Is the latest Dove ad yet another racist ‘mistake?’

The latest advertisement for Dove has created havoc on social media with its extreme approach, and it really isn’t the first time. The latest ad in question which is about the brand’s body wash shows an African American model wearing a brown t-shirt, which when removed reveals a white redheaded woman wearing a beige shirt. The shirt is removed again to show another light skinned model. Hence, rejecting the idea of accepting all skin tones.

 

There has been an outcry of racism leading to the retraction of the ad and an apology from the brand saying they “missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully.” However, this is not the first time Dove has been blamed for racist ads, which is what makes the scenario even more bizarre.

In 2011 the brand released an ad which showed the woman ‘before’ she had used the product of American African descent whereas the ‘after’ was a Caucasian woman.

 

As American author and commentator Keith Boykin wrote “One racist ad makes you suspect. Two racist ads make you kinda guilty.”