Post by robeiae on Oct 10, 2017 8:12:06 GMT -5
I'm guessing most people have--by now seen something about the FB ad that Dove ran the other day, then immediately pulled, owing to how it was being received.
I thought--when I saw the stories and clips/screenshots of the ad--that is was simply unbelievable that anyone could have actually thought this ad was a good idea, insofar as it seemed that the principal component was a black woman turning into a white woman (in context, because she was using Dove?). Most of the stories--or tweets, or FB posts--had a screen shot like in the above piece, though many also included something like this:
Now, Dove pulled the ad and I have yet to see this supposed full clip, though I have no reason to doubt the above. But even with that added bit, it still seemed to me that the ad was, at best, incredibly tone-death (at worst, was it a shout-out to the Bell Curve?). I couldn't help but wonder how it would have been received if the order was different, though. Say it was a white woman who turned into a black woman who turned into an asian woman. Still problematic?
However, now there is this, from the black woman who is in the now-pulled ad: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/10/i-am-woman-racist-dove-ad-not-a-victim
So, does she make fair points? And is it perhaps not fair to circulate her image as an image of racism? Other thoughts?
ETA: Also, I have never seen any of the full ads. I'd like to, just to satisfy my own curiosity, if anyone has a link with them.
I thought--when I saw the stories and clips/screenshots of the ad--that is was simply unbelievable that anyone could have actually thought this ad was a good idea, insofar as it seemed that the principal component was a black woman turning into a white woman (in context, because she was using Dove?). Most of the stories--or tweets, or FB posts--had a screen shot like in the above piece, though many also included something like this:
In the full clip, the black woman removed her t-shirt to reveal the white woman, who then lifted her own top to reveal an Asian woman.
However, now there is this, from the black woman who is in the now-pulled ad: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/10/i-am-woman-racist-dove-ad-not-a-victim
Then the first Facebook ad was released: a 13-second video clip featuring me, a white woman, and an Asian woman removing our nude tops and changing into each other. I loved it. My friends and family loved it. People congratulated me for being the first to appear, for looking fabulous, and for representing Black Girl Magic. I was proud.
Then, the full, 30-second TV commercial was released in the US, and I was over the moon again. There were seven of us in the full version, different races and ages, each of us answering the same question: “If your skin were a wash label, what would it say?”
[snip]
I can see how the snapshots that are circulating the web have been misinterpreted, considering the fact that Dove has faced a backlash in the past for the exact same issue. There is a lack of trust here, and I feel the public was justified in their initial outrage. Having said that, I can also see that a lot has been left out. The narrative has been written without giving consumers context on which to base an informed opinion.
While I agree with Dove’s response to unequivocally apologise for any offense caused, they could have also defended their creative vision, and their choice to include me, an unequivocally dark-skinned black woman, as a face of their campaign. I am not just some silent victim of a mistaken beauty campaign. I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased.
Then, the full, 30-second TV commercial was released in the US, and I was over the moon again. There were seven of us in the full version, different races and ages, each of us answering the same question: “If your skin were a wash label, what would it say?”
[snip]
I can see how the snapshots that are circulating the web have been misinterpreted, considering the fact that Dove has faced a backlash in the past for the exact same issue. There is a lack of trust here, and I feel the public was justified in their initial outrage. Having said that, I can also see that a lot has been left out. The narrative has been written without giving consumers context on which to base an informed opinion.
While I agree with Dove’s response to unequivocally apologise for any offense caused, they could have also defended their creative vision, and their choice to include me, an unequivocally dark-skinned black woman, as a face of their campaign. I am not just some silent victim of a mistaken beauty campaign. I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased.
ETA: Also, I have never seen any of the full ads. I'd like to, just to satisfy my own curiosity, if anyone has a link with them.
