Fresh off the outrage about Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, we have yet another controversy involving beer. This time, the culprit is Miller Lite, which has come under fire for an advertisement it published in March for Women’s History Month.

The ad, featuring actress Ilana Glazer, acknowledged the company’s past commercials in which scantily-clad women were used to sell its product. To help rectify this matter, Miller Lite pledged to purchase its old marketing content and transform it into compost for women who brew beer. In the video, Glazer said:

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.

I am unable to decipher parody vs reality at this point…

(paging @BridgetPhetasy)
pic.twitter.com/cYv4mhWRzR

— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) May 15, 2023

This story is the latest highlighting the ongoing culture war. Conservatives criticized the ad as being “woke.”

But is this particular controversy worth the outrage?

It’s fair to say that the ad might be cringe-inducing. I’d say it’s pretty corny. But comparing it to Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney might not be as accurate as it might seem. From a conservative perspective, Miller Lite taking a stand against the objectification of women should line up with the values many of us espouse.

Conservatives have long been vocal about their opposition to the sexualization and objectification of women. Indeed, one of the reasons why we criticize drag shows for kids is because it features men dressing up as sexualized versions of women. So, it’s a bit puzzling to me to see them defend the very issue they claim to oppose in this particular instance.

Cringe factor aside, Miller Lite’s ad aims to address and rectify their past mistakes, acknowledging the role they played in perpetuating harmful stereotypes. By actively working to change the narrative, it does not seem like the type of move that should generate outrage.

In the broader landscape of conservative concerns, there are undoubtedly more pressing battles to fight. While it’s essential to hold companies accountable when they misstep, directing outrage toward an advertisement that aims to do away with the sexualizing of women seems a bit odd. There are far more significant issues at stake, such as safeguarding personal freedoms, supporting economic growth, and defending constitutional principles. Focusing energy on productive debates that have a tangible impact on conservative values would be a more effective use of our time.