How ‘Dump Him’ Became a Marketing Strategy

Forget Valentine’s Day. This year, fashion’s all in on the single lady.

Take the internet savvy womenswear brand Reformation, which swapped its “official boyfriend” advert starring Pete Davidson from last year to a campaign featuring divorce attorney Laura Wasser launching Tuesday, four days after the holiday. In the campaign, Wasser, who is known for her celebrity clients, models a sweatshirt that says “dump him” — a stark reversal from last year’s “official girlfriend” sweatshirts.

“This is not a pivot away from love, but a shift towards autonomy,” said Reformation chief creative and brand officer, Lauren Caris Cohan in an email.

It’s also a sign of the times. In October, an article in Vogue went viral for its cheeky heading: “Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?” Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Cosmopolitan published an article titled “It Is Just Us? Or Are the Single Cat Ladies Happier?”

“Brands are going from super [romantic], heterosexual, probably a white couple, this very narrow understanding of what that looks like, and then they’re going too far the other end of like, having a boyfriend’s embarrassing,” said Beni Brown, global director of strategy for creator agency Buttermilk. “It’s more about being more autonomous.”

And as Valentine’s Day came and went, a number brands joined in on the celebration of autonomy, including countless cosmetics brands that moved away from old-school seasonal tropes, such as Rabanne, which has a “Divorce Party” lipstick, while Colourpop released eyeshadows with names like “2 Good 4 U” and “Not Your Baby.”

In jewellery, the trend of “divorce rings” has emerged as a way for newly single women to repurpose their engagement rings. One public example is Emily Ratajkowski, who commissioned jeweller Allison Lou to recast her two-stone engagement ring into two separate rings in 2024.

Jewellery was ahead of the curve in the self-gifting trend. While traditional marketing in the category was focused on men purchasing for the women in their lives, today brands from Mejuri to Zales want to empower their customers to indulge for themselves. Alison Lou, for instance, markets the entirety of its vast product catalogue this way, from accessible phone charms to cocktail rings set with precious stones.

“I kind of am always marketing for women to buy for themselves,” said Alison Chemla, the founder and designer behind Alison Lou.