Have you heard about the latest scandal that has taken the consumer sector by storm? Dove – which is owned by Unilever (NYSE:$UN) – published an advert on its Facebook page which showed a black woman transforming into a white woman.
After the advert went live, Dove faced accusations that the brand was racist, and it later admitted that it had “missed the mark,” and apologized to the public.
Even though the campaign has since been removed from Facebook, Naomi Blake, an American makeup artist, shared the post to her followers. “So I’m scrolling through Facebook and this is the #dove ad that comes up… ok so what am I looking at,” Blake wrote.
The online advertising campaign featured a black woman who removes her top to reveal a white woman underneath supposedly after using Dove body lotion. Under Blake’s post, she was asked if people would be offended if the white woman had turned into a black woman. Her response? “Nope, we wouldn’t and that’s the whole point. What does America tell black people? That we are judged by the color of our skin and that includes what is considered beautiful in this country.”
After Dove removed the advert, the brand tweeted: “An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.”
Regardless, the damage has been done. In fact, there are nearly 3,000 comments below the tweet that are almost exclusively negative. Additionally, a handful of social media users have called for a boycott of Dove’s products.
Featured Image: depositphotos/@facebook
