NEW YORK – Dove has apologized for a Facebook ad accused of ‘whitewashing’ a black woman. The ad, which shows a woman changing from black to white after using a Dove product, has sparked outrage and accusations of racism.
Makeup artist Naomi Leann Blake shared images from the ad on Facebook in a post that soon went viral.
The images show a black woman wearing a brown t-shirt who removes her top and transforms into a white woman in a cream t-shirt. The white woman then turns into an Asian woman after she removes her t-shirt.
The Asian woman’s t-shirt is a darker beige colour than the white woman’s.
The images are part of a Facebook advertising campaign for the company.
Following backlash online, the Unilever brand removed the Facebook ad and posted an apology on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/NathiMthethwaSA/status/916995079717490689
https://twitter.com/GoodieGold/status/916665160990973953
