Comments on Los Angelista: Exposing and Boycotting Racist Ponds & Unilever

I saw the South Korean versions of these five part...

2009-11-23T21:37:43.783-08:00

I saw the South Korean versions of these five part commercials. It's exactly the same (definitely came out first), only the people were (obviously) South Korean.

You want to know what the WORST part is about these commercials (aside from the fact that it's not new at all)? Each of the main "characters" in these ads is a famous Bollywood star (the man is "Saif Ali Khan", the current girlfriend is "Neha Dhupia" and the jilted lover is "Priyanka Chopra")! Indians tend to absolutely REVERE and in some cases literally WORSHIP their stars, so this is really, REALLY disturbing, but again, nothing new, sorry to say.

I used to believe that the obsession with white skin stemmed from the British colonial forces who brought their racist attitudes with them. Now I know better. Obviously, the British didn't help, but the problem comes from a caste and class issue. India's economy is, and has been, a largely agricultural one. For a developing country, that means labourers on the field in the really hot sun, with the landlords being inside for the most part.

Labourers = lower classes = usually people from lower castes. Opportunities for advancement for people who were in the higher castes.

Landlords = upper classes = *always* from the upper castes.

Hope that makes sense, and sorry for the really late, uber-long post!

Kari, Thanks for sending that email to them. I'll...

2009-11-16T23:55:18.711-08:00

Kari,
Thanks for sending that email to them. I'll email them as well. Good looking out.

Anonymous,
Sure, some people try to make themselves darker, they think a tan looks healthy or whatever. But if those tans became permanent and never faded, a whole LOT of people would stop getting them. Plus, no historical racial supremacy is associated with darker skin. I lived in Asia for awhile too, China specifically, and I saw how folks wore makeup that was too light to appear lighter. Again, I don't think we can underestimate how deep racism goes.

I think that there are many good points in this bl...

2009-11-16T12:52:36.618-08:00

I think that there are many good points in this blog. I do think it is important to remember that here in the states, we buy plenty of products in order to darken our skin. I think much of this is a cultural difference. "evil-cackle" had mentioned this before. In Asia it is a sign of wealth if you are able to keep your skin pale and out of the sun. I lived in Asia for a while and whenever I would go on vacation and get a tan, my Chinese friends would be very upset with me. I like my skin tan, they like it pale.
I am not saying that I believe that skin-whitening is a good thing, but I do not think it is important to look at all sides of this issue.
I will also add that I do think the commercial that is posted is pretty horrible and a disappointment. I will still think twice about what products I buy.

Liz - I think Dove is one of the sponsors of the O...

2009-11-16T10:31:53.164-08:00

Liz - I think Dove is one of the sponsors of the Oprah show. I just sent her producers an e-mail and said they should check out your blog. You could send them one too. At least she's had the Dove women on before. It might take a little more research - but I swear I see Dove mentioned at the end of the show a lot.

Sarah, The mixed messages to grab market share rea...

2009-11-16T00:49:25.067-08:00

Sarah,
The mixed messages to grab market share really are reprehensible. I guess real beauty isn't as important as "white beauty" in India. Ugh.

Evil Cackle,
Love that name!

I hear what you're saying about pale skin being associated with not having to work in a field/you're balling outta control and tossing cash around, but I don't know if our society really appreciates the impact of colonialism and centuries of being ruled by white people -- and how those white people used their "white beauty" as a justification for the dehumanization of entire groups of people. That does something to the psyche that's much deeper than what we probably realize.

This also to mind that classic saying about the difference between erotica and porn-- you know it when you see it. This is one of those instances where you know racism when you see it. It's pretty unambiguous in the marketing of this product. Even the name... not that anything's wrong with being white and beautiful but if you're in India, how about calling the product Indian Beauty? -- what am I saying? I don't think the product should even exist!

Nick,
What'd Jenny say when you told her about this? I went shopping today to swap all my Unilever brand beauty products for other ones. They don't have my piece of market share here anymore till something changes.

Pooneh,
Yeah!

April,
That's a really excellent idea. I'm interested in hearing what they have to say -- as is my 8 year-old who was pretty upset that he couldn't get any Cherry Garcia today.

Eve,
Thank you for doing so! I really think we can make a difference - Keep spreading the word.

Thanks for the links. I just emailed Ponds and Uni...

2009-11-14T17:06:48.848-08:00

Thanks for the links. I just emailed Ponds and Unilever to let them know I am officially boycotting their products. I can't believe this campaign is going on in the year 2009.

You should also contact Ben & Jerry's directly. Th...

2009-11-14T13:22:54.409-08:00

You should also contact Ben & Jerry's directly. They've projected an image of being committed to social causes from their inception. I'd be interested to see what they have to say about this.

count me in on the boycott!

2009-11-14T08:29:56.827-08:00

count me in on the boycott!

I would certainly boycott Unilever products if I u...

2009-11-14T05:44:24.164-08:00

I would certainly boycott Unilever products if I used any of them but I don't, apart from a very old tub of Vaseline I've hardly touched. We don't even have Bertolli's olive oil, we get Sainsbury's own brand.

Jenny has a few Dove products, I must point out the White Beauty business which she's probably unaware of. An outrageous product and outrageous marketing. As Sarah says, like all capitalist companies they're just out to grab market share wherever they can. They don't care less if the products contradict each other.

Hi, Here via twitter (RT of a RT ... etc ;) ) Yo...

2009-11-13T20:06:07.752-08:00

Hi,

Here via twitter (RT of a RT ... etc ;) )

You have some good points, just wanted to mention another possibility/add another perspective - while I don't agree with the adverts/video, it may not necessarily be trying to inspire racial self-hatred (admittedly I didn't watch the whole series of adverts).

Pale skin tends to be all the rage in asian countries (eg: go to Thailand, Malaysia, China, etc and it feels like every second ad on TV is for whitening/lightening cream) - not so much because they're saying white (caucasian) skin is superior, but because pale skin is traditionally associated with being wealthy (so I've been told anyway) - ie: in times of old, if you were wealthy, you could afford not to work (ie: farm), so you weren't outside in the sun and therefore didn't get tan ....?

Perhaps that's an oversimplification; agree the video in this case does seem to take it somewhat further, just saying that perhaps it's not so much racist as a case of cultural differences?

just my opinion anyway. enjoyed your post regardless and thank you for the links & food for thought.

Oh, and it's especially disappointing since their ...

2009-11-13T19:51:27.934-08:00

Oh, and it's especially disappointing since their Dove brand does their "real beauty" campaign. This makes it all seem just like a cynical attempt to grab market share wherever they can get it.

This is so disgusting. What's especially crazy is ...

2009-11-13T19:48:10.022-08:00

This is so disgusting. What's especially crazy is that the girl in the video is so light-skinned to begin with. Like, what the - ?

I think we all need to love ourselves for who we are, and we also need to acknowledge that cosmetic companies are always going exploit us for those parts of ourselves we dislike...