Another ill-informed brand laughs about OCD

UPDATE:  Since the posting of this article, Swiglife has removed the post in question.  Read our follow-up here. 

By Shaun Flores

By now you would think brands wouldn't make such catastrophic mistakes and boldly out in the public, well you thought wrong, “I have ocd, obsessive cup disorder.” Is the new comment being made on Instagram. 

Another ill-formed company strikes again, by the name of swig life, that have posted on their Instagram account a photo saying “; I have ocd, obsessive cup disorder.’ A post that has been liked by over a thousand people, and commented on by many, shows that change really does need to happen.

Swiglife has 68.3K followers on Instagram, a massive reach spreading a wrong, and ignorant message on OCD. 

OCD is not a joke.

In a time where companies have the time resources and funding to be able to be better versed and informed. Swig life has let down the OCD community, a community already laughed at, trivialized and demeaned as OCD is not taken seriously. 

Allowing this to be posted on the account highlights the continuing narrative of brands not understanding OCD. The devastation it causes is critical and the suffering and the need for us to still dismantle these terrible narratives mocking OCD is urgent.

As an OCD advocate, I continue to use my platform to dispel the narratives that OCD is cleaning and symmetry. Now I have an added comment to combat that OCD is “Obsessive Cup Disorder.” 

Swiglife.com was founded in 2017 with annual revenue of   $17,721,000, based on Kona Equity data. Yet with all those finances and in a world where mental health is a dominant conversation they have messed up. This is why businesses need to be held to account for conversations surrounding mental health which are detrimental. For us living with OCD, we know the severity of OCD. 

We have to hit these companies where it hurts, not buying their products, and informing other people about what they have done forces them to listen.

As someone who lives with OCD, we need an apology from swiglife.com and to know what they will do to prevent this from happening again. Furthermore, a donation to OCD charities would be important to show they are committed to the cause of helping people, not further cementing narratives that keep people silent for years.

Whilst on the hurt to healing podcast, I made this very important point that “OCD kills people.” As a community of people living with OCD, it is of utmost significance we continue to promote the message, raise awareness and not allow these companies to profit off the back of our suffering. 

This is not the first time this has happened

Companies in the past have tried to use the quirk of OCD to make sales, without realizing the damage it causes.

Call of action to follow use the hashtag #OCDisnojoke on all social media! 

All over the internet, the question continues as to why popular e-commerce platforms still sell merchandising that deems OCD a ‘joke’? major retailers including Amazon, Esty, Shirtbox Wish, 123T, and Redbubble continue to sell products which trivialize OCD which is a metaphorical kick in the teeth for those of us suffering and living with this disease. 

Let's spread the word and get these companies to be held accountable there is power in numbers, and collectively we can accumulate a force to affect these companies. 

The only thing I am “obsessed” about is continuing to be the worst thing to happen to OCD and being fired up against these companies who mock our lived experience and our mental illness. For those of you reading this please don't feel disheartened or downtrodden, change is still happening and I am determined to keep ensuring it happens.

Shaun Flores is an IOCDF Advocate based in London, UK.  You can find his work here: https://linktr.ee/theshaunflores

Social Media: theshaunflores