Skip to main content

OnePlus launches and pulls sexist ‘Ladies First’ contest after Internet outrage

Oneplus One Press
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Currently, the only way to acquire OnePlus’ highly-coveted One smartphone is by having an invite. You can do so by getting invited from someone who already has the smartphone and by entering contests. However, OnePlus has gotten a lot of flak over its “Smash the Past” contest and the altered CE certification logo on the European One handsets. Now, the company is once again in hot water over its “Ladies First” contest.

Related: OnePlus One available for non-invitees, but with some notable differences

Recommended Videos

OnePlus ladies firstExclusively for women, the contest asked women to take a picture of themselves with the OnePlus logo visible on either a piece of paper or drawn somewhere on the body, as reported by Pocketnow. The “50 most well-liked ladies” would receive an invite to purchase the One, as well as a Never Settle t-shirt. In addition, OnePlus would have sent out 100 invites at random to women participating in the contest.

Based on the contest parameters, OnePlus risked turning it essentially into a beauty pageant. Unfortunately, OnePlus dropped a “ladies, no nudity please” warning. From there, the contest thread, as well as various pockets of the Internet, was filled with people calling the contest sexist and demeaning, as well as objectifying. One fan, as seen in the picture above, flipped off the camera with the OnePlus logo and the words “don’t be sexist.”

Cyanogen, OnePlus’ software partner on the One, even tweeted that “we value all of our users and do not support any contest that objectifies people.” Likely due to the criticisms surrounding the contest, OnePlus has taken the contest thread down.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
The best Android tablets in 2024: the 7 best ones you can buy
OnePlus Pad with official Stylo pencil stylus on a wooden table.

Tablets may not be the hot new thing in 2024, but they're still excellent machines for streaming movies, playing games, or getting work done on the go. And while it seems like the best iPads dominate most of the tablet market, there are still plenty of excellent Android tablet options to consider if you don't want to be locked in Apple's walled garden.

Whether you want an ultra-premium and superpowerful option, or something more affordable and compact, the Android tablet market has something for everyone. No matter your budget or spec preferences, here are the best Android tablets you can buy in 2024.

Read more
OnePlus 13 confirmed to get a mixed bag of camera upgrades
Leaked image of OnePlus 13.

OnePlus has been steadily dropping bits of information as it gears up for the launch of its next flagship phone later this month. The latest tease sheds some light on the OnePlus 13’s camera hardware, which seems like a mix of small upgrades and a minor drop.

The primary camera will adopt Sony’s LYT-808 sensor, which is the same 50MP 1/1.4-inch format kit that we also saw on the OnePlus 12. This time around, OnePlus is extending 4K Dolby Vision capture support across all cameras instead of keeping it limited to the main snapper.

Read more
I tried OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, and it’s much better than I expected
The OxygenOS 15 screen on the OnePlus 12.

Ahead of OnePlus announcing OxygenOS 15, Oppo showed off ColorOS 15, which has taken quite a lot of inspiration from Apple’s iOS software. Given how closely the two pieces of software are related, I was suddenly concerned that OxygenOS 15 would follow the same path.

I’ve now had some hands-on time with OnePlus’ latest software. Is it as derivative as I feared? Surprisingly, no.
Not a total iOS clone

Read more