Companies pulling ads due to aggressive social media criticism seems to be the trend as of late.
First, it was Pepsi’s now-infamous ad featuring Kendall Jenner, now the fast-growing hair care brand, Shea Moisture, is feeling the heat. The company has reportedly removed an ad from its Facebook page featuring one black woman—the company’s target audience—alongside three white women, a blond and two read heads, discussing their “hair hate.”
Consumers took to social media to express their anger and hurt over the “white washed” ad. One woman tweeted, “Black women have supported and gave free press to Shea Moisture for YEARS. And then they have a "hair hate" commercial with white women?”
Shea Moisture responded to the angry consumers by posting on its Facebook:
“Wow, okay – so guys, listen, we really f-ed this one up. Please know that our intention was not – and would never be – to disrespect our community, and as such, we are pulling this piece immediately because it does not represent what we intended to communicate. You guys know that we have always stood for inclusion in beauty and have always fought for our community and given them credit for not just building our business but for shifting the beauty landscape. So, the feedback we are seeing here brings to light a very important point. While this campaign included several different videos showing different ethnicities and hair types to demonstrate the breadth and depth of each individual’s hair journey, we must absolutely ensure moving forward that our community is well-represented in each one so that the women who have led this movement never feel that their hair journey is minimized in any way. We are keenly aware of the journey that WOC face – and our work will continue to serve as the inspiration for work like the Perception Institute’s Good Hair Study/Implicit Association Test that suggests that a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their textured or natural hair. So, you’re right. We are different – and we should know better.
Thank you all, as always, for the honest and candid feedback. We hear you. We’re listening. We appreciate you. We count on you. And we’re always here for you. Thank you, #SheaFam, for being there for us, even when we make mistakes. Here’s to growing and building together…”
For full story please visit: www.nbcnews.com
