(Image source: Dove)
BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN
Dove’s VisibleCare body wash ad features three women -- with “before” and “after” images behind them.
The company promises -- “visibly more beautiful skin from … your shower.”
The problem? Critics say it’s racist. WCBS takes a look.
WCBS: “Notice the before sign has a black woman standing in front of it and a white woman in front of the after. ... The blog Copyranter posted the ad this week noting it's product that turns black women into Latino women into white women.”
Styleite’s Justin Fenner isn’t a fan of the ad -- calling it quote- “definitely cringeworthy.”
“...mostly because it’s racist, but also because none of the scores of people who had to approve this ad thought there was anything wrong with it before they sent it out into the world.”
In a statement -- Dove explains -- it’s not meant to be offensive and that ALL THREE women in the ad were intended to portray the “after” effect.
In fact -- the same “before/after” closeups accompany an image of ONE lone woman on Dove’s website. Here it drives home the point a little more clearly -- that the product aims to improve skin’s texture.
An anchor at Oklahoma City’s KSBI suggests -- the ad is unfortunate -- but he doesn’t think it was intentional.
“I said to one of our producers, I said what's the issue. And she had to explain it to me and I said -- oh -- I think it's one of those cases where you really have to be looking for it. Plus, Dove is the one that has been the champion of a lot of women, coming out with full-figured models and women that look like women and different ethnicities in the ad like you are seeing there.”
But to a blogger for The Huffington Post -- it doesn’t matter whether it was intentional. The REAL point -- is that it happened -- and there might be a reason why.
“...a larger issue, one that the activist and former magazine editor Michaela Angela Davis framed like this: ‘When it comes to advertising, it's not enough to just have a black woman in the room. She has to be in the boardroom -- she can't just be in the changing room.’”
Tell us what you think of the ad. Share your thoughts in our comments section.
(Image source: Dove)
BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN
Dove’s VisibleCare body wash ad features three women -- with “before” and “after” images behind them.
The company promises -- “visibly more beautiful skin from … your shower.”
The problem? Critics say it’s racist. WCBS takes a look.
WCBS: “Notice the before sign has a black woman standing in front of it and a white woman in front of the after. ... The blog Copyranter posted the ad this week noting it's product that turns black women into Latino women into white women.”
Styleite’s Justin Fenner isn’t a fan of the ad -- calling it quote- “definitely cringeworthy.”
“...mostly because it’s racist, but also because none of the scores of people who had to approve this ad thought there was anything wrong with it before they sent it out into the world.”
In a statement -- Dove explains -- it’s not meant to be offensive and that ALL THREE women in the ad were intended to portray the “after” effect.
In fact -- the same “before/after” closeups accompany an image of ONE lone woman on Dove’s website. Here it drives home the point a little more clearly -- that the product aims to improve skin’s texture.
An anchor at Oklahoma City’s KSBI suggests -- the ad is unfortunate -- but he doesn’t think it was intentional.
“I said to one of our producers, I said what's the issue. And she had to explain it to me and I said -- oh -- I think it's one of those cases where you really have to be looking for it. Plus, Dove is the one that has been the champion of a lot of women, coming out with full-figured models and women that look like women and different ethnicities in the ad like you are seeing there.”
But to a blogger for The Huffington Post -- it doesn’t matter whether it was intentional. The REAL point -- is that it happened -- and there might be a reason why.
“...a larger issue, one that the activist and former magazine editor Michaela Angela Davis framed like this: ‘When it comes to advertising, it's not enough to just have a black woman in the room. She has to be in the boardroom -- she can't just be in the changing room.’”
Tell us what you think of the ad. Share your thoughts in our comments section.
