McDonald's slammed for International Women's Day stunt

McDonald's flipped the arches to 'honour women' on International Women's Day. Photo / McDonald's

McDonald's has been slammed for an International Women's Day stunt that's been dubbed ''hollow'' and ''lazy'' by social media users.

The fast-food giant flipped its golden arches at one of its restaurants in California, making the iconic ''M'' look like a ''W''.

• McDonald's flips golden arches to celebrate International Women's Day

The company said it wanted to recognise "the extraordinary contribution of women".

"From employees and franchisees, to suppliers and community partners, to our customers, we are inspired by your strength and leadership. In the US, we're proud to share that 6 out of 10 restaurant managers are women. They run the McDonald's business each and every day," a statement issued by the fast food chain read.

More than 62 per cent of McDonald's employees are women, including six out of 10 restaurant managers, according to Wendy Lewis, the company's global chief diversity officer.

But many regarded the move as a hollow stunt.

where were you on the historical day mcdonalds finally started to allow women into their restaurants

— shoe (@shoe0nhead) March 8, 2018

W for strength. W for patience. W for forging ahead. W for challenging norms. W for love. W for endurance. W for ambition. W, also, for @McDonalds. Good one, guys. #IWD18 https://t.co/C0o8dO5IsS

— Bianca Ghose (@BiancaGhose) March 8, 2018

I'm feeling very powerful today and I think it must be the McDonalds arches

— Natalie Shure (@nataliesurely) March 8, 2018

When I started using the term "McFeminism" to refer to the corporate-friendly, HRC fan sort of feminism, I didn't expect McDonalds to actually become one of the biggest examples of the phenomenon 🤦🏻‍♀️

— Thorne (@ExistentialEnso) March 8, 2018