[ad_1]
By IOL Reporter 
8h ago
Durban – This week, multinational consumer goods company Unilever came under fire after a hair care ad labeling black women’s hair as dry, damaged, frizzy and dull, sparked protests outside Clicks stores in the whole country.
TRESemmé’s ad appeared on Clicks’ social media platforms. Despite being removed from social media sites and the Clicks website, it sparked outrage across the country.
However, this is not the first time that Unilever has faced backlash over an ad.
Less than three months ago, Unilever agreed to rename a skin lightening cream that was criticized for promoting negative stereotypes around dark skin tones.
According to the BBC, Unilever also agreed to remove references to “whitening” or “lightening” on products, which are sold throughout Asia.
According to the report, Unilever acknowledged that the brand suggested “a singular ideal of beauty.” In recent weeks, more than 18,000 people have signed two separate petitions urging Unilever to stop production of its Fair & Lovely range.
The first petition said: “This product has been based on internalized racism, has perpetuated and benefited from internalized racism and promotes anti-blackness sentiments,” while the second petition claimed that the brand was telling consumers that there was something wrong with the color of their skin and they needed to be fair to be beautiful or dignified.
In 2017, Unilever faced an outcry on social media over an ad for Dove body wash that showed a black woman removing her blouse to reveal a white woman.
More recently, in August, its brand Knorr agreed to rename its popular “Zigeuner”, or gypsy sauce, as Hungarian-style paprika sauce after complaints that the name is offensive.
According to the Jakarta Post, the Nazis subjected the Sinti, the name used by the Roma who lived in Germany for centuries, to forced sterilization under “racial purity” laws and the Roma were deported to death camps, where they wore uniforms with a “Z” for “Zigeuner”.
Earlier today, Unilever officials met with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to discuss a way forward.
Unilever is expected to donate a minimum of 10,000 sanitary pads and disinfectants to informal settlements to be identified by the EFF. Unilever also agreed to recall all TRESemmé from all retail stores for 10 days.
MESS
[ad_2]
