Potentially Racial ::: Does Dove Ad Suggest Soap May Wash the “Black” Away?

Compliments of Jezebel (can I name my first child, Jezebel), I’ve located this controversial ad ran by Dove. Folks are talking about Dove’s new ad potentially implying that black folk can wash hard enough to be reduced down to two shades (from black, to Latino to white, hence the line-up above). The ad reads, “Visibly more beautiful skin” blah, blah, blah… Jezebel and Gawker have added their own thoughts, which are, “Bye-bye black skin, hello white skin! (Scrub hard!)” I’m not sure if it’s the copy within the ad, the line-up or the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ that makes it get a ‘side-eye’ from readers. What do YOU think? Are people now uber sensitive when it comes to race and racism? Is the ad harmless? Should Dove pull the ad?

There are 5 comments for this article
  1. Chelsia at 4:39 pm

    I dont see what you see. I see ashy skin and moisturized skin. The first actually looks like me maybe I should buy this :(

  2. TRenee at 4:46 pm

    I agree I see an ad regarding dry skin and smooth skin. Nothing racial about it to me.

  3. Dot at 5:03 pm

    There is nothing racial about this ad. And the before and after skin images are exactly the same shade, just one is smoother than the other. I think most black people can agree they’d prefer smooth skin. Let’s not be hyper sensitive!

  4. Dubb-B(female type) at 3:48 am

    It seems racial to me. The “before” picture is over a voluptuous black woman and the “after” picture is over a skinny white woman? Not feeling this at all. These are the times I write letters. Although they may not mean it like that, it does look Offensive. The placement looks terrible

    • Michelle at 7:27 am

      Your comment is stupid & w/out merit. This is an ad about soap – period. Not about skin color, or weight, or whatever else you’d like it to be. You’re probably a black woman who has ashy skin. Maybe if you use Dove soap, your skin would become less ashy. Get a life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *