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Dove removes racist advert from Facebook

Dove has apologised after publishing an advert on its Facebook page which showed a black woman turning into a white woman.

The brand was accused of racism over the online advertising campaign and it later admitted it had “missed the mark” with an image posted on Facebook.

The campaign has since been removed from Facebook but was shared by Naomi Blake, an American makeup artist who goes by the name Naythemua.

“So, I’m scrolling through Facebook and this is the #dove ad that comes up … ok so what am I looking at,” she wrote as the caption.

Under the post, she was asked if people would be offended if the white woman had turned into a black woman. She said: “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.”

She added that Dove’s marketing team should have known better and said “The tone deafness in these companies makes no sense.’

Following the removal of the advert, Dove, which is owned by Unilever, tweeted: “An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offence it caused.”

In a further statement Dove said: “As a part of a campaign for Dove body wash, a three-second video clip was posted to the US Facebook page.

“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 related content. We apologise deeply and sincerely for the offence that it has caused.”

Denise Rabor, founder and creative director of Wowbeauty.com commented:

“It’s a pity that a brand that has run some innovative campaigns that champion diversity and inclusion, should allow such an insensitive and ill conceived advert to be released. One has to wonder whether this is a case of unconscious bias or just plain ignorance: either way the result is a disappointment and alienation.

This offends on every level, you don’t have to be a historian to be aware of the historical context of black subjugation. It’s hard enough trying to educate those who still feel the need to bleach their skin in the hope of being accepted by mainstream society that black is as beautiful as any other skin tone, as well as working to build the confidence and self esteem of the younger black generation. With so many brands working to get the diversity and inclusion message right, one has to wonder how Dove got it so wrong.”

It’s not the first time that Dove has been in hot water over their ads. In 2011 Dove’s before-and-after advert charted the transition of a black woman to a white woman after using its body wash.

At the time, Dove said in a statement: “All three women are intended to demonstrate the ‘after’ product benefit. We do not condone any activity or imagery that intentionally insults any audience.”

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