Cosmetics company Dove has apologised for an advert that caused an uproar on social media as it was viewed as racist.
The advert‚ which has been withdrawn‚ depicted a black woman pulling a shirt over her head and morphing into a white woman. A bottle of body wash features in the ad.
The brand was lambasted on social media and many commentators suggested a boycott of their beauty products.
The furore made international news headlines.
<p> </p> <p>Hannah Rose Woods said the advert harked back to the Victorian era: “I cannot conceive of how anyone at Dove thought this ad was acceptable‚” she tweeted.</p> <p> </p> <blockquote class="embedly-card"><h4><a href="https://twitter.com/hannahrosewoods/status/917148986439585793">Hannah Rose Woods on Twitter</a></h4><p>I cannot conceive of how anyone at Dove thought this ad was acceptable. This is literally how Victorian soap was advertised by Unilever...</p> </blockquote> <script charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js">TWEETCNN on Twitter
Dove apologizes for ad: We 'missed the mark' representing black women https://t.co/aZvOpSoMKW
In an update posted on Dove SA’s Facebook page‚ the company said that the advertising campaign had “missed the mark“.
“This did not represent the diversity of real beauty which is something Dove is passionate about and is core to our beliefs‚ and it should not have happened.
“We have removed the post and have not published any other content‚” the statement said.
The company went on to apologise for the offence the clip had caused.
“We do not condone any activity or imagery that insults any audience. Our richness lies in our diversity. Our beauty comes in different shapes‚ sizes‚ hair textures and skin tones. We believe beauty is diverse and diversity is beautiful‚” it read.
The personal care brand also apologised on Twitter‚ saying: “An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.”
Dove on Twitter
An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.