Just last week, Dove published an ad that was criticized on social media for being highly racist. It shows an African American women removing a top and revealing a white woman.
The intention for the ad was to show that Dove's gentle cleanser works well for all skin types and tones. However, the racial under'tones' cannot be ignored.
Regardless of the backlash, model Lola Ogunyemi, a Nigerian woman born in London and raised in Atlanta, explained to The Guardian newspaper that she was not a victim in this ad. She feels that she represented the strong women of colour around the world.
Take a look at the ad, at media criticism and at Lola Ogunyemi's response to the criticism. What is your opinion of this Dove campaign?
Links to media:
1 comment:
I think in today's society people jump to fast to the conclusion that something is negative, or racist, or stereotypical. Without a question, Doves video add was not meant to be racist at all. They are a multi billion dollar company and would not want to hurt their brand in any way, especially on purpose. The ad was simply trying to show that the soap will work on all skin complexions. And the truth being is, the ad would have been labeled as racist no matter what happens. If they didn't include an person from the black ethnicity in the ad, then dove would be labeled racist for not including all races in their add. If they included and African American in that specific ad, then they would be labeled racist for people thinking they are trying to say white is better. The whole ad campaign would not have worked from the beginning so dove would have to completely find a new idea for the ad if they did not want any of this to happen. People who are so sensitive to subjects of racism should not use social media, since the internet is full of it, intentionally or not. People have to understand that not everything is there to start a problem and sometimes mistakes can be made, even if its from a billion dollar company. In all, Dove got butchered enough for their mistake and apologized enough for it. Yes the ad could be considered racist but it depends on how you interpret it. There are more important things in the world, especially on the subject of racism, to be focused on, that an ad that was not smartly thought through. Surprisingly with all the money and resources that Dove has, there was no one that worked there that could have cought on that this ad might be considered racist. I'm sure now , Dove , and many other big companies will be more cautious with the products they advertise and how they advertise it.
Post a Comment