DEAD TO ME

A Zany Boycott Confession

There comes a moment in a woman’s life—usually after she’s been served one too many corporate betrayals with a side of fascism—when she takes a good, hard look at her wallet and says:

No more. You’re dead to me.

That moment happened to me somewhere between the tenth breaking news alert and the ninth iced coffee that tasted suspiciously like surrender. So I made a list. Not a cute list, not a “things to grab at Target” list. A burn book. A Boycott Bible. And the names inside?

They are no longer welcome in my kitchen, my closet, or my browser history.

Let’s be honest.

I’ve backslid.

I’ve wandered the soft-lit aisles of Target like a ghost of democracy past.

I’ve whispered apologies to Big Macs and cinnamon sugar Pop Tarts.

But I always crawl back to the truth: our dollars are little votes—and I’m voting with all the rage, elegance, and restraint of a woman who’s done trying to be polite about it.

So thank you—every single one of you who cheered me on in the comments of my inquiry about the companies you are boycotting.

You’re my resistance posse. My people. My spiritual support group with better snacks and sharper eyeliner.

Now, grab a seat, a mocktail, and a moral compass.

Here’s the list.

The full, painful, alphabetized choir of corporate betrayal.

And yes, some of these hurt. I’m not made of steel—I’m made of soft cotton scarves and strong coffee. But I’m holding the line.

⸻

THE LIST OF THE UNFORGIVABLE:

FAST FOOD FANTASY IS CANCELED:

• McDonald’s – 57 days clean. I used to dream in Big Mac sauce. Now I have ethical night sweats.

• Chick-fil-A – The chicken of shame. I’d rather chew gravel.

• Wendy’s – Your spicy nuggets lied to me.

• KFC, Arby’s, Sonic, Carl’s Jr. – The Greasy Axis. Tastes like regret and campaign donations.

• Taco Bell – They made revolution taste like sour cream. It was all a trap.

• In-N-Out – The “in” was with PACs. I’m “out.”

GROCERY CHAINS WITH DIRTY RECEIPTS:

• Trader Joe’s – You were my love language. I now mourn in lentils.

• Publix – Funded insurrection. Now I shop in shame and silence.

• Kroger – The grapes of wrath live here.

• Sam’s Club – I don’t care how big the peanut butter jar is, I’m out.

BIG BOX, BIG BETRAYAL:

• Target – I used to enter for toothpaste and emerge with joy. Now? Just emptiness and an ethical lint roller.

• Walmart – Home of rollback prices and rollback rights.

• Home Depot & Lowe’s – If I want to build a world, I won’t buy screws from people trying to dismantle it.

• Wayfair – Your furniture was cute. Your politics? Hellish.

STREAMING & TECH (BINGE THIS: GOODBYE):

• Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) – I ghosted Zuck like a bad Tinder date. He still shows up in my dreams with a VR headset.

• Airbnb – Staying in fascist-friendly lofts just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

• Twitter (or…X? Please.) – Elon made it feel like yelling into a Wi-Fi enabled dumpster fire.

• Amazon Prime – I’m trying, Jeff. I really am. But my cat needed meds fast.

• Netflix – The algorithm knows too much. Also: enough red-pilled documentaries.

• Disney/ABC/ESPN – If Mickey’s in bed with autocrats, he can stay there.

• Google/YouTube – I now search things by yelling out the window.

• Spotify – Joe Rogan. That’s it. That’s the post.

• Apple – I’m still typing this on a MacBook, but it’s giving me hives. Are they bad people? Some say “yes and many say “no.”

BEAUTY, BABIES & BLEACH—ALL BANNED:

• Procter & Gamble – No more Swiffering my conscience.

• Johnson & Johnson – I no longer trust you with my baby shampoo or my democracy.

• Clorox, Lysol, Glade – You can’t spray away complicity.

• L’Oréal, Dove, Estée Lauder, Pantene – Because I’m not worth that.

RETAIL THERAPY NOW REQUIRES AN ETHICS CONSULTATION:

• Anthropologie & Urban Outfitters – You dressed me like a bohemian heiress while funding modern-day Dickens villains.

• Nordstrom, Macy’s, JCPenney – Who knew your fitting rooms were full of secrets and sins?

• eBay & PayPal – I no longer impulse-bid on tiaras or send “just because” money to artists in Ohio. Painful.

• CVS & Walgreens – From prescription to betrayal in one click.

• 1800Flowers – I now send wildflowers and pointed letters.

TRAVEL IS CANCELED UNTIL MORALITY CLEARS TSA:

• Delta, United?!?, American Airlines – You want my bag fees and my civil liberties? Hard pass.

• Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott?!?, Wynn Resorts – I hope your towels are scratchy.

THE SNACK AISLE OF SHAME:

• Hershey, Nestlé, Frito-Lay, General Mills, Coke, PepsiCo – Childhood nostalgia, now laced with PAC money and processed sugar.

• Wonder Bread – I make my own now. It’s dense and emotionally complicated.

⸻

I’m not saying this is easy.

I’m saying it’s worth it.

Because every time I pour vinegar in the laundry instead of Tide, I remember: I chose this. I chose not to fund my own oppression with a drive-thru and a debit card.

And so I say to all of them, all of you:

You’re dead to me.

And also—I hope your IPO crashes and your CFO gets stuck behind someone writing a check at the grocery store.

If you’re still with me, fellow freedom fries—drop your own corporate heartbreaks in the comments. Let’s grieve, rage, and rebuild our shopping lists together.

I’ll bring the snacks. Just not the ones from Nestlé.

With love, rage, and the last ethical lipstick on earth,

Gloria

still boycotting. still bitter. still fabulous?

If you’ve made it this far and you’re nodding, laughing, or frantically deleting apps—congratulations, you’re my kind of people. Leave a comment below. Tell me who’s dead to you and how you’re surviving without cookie butter, two-day shipping, or drive-thru fries. Misery loves company, but righteous indignation loves a comments section.