A photo of a Dove body wash ad posted by @Naythemua on Friday has gone massively viral. In the ad, a black woman peels away a brown shirt to reveal a white redheaded woman wearing a beige shirt.
Then, the ad shows another woman in a tan shirt, according to @Naythemua on Facebook.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to @Naythemua for further comment.
People had questions: "Wtf this suppose to mean," someone asked.
Wtf this suppose to mean @dove
Is @Dove soap’s marketing strategy Before - black & dirty After - Caucasian & clean Also *who* is approving thes… https://t.co/wnl29yj0SR
Some people speculated as to how the advertisement was developed.
Dove marketing execs approving that racist ad
"Brad: 'I got an idea...'"
"Alright Dove team, we need an ad that'll get everyone's attention!" Brad: "I got an idea..." *two weeks later*
"Y'all high?" one person wondered.
First of all, HAVE YOU SEEN HOW HORRIBLY WHITE WOMEN AGE??? Why would a Black woman trade her melanin for parchment paper? Y'all high? @Dove
"Any black business sell soap??" someone else asked.
Any black business sell soap?? Dove made it clear they only want white ppl using their products, I'm cool with that
#BoycottDove because like other major comestics brands they think being black is undesirable and dirty.
"The racist dove ad is a continuation of a long history of racist soap advertising," @kawrage tweeted.
the racist dove ad is a continuation of a long history of racist soap advertising
"I see no difference, @Dove."
I see no difference, @Dove.
Other people brought up another Dove campaign from 2011.
Okay, Dove... One racist ad makes you suspect. Two racist ads makes you kinda guilty.
Dove addressed the ad on Saturday. The beauty company said the image, posted to Facebook, "missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully."
An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.
Some people thought the ad was fake, until the company apologized.
@UNcubeOthungayo @mr_burton23 @Dove Man I legit thought this was a joke someone posted on twitter but to find out t… https://t.co/xo6tgQqstN
People responded to the apology with more questions.
@Dove Lol did this even look right to y'all? I mean your whole team sat down and cleared this bullshit right here?… https://t.co/YxHiwTKgqM
"?!?!" this person concluded a query.
@UNcubeOthungayo @Dove WAIT WAIT WAIT!!! HOW DID THIS LEAVE THE WHITEBOARD?!?!
"What was the mark, @Dove?"
What was the mark, @Dove? 🤔
Some people found the apology entirely inadequate.
Your ad didn’t miss the mark, say it with me now ...it is RACIST!!@Dove
This person brought up another time she thought Dove "missed the mark."
Definitely missed the mark there @Dove FYI Dark skin IS NORMAL
"This 'apology' is offensive," wrote Brittany Packnett.
Black Women spend nearly 8 BILLION dollars in the beauty industry. That’s a big “mark” to “miss,” @Dove. This “ap… https://t.co/6DFQVQy90r
Ava DuVernay took issue with Dove's response. "Do better here," she instructed.
@Dove You can do better than "missed the mark." Flip + diminishing. Deepens your offense. You do good work. Have be… https://t.co/Jftle7rsuB
Dove released the following statement to BuzzFeed News on Sunday:
As a part of a campaign for Dove Body Wash, a 3-second video clip was posted to the US Facebook page. This did not represent the diversity of real beauty which is something Dove is passionate about and is core to our beliefs, and it should not have happened. We have removed the post and have not published any other related content. We apologize deeply and sincerely for the offense that it has caused and do not condone any activity or imagery that insults any audience.