MARKETING & ADVERTISING
Money To Be Made in Prejudice
Recently it's beginning to feel as though the marketing and advertising industry give less & less of a damn when it comes to being racially insulting.
Earlier this year many people were angered by the implications of the Dove Advert...
Click Here for Link to OBV: Lee Jasper's Response to Dove Ad
There were also complaints to Cadbury's for their comparisons of Naomi Campbell to a chocolate bar...
Click Here for Link to Naomi vs Cadburys
Most recently people have been up in arms about the Nivea For Men ad. The campaign "Look Like You Give A Damn" used both Black and White Male models, however it was only the advertisment picturing a Black man that used the words "Re-Civilize Yourself".
It seems from many of the blogs I read that #Teamnatural took particular offense to the ad being that the man was throwing away the full head of Afro hair as if Natural hair some how amounts to being un-civilized.
Nivea has since pulled the ad and apologised. (Click Here for Link to Nivea Advert & Apology)
I'm just wondering why it is that big companies deem things such as this to be acceptable in the first place?
Billions are spent on adverts so I can almost guarantee that someone in the offices must've been able to draw the link between centuries of eurocentric denigration of the Black race as "un-civilized" and the high potential of causing offense by slapping the words "Re-Civilze Yourself" across the picture of a Black man.
Im not gona go too much into it as there's a possibility that this is exactly what Nivea wanted - more publicity; adding to this theory is the fact that according to a source, the ad was the brainchild of a Black man! (Read more about this claim here: The man behind the Ad)
Vogue Celebrates Slavery?
If all of this wasn't enough, I came across Vogue cashing in on slavery.
These people are with out shame!
It's not the earrings I have a problem with, it's the name - Slave Earrings!
So far I have not been taught about the slaves who were allowed to bring their jewellery boxes with them across the Atlantic. As far as Im aware what slaves wore wasn't a matter of free choice.
Initially I wrote this post a few days ago, at which time I said....
I urge you regardless of race to follow the link and recognise just how dangerous and beyond inappropriate it is for such a powerful publication to glorify a fashion trend by association with something as awful as slavery, and join me by making your complaint known to Vogue.
In case Vogue have forgotten, people were kidnapped, rapped, torchured and murdered in slavery - and thats me putting it lightly.
Surely Vogue could lead the way by finding a less offensive description for circular hoops.How dare they try and exotisize the pains, traumas and plain wrongs of something such as slavery, Im officially Pissed!
Im getting so fed up of this racist marketing & advertising shit! Im relying on us #Teamnatural, to make some positive changes.
As I publish this post today I've discovered that Vogue Italia have re-named the article although as far as I am aware have failed to apologise.
To me their silence speaks volumes.Crystal Afro xx
