Dove

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Dove logo.png

Dove is a personal care brand owned British-Dutch by Unilever originating in the United States. The products are sold in more than 150 countries and are offered for both women, men, and babies. Dove's logo is a silhouette profile of the brand's namesake bird.[1]

In 2017, Dove faced heat for a body wash ad showing a black woman taking off her shirt to reveal a white woman, with many social media users calling it racist.

The Controversy

Dove1.jpg

In May 2011, Dove prompted criticism and accusations of racism after publishing an advert for their body wash showing three women with different skin tones side by side in front of a "before and after" image of cracked and smooth skin, with a black woman below the "before" and a white woman below the "after".

In October 2017, a three second video for Dove body lotion posted on their page on Facebook in the United States prompted criticism and accusations of racism.[2] The video clip showed a black woman removing her T-Shirt to reveal a white woman, who then lifts her own T-Shirt to reveal an Asian woman. The full thirty second television advert version included seven women of different races and ages.

The ad sparked criticism, leading Dove to remove the advert, saying it “deeply regreted the offence it caused.” Dove further stated that the "video was intended to convey that Dove body wash is for every woman and be a celebration of diversity..." The black woman in the advert, Lola Ogunyemi, said the advert had been misinterpreted and defended Dove.

Backlash

Social media users said there were racist implications of a soap ad that showed a black woman transforming into a white woman. Many who criticized the imagery said it suggests black skin is dirty and white skin is clean, and noted there is a historical legacy of racism in soap ads.

“Dove's marketing team is fundamentally racist. A clean body is not a white body. Black bodies aren't systematically dirty,” wrote Abigail Sewell, 34, a sociology professor at Emory University in Atlanta, on Facebook.[3]

Apology

Dove Apology.png

Offended social media users erupted, and the company quickly apologized. But Dove’s two-sentence Twitter note and a slightly longer message on Facebook left it unclear what exactly the ad was trying to convey. "An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused."[4]

Unilever, Dove’s parent company, did not respond to Washington Post requests for comment on the ad.[5]

External Link

Watch the video at Independent

References

  1. Dove. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  2. Slawson,Nicola. Dove apologises for ad showing black woman turning into white one, The Guardian, 8 October 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  3. Dove under fire despite apology over 'racist' body wash advert, Independent.co.uk, 9 October 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  4. Dove Official Twitter, 8 October 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  5. Wootson Jr., Cleve R. A Dove ad showed a black woman turning herself white. The backlash is growing., The Washington Post, 10 October 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2020.