excelsiorlef
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New nivea racist ad
- Thread starter Eylos
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SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
I guess in the states it's the peasants who don't get any sun because they don't have any leisure time. Rich people want to look like whatever the poor people don't.I can't speak for other asian countries, but in China it is not. Dark skin = tanned = peasant working in the fields = low class. Pale = stayed inside = rich. If you see an Chinese woman with a large umbrella, large floppy hat and covered in long sleeves on a sunny day, now you know why. It's classism, not racism.
https://www.vagabondjourney.com/white-skin-a-chinese-obession/
That is true, the ad does come across as racist to me. But I'm not a part of that culture, and really the ad probably went through many different wording choices before landing on that. And I assume went through demographic testing. Do they want lighter skin because of the marketing? Or because of more long term and ingrained societal constructs (which also, sadly, would be reinforced by the ad)? And is it wrong for companies to market products in a way that highlights features of the product that the culture desires in it?
It makes me think about a lot of things in regards to marketing and society, and cultures, and I don't know enough about long term societal or cultural impact of marketing to really answer them.
excelsiorlef
Member
The woman whose tweet is featured in the OP criticizing the ad is you know a black woman from Nigeria.... So you know the native perspective...
MistakenMobius
Member
You are rich, so you can go on holiday far away under the sun-> you look darker.
So if you look darker you must be rich.
Don't see any problem with the product itself. Not everybody is happy with their skin tone or shade or whatever which is obvious by the tanning industry. The ad would probably be fine too if it wasn't for the #revealyourglow. A lot better than the other ad that said something along the lines of (correct me if I'm wrong) that white skin is better.
OG Shaka Zulu
Member
Comparing this to tanning is like the neonazi antifa both sides false equivalency.
Y'all need a Black friend or two at some point.
Y'all need a Black friend or two at some point.
Kite
Member
The American/western equivalent would probably be something like having calloused, grease/oil stained hands and cracked nails = trades = working class = low class.
Keep in mind that in China, agriculture is still still vital. They still have around 300 million farmers and the rich merchants and royalty didn't want to be seen as one of them, wanting soft white skin dates back to the Ming dynasty and long before "Whitey" came around. I remember my mother freaking out when I got tanned and freckled as a kid during the summer and when I returned from my Iraq deployment, and my dad has spent a ton of $$ trying to get rid of the liver/age spots on his skin. Apparently turmeric works wonders for skin whitening and removing skim blemishes *shrug*
I'm from Indonesia, white skin is associated with wealth, beauty, and status while dark skin is associated with poor, ugly and lower class citizen.
SoulUnison
Banned
Obviously the racism sells more than the justified outrage harms the brand.
They're not stopping so much as they "cutely" toeing the line and going through periods of trying to be coy and "subtle" about it.
Next month it'll be, like, "Nivea - step into the light/white." And they'll be so surprised when people call them out on it.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
They're not stopping so much as they "cutely" toeing the line and going through periods of trying to be coy and "subtle" about it.
Next month it'll be, like, "Nivea - step into the light/white." And they'll be so surprised when people call them out on it.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Dammit, I swear I wasn't trying to be punny when I started typing that line.
Its entirely possible that colorism around the world is influenced by both racism and classism.
With that said, it is kind of aggravating how a lot of people so quickly jump to generalizing to people want to look white. Like with the double-eyelid surgery in East Asian countries, not realizing that many East Asian people naturally have double eyelids.
With that said, it is kind of aggravating how a lot of people so quickly jump to generalizing to people want to look white. Like with the double-eyelid surgery in East Asian countries, not realizing that many East Asian people naturally have double eyelids.
SuperBanana
Banned
I think this is the case. I definitely know it is in India, some Asian countries, and I'm pretty sure Africa. It's almost like an anti-tan. Western people try to get darker skin tones by tanning so they don't look pale or like they've been inside all the time but it's the opposite over there.
Interesting, it's the exact same motivation Europe had during the last 500 years. Until last century of course, when tanning became a thing.
17 Seconds
Banned
I mean, it just describes what the product does, and it's a product a lot of people want. It's kind of tricky
MistakenMobius
Member
Those product are super cancerous though.
Its one thing to avoid sun like its radioactive.
Its another thing to fuck up your skins to be like on the magazine.
