Dove Apologises For "Racist" Advertisement Which Had A Black Lady Turn Into A White Woman

Dove has been forced to apologise after suffering a huge backlash for an advert it posted onto Facebook. The video showed a black woman removing her top to reveal a white woman underneath – and it was, understandably, deemed to be racist by many.

"An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully," Dove said on Twitter. "We deeply regret the offence caused."

The rest of the advert showed the white woman taking her top off to reveal an Asian woman. Dove said it was supposed to show diversity and depict the idea that the lotion works with all skin tones, however, quite the opposite message came across.

Even if it was not the intention, the advert could clearly be compared to historically racist adverts depicting soap turning black people white.

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Despite Dove deleting the video and apologising, many Twitter users have pointed out that this is not the first time the brand has "missed the mark" when it comes to race. In 2011, it came under fire for an advert which appeared to show the transition of a black woman becoming white from using its body wash. The brand has also come under scrutiny for having a lotion that reads for "normal to dark skin".

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From: Harper's BAZAAR UK