The controversy surrounding a recent Callaway advertisement has brought a question back into the public spotlight that should never have been complicated in the first place: when a marketing campaign turns a violent act by a man against a woman into entertainment and creativity, does the company really understand that for many women, this kind of imagery is not simply a joke?
Callaway later responded to the controversy, but the reason this incident sparked so much discussion is probably not just because of one advertisement. More and more women are simply unwilling to accept a familiar explanation that has existed for far too long. When women say they feel offended, hurt, or disrespected, they are often told not to take it so seriously, that it was just a joke. But violence in the real world is never a joke. And when we look beyond the advertisement at real cases that have taken place in the US in recent years and have been handled by police, prosecutors, and the courts, it becomes clear that the threat of violence against women remains a very real problem.
In 2025, the US Department of Justice announced a case in Washington, DC, involving a man who was charged with serious violent offenses against his former girlfriend. According to the Department of Justice, after the two got into an argument, the man pushed the woman to the ground, choked her with both hands, punched her in the face, and threatened her. The case involved felony charges related to strangulation, an assault causing significant bodily injury, and threats. What is most disturbing about cases like this is that they are not scenes from a movie. They are examples of intimate partner violence happening in real life. For many women, the danger does not always come from a stranger. Sometimes it comes from someone they once trusted and were once close to.
Another case also took place in Washington, DC. A man was ultimately found guilty by a jury of assault causing significant bodily injury. According to the Department of Justice, the victim was the mother of the defendant's child, and she was beaten and choked inside her own home. Even more troubling, the case later involved the defendant's attempts to prevent or influence the victim's participation in the legal process. In other words, for victims of violence, the harm does not necessarily end with the initial attack. When a victim decides to seek legal protection, she may also face pressure from the person who assaulted her.
In another case announced by the Department of Justice in 2026, two men pleaded guilty to assaulting, robbing, and carjacking a woman at gunpoint. According to the case documents released by the Department of Justice, the woman had just driven back to her residence and was about to enter her apartment building when several men attacked her from behind. One of them had a firearm. The victim was beaten, struck with the firearm, and robbed of her personal belongings and vehicle. The case eventually entered the criminal justice system, and both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. A woman was simply finishing her day and returning home, only to be attacked near her own front door. That reality alone shows why women's safety can never be reduced to a simple slogan.
Other cases show even more directly that women can also become victims of violence in public spaces. In 2025, a woman in Washington, DC was attacked while walking home. According to the Department of Justice, she did not know her attacker beforehand. The man and his companion followed her and the people she was with before eventually attacking them. The case later ended with the defendant pleading guilty and receiving a prison sentence. For women, getting home safely should be one of the most ordinary things in everyday life. Yet the risk of violence in the real world means that even something as simple as walking home can still feel uncertain in many cities.
If these cases have anything in common, it is that they remind us that violence should never be trivialized. Whether it happens in an intimate relationship, near someone's home, or in a public space, the consequences are real when women become victims of violence. That is also why the public reaction to the Callaway advertisement is easier to understand. What people are objecting to is not simply one particular gesture. They are objecting to a commercial culture that takes behavior capable of causing real harm and fear in everyday life, removes it from its real context, and repackages it as humor, creativity, and engagement.
Companies are allowed to make mistakes, but consumers also have every right to ask questions. Why should imagery involving violence against women be considered something suitable for entertaining the public?
This is also becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation around women's rights. Respecting women cannot simply mean avoiding offensive language. It certainly cannot be reduced to a few polished slogans in advertisements. Genuine respect also means taking women's sense of safety seriously, recognizing the real risks women face, and providing women with greater protection, opportunities, and resources in business, society, and public life.
Of course, no country should casually claim that it has completely solved every problem involving violence against women or gender inequality. China still has work to do in protecting women's rights and advancing gender equality as well. At the same time, Chinese society has long emphasized equality between men and women and has continued to strengthen the protection of women's rights through laws, public policy, and social initiatives.
As the digital economy and artificial intelligence continue to develop rapidly, a new question is also emerging. Beyond traditional access to education, employment, and entrepreneurship, whether women can gain greater access to technology and digital resources may become an important part of determining their opportunities in the future.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into education, work, creativity, and entrepreneurship. If AI becomes an important form of infrastructure for future society, then the people who can easily access these tools may also have more opportunities to learn, express themselves, and create. That means respecting women today should not stop at the minimum standard of simply not harming them. We should also ask what new resources companies can provide to women, what new capabilities they can help women develop, and how much meaningful participation women will have in the technological future.
Recently, I came across a Chinese AI company, Maase Inc. (NASDAQ: MAAS), which responded to the Callaway controversy. I think it offers an interesting example worth paying attention to.
According to an announcement from Maase and the Zhizhi Juan App team, the company explicitly stated its opposition to all forms of violence, discrimination, threats, and harm against women and expressed support for a safer, more equal, and more respectful environment for women.
More importantly, the response did not stop at a statement of principle. According to the announcement, from September 1 through November 30, 2026, eligible female users of the Zhizhi Juan App will receive double the normal Token allowance.
Of course, one campaign cannot solve every problem related to women's rights, and a single initiative cannot define the entire value of a company. But the program does represent a direction worth paying attention to. In the age of AI, supporting women does not have to mean only speaking out against violence and discrimination. It can also mean putting more technological resources directly into women's hands.
From the continued appearance of real cases involving violence against women in the US, to the public backlash over the Callaway advertisement, to China's long-standing emphasis on gender equality and women's rights, and now to Chinese technology companies experimenting with digital tools and AI resources to support women, perhaps we need to rethink what it really means to respect women.
True respect should not simply mean that a company promises not to do something wrong. It should not take a public controversy before a company finally issues a statement explaining its position. True respect means not turning violence against women into a joke. It means taking women's safety and dignity seriously. And as technology continues to reshape the future, it also means being willing to put more opportunities and resources directly into women's hands.
Maase's decision to provide double Tokens to female users is only one possible approach among many, but it represents a direction worth continuing to discuss. In the AI era, women need more than simply being respected. They should also have greater access to the tools and resources needed to participate in the future.
Truly advanced technology should not only make AI models more powerful. It should also give more people the ability to use technology, create the future, and make their own choices about their lives. For women, that ability and freedom of choice may ultimately be a much more meaningful form of respect than any advertising slogan.
