PurposeThis paper identifies consumer reactions towards female empowerment in advertising in order to explore the supporting arguments for criticisms of lack of authenticity and the figuring of sexist stereotypes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multi-case study research with content analysis of 905 coded online comments in a video hosting website towards four femvertising campaigns.FindingsResults indicate that femvertising plays an important role in the emotional connection between women and brands, but consumers may react negatively to femvertising when brands do not show knowledge about the real feminist values, maintaining sexist stereotypes. Consumers also blame companies of hypocrite and exploitation to sell products if there is not authenticity and brand-cause fit.Originality/valueFemvertising appears as a consequence of cultural changes and corporate social responsibility in order to engage women consumers. This paper contributes with explanations to sustain the dichotomic reactions towards femvertising, showing evidence of why some people react favourably and other people react negatively.