked ONER's Clapback
Gillis made the remark during his mostly self-deprecating Saturday Night Live monologue. He went on to compare women's shorts to neon fishing lures. Actor Dan Levy responded in an Instagram video, saying that short shorts do not make women anything, but make the men who call them names misogynists. Gillis declined to comment through a representative, although he apologised to the audience during the curtain call.
The clip spread quickly, and SNL's own post has been viewed more than 11 million times. ONER's Instagram caption said the brand had seen the online conversations about how women dress in the gym. Its message to anyone who tells a woman what she can and cannot wear was a blunt f*ck you, and it said women should be free to dress without judgement or risk of abuse. The caption does not mention Gillis by name.
Why the 'FCKYOU' Code Divided Gym-Goers
Comments under ONER's Instagram post fall into two camps. The first objects to the swearing. Critics called the campaign 'tacky and distasteful,' asked when the middle finger became a symbol of female empowerment, and argued that confidence and self-respect carry more weight. For them, typing FCKYOU at checkout feels like a gimmick rather than a win for women's rights.
The second camp is debating gym etiquette without excusing harassment. One commenter said nobody should be humiliated over their clothing, but questioned whether micro shorts suit a busy public gym, pointing out that 16-year-olds train there too. She asked for a little more modesty, for the wearer's own sake rather than for men. Another commenter accused modern feminists of mixed messages, citing the recent Sydney Sweeney conversation.
Gym shorts are a sensitive subject. Gillis' joke targeted the fitted, stretchy shorts many women wear to train, and some Reddit users said they choose them for practicality rather than style.
Real Activism or Outrage Marketing?
The $50,000 pledge is the campaign's strongest part, but also its least transparent. ONER has not named the organisation receiving the money, so shoppers cannot verify where the funds are going. That raises the question of whether an undisclosed donation is a sincere stand against sexual violence or a tactical shield against public backlash.
The timing adds to the skepticism. A 24-hour flash sale tied to a viral media row is textbook outrage marketing, and the controversy has inevitably helped the campaign reach a wider audience than a standard statement ever could. Yet with ONER remaining silent on both sales figures and charity details, the campaign's true takeaway remains unresolved.
When a brand turns a real culture-war issue into a 24-hour discount code, the boundary between advocacy and exploitation disappears. ONER set out to weaponise outrage over misogyny, but by reducing systemic sexism to a checkout slogan, it alienated the very women it claimed to defend.