I suppose people don't travel all that much and don't know how super widespread those whitening creams are in some parts of the world. I'm all for calling out Nivea on their bullshit, but don't act like they invented this. I'm pretty sure that most large skin care product companies are in that game. Couldn't find a sunblocker without whitening effect in Asia
KonradLaw
Member
Pretty much. In primarly-white societies, especially in Europe, the move in past century into tanning has been caused by associeation of "tan = has money to vacation in exotic locales"
MistakenMobius
Member
GAF is Super USA centric.
This is a maaaaybe not the best look for a company to have
okay but look, I'm _bright green_ every night
i am clearly visible wherever i go
it is beginning to worry me
okay but look, I'm _bright green_ every night
i am clearly visible wherever i go
it is beginning to worry me
I genuinely wonder if this shit is just some "no such thing as bad press" scheme to get more eyes on their ads.
I wouldn't put it passed them.
KonradLaw
Member
More likely those things sell in their target markets and few people care there, so those companies don't give a damn if there's outrage from americans living half the world away. I mean, it would be silly to base local advertising campaign on sensibilities of people from completely different country. Normally we wouldn't even known about this king of marketing. It's just that Internet has made information more global
Fair just means light doesnt it? Like you would say Jane had to be careful when shed went out in the sun as her skin was very fair. Or the weather was fair. Is this just a UK phrase? Or does it have connotations Im not aware of?
Skin lightening products are crazy though.
Skin lightening products are crazy though.
17 Seconds
Banned
i'm not defending the product, it just doesn't make sense to call it a racist or tone-deaf ad.
AcademicSaucer
Member
A culture that promotes female genital mutilation isn't a culture worth respecting
excelsiorlef
Member
I assume the purpose of the tweet is to spread awareness in the West, since these products have been around for a while (example from India, 2009), the people in Nigeria have surely seen these creams and ads before, it's nothing new to them
there's also a bit of a flaw in her argument that "we didn't want these creams", because in that case, there wouldn't be a market for them. And before anyone complaints, I agree that these products promote racist views in the society
People are trying to act like skin bleaching is fucking normal and that its in anyway similar to getting a tan, why would you think they'd give a fuck about context?
This isn't even the first thread people assert that chemically lightening one's skin is normal or minimizing the effect that white supremacy & colonial standards of beauty have had in shaping these cultures that try to permenantly burn their epidermis to satisfy an unsustainable/unrealistic concept of beauty. Or that being "pale" to the dark-skinned black man that I am is the status of nobility.
I don't suddenly become fucking pale if I stay inside long enough, the only way I'd achieve paleness is if I literally disfigure myself.
Also all of you talking about people with US perspectives shouldnt have an opinion can go fuck off, I'm a first generation immigrant on my papers and I'm not going to pretend that is some qualifier for me to talk on this subject.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Messofanego
Banned
Do they have the kind of marketing and language as in these "natural fairness" ads?
Westbahnhof
Banned
I'm not quite sure how you mean that.
Do you mind elaborating or explaining?
Here are some ads I found if you want to make comparisons:
Edit: oh and this one. I don't know if it's real, and if it is, it seems very satirical/tongue-in-cheek/whatever.
This is a hard one because I do believe there is demand from the black women community to use cream that lighten up their skin (Ive certainly met black women who used it) in the same way that the white community wants to get a tan and look less white. However advertising these products is very dangerous and can create stigma - so it must be a complicated advertising issue.
excelsiorlef
Member
What a well thought out post that doesn't at all ridicule valid concerns.
Yea they are popular as hell in SE Asia but surprisingly not as much as in S. Korea where there are also whitening cream for male
papercan55
Member
It's the same in a lot of parts of asia, hence why you'll see chinese tourists with umbrellas in a lot of sunny places.
Dark skin is seen as representation of the poor lower class working people that work outside and do not take care of themselves.
Older people even go to the extreme of covering their whole face with a swimming mask to avoid getting a tan, i'm used to it now but it was slightly strange at first.
Whilst the ad can clearly be seen as racist to anyone that doesn't live in these locations, it's simply what sells in these places.
looks like i am late with comments but pretty much this, it looks like the same thing is beginning to happen in India and Africa sadly.
Messofanego
Banned
So no, then.I'm not quite sure how you mean that.
Do you mind elaborating or explaining?
Here are some ads I found if you want to make comparisons:
Edit: oh and this one. I don't know if it's real, and if it is, it seems very satirical/tongue-in-cheek/whatever.
Westbahnhof
Banned
Thank you for ignoring my question. I still have no idea what you are talking about.
Glad I could help you answer your own question though.
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