Reebok mocks Trump in poster — then it backfires when comedian points out company's sexist double standard

Athletic wear company Reebok used its Twitter account to scathingly mock President Donald Trump on Friday, taking a shot at the president for comments he made to France's first lady on Friday.

Trump made headlines Friday during his visit to Paris on Bastille Day. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were meeting with newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron and French first lady Brigitte Macron. The couples toured museums and participated in Bastille Day celebrations together.

After the Trumps and Macrons finished their visit of museums at Les Invalides, a Facebook video posted by the French government caught Trump telling Brigitte that she's "in such good shape" and "beautiful," according to the New York Times.

Trump was heavily criticized for the comment after it went viral, The Guardian reported.

That comment is what Reebok seized on.

On Friday afternoon, they posted an image to their Twitter account that appeared to be a flow chart of events detailing when it's appropriate to use the phrase that Trump used when describing Brigitte.

"When is it appropriate to say: You're in such good shape...beautiful," the poster asks. The poster then gives six scenarios — including the one Trump was in on Friday when he made the comments — and asks if the phrase is appropriate to use in those scenarios.

Not surprisingly, the poster instructs that it's not appropriate to use the phrase when "you are a world leader greeting the spouse of a head of state." The only scenario it does instruct is appropriate to use the phrase is when you just discover a "forgotten action figure from your youth" that is "unscathed after decades in your parents' basement."

The poster was widely shared and appreciated. As of Sunday evening, it has accumulated more than 40,000 retweets and nearly 70,000 "likes."

But just as quickly as the tweet went viral, Reebok was being exposed for an apparent double standard.

Comedian Jim Norton replied to Reebok's tweet with a Reebok ad image that features a scantily-clad woman. He wrote: "Thank you, @Reebok, for your virtuous message about when it's appropriate to complement a woman's shape."

Thank you, @Reebok, for your virtuous message about when it's appropriate to complement a woman's shape. pic.twitter.com/vuj8oe86ZL

— Jim Norton (@JimNorton) July 15, 2017

Of course, the point of Norton's tweet was that Reebok was being hypocritical with their criticism of Trump's comments — which many critics said were sexist — while simultaneously promoting ads that feature partially nude women.

Indeed, many athletic brands like Reebox typically use photoshopped pictures of athletes wearing minimal amounts of clothing to advertise their products, all under the mantra that "sex sells." But it's a bit difficult to criticize someone for allegedly objectifying women when your ad department featured nearly nude women in ads.