People Are Angry At This Dove Advertisement And The Company Has Apologized For How It Represented Women Of Color

"HOW DID THIS LEAVE THE WHITEBOARD?!?!"

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.

@Naythemua / Via Facebook: naythemua

Then, the ad shows another woman in a tan shirt, according to @Naythemua on Facebook.

@Naytheuma / Via facebook.com

BuzzFeed News has reached out to @Naythemua for further comment.

People had questions: "Wtf this suppose to mean," someone asked.

@AriannaModels / Via Twitter: @AriannaModels

Is @Dove soap’s marketing strategy Before - black & dirty After - Caucasian & clean Also *who* is approving thes… https://t.co/wnl29yj0SR

@meghamohan / Via Twitter: @meghamohan

Some people speculated as to how the advertisement was developed.

Dove marketing execs approving that racist ad

@ldowrich / Via Twitter: @ldowrich

"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*

@XLNB / Via Twitter: @XLNB

"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

@ImJustCeej / Via Twitter: @ImJustCeej

"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

@Bbillions / Via Twitter: @Bbillions

#BoycottDove because like other major comestics brands they think being black is undesirable and dirty.

@kelechnekoff / Via Twitter: @kelechnekoff

"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

@kawrage / Via Twitter: @kawrage

"I see no difference, @Dove."

@GNCordova / Via Twitter: @GNCordova

Other people brought up another Dove campaign from 2011.

Okay, Dove... One racist ad makes you suspect. Two racist ads makes you kinda guilty.

@keithboykin / Via Twitter: @keithboykin

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.

@Dove / Via Twitter: @Dove

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

@TigerLily_Spots / Via Twitter: @TigerLily_Spots

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

@UNcubeOthungayo / Via Twitter: @UNcubeOthungayo

"?!?!" this person concluded a query.

@UNcubeOthungayo @Dove WAIT WAIT WAIT!!! HOW DID THIS LEAVE THE WHITEBOARD?!?!

@bodaciousbobo / Via Twitter: @bodaciousbobo

"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

@BonnieMbuli / Via Twitter: @BonnieMbuli

This person brought up another time she thought Dove "missed the mark."

Definitely missed the mark there @Dove FYI Dark skin IS NORMAL

@_StaceyBaptiste / Via Twitter: @_StaceyBaptiste

"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

@MsPackyetti / Via Twitter: @MsPackyetti

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

@ava / Via Twitter: @ava

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.

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