An ad campaign for Havaianas flip-flops featuring actress Fernanda Torres has been the target of criticism from right-wing supporters on social media. The backlash focused on a clip from the ad in which the actress says she wants audiences to start 2026 not “on the right foot” but “on both feet.”
This phrase has been interpreted by right-wing politicians and influencers as a political message. On the left, politicians took advantage of the situation to mock their opponents.
Among those who spoke out were former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro and federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL), who associated the content of the advertisement with an alleged ideological position of the brand.
Contacted, Havaianas only responded to the publication of this report.
In a video posted on his Instagram, Eduardo Bolsonaro said he considers Havaianas a national symbol. “But I was wrong, they chose an openly left-wing person to be the poster boy for the sandal,” he said. He also criticized the advertising phrase about starting the year off on the right foot, saying “it wasn’t a coincidence.” Then he throws both feet of the slipper in the trash.
In the video published on the networks, the former deputy also writes that “those who seal it do not benefit from it”. The post has over 5 million views and 600,000 likes.
On X (formerly Twitter), Nikolas Ferreira commented on the matter. “Havaianas, not everyone will wear them now,” he said.
Minas Gerais senator Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans) also published videos on his social networks commenting on the propaganda. He said the request not to start the year “on the right foot” would work as a metaphor.
“We know the message that Havaianas wanted to leave here, especially because next year is an election year and the country is extremely polarized. And who is she hiring to make this propaganda? An actress openly against the right, who does several interviews to say that she is against the right, who now has joined to say that she is against amnesty,” he said. The post is the most viewed of the senator’s recent videos, with 2.8 million views and more than 200,000 likes.
Businessman Luciano Hang, owner of the Havan chain, also published an article about the case. In a post on social media, he said that this summer he would only wear flip-flops from the Ipanema brand, Havaianas’ main competitor. On the Hang website, however, there are Havaianas flip flops.
On the left, criticisms made by right-wing groups have also provoked reactions. Federal MP Erika Hilton (PSOL) questioned the attempted boycott of the brand on social media. “What do you mean, the Bolsonaristas even cancel the Havaianas? Doesn’t that suit them?”, he wrote.
Advisor Pedro Rousseff (PT), nephew of former President Dilma Rousseff, also commented on the episode. In a post on X, he claims that right-wing supporters will start using electronic ankle bracelets to stop using the brand’s flip-flops.
In addition to political protests, users began sharing AI-generated images and montages of horseshoe-shaped flip-flops on social media.
As Christmas approached, comments also emerged that negative repercussions could, in practice, increase brand visibility, in addition to jokes about giving gifts to right-wing family members with Havaianas products.
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