Angry Chinese Netizens Over Advertisement Photo
"Don't Buy Dior Products"
Racial Discrimination Controversy Also in 2021
Recently, the French luxury brand Dior posted an advertising photo on its official social networking service (SNS) and was engulfed in criticism from Chinese netizens. The reason was that the pose struck by the advertising model was perceived to contain racist connotations.
On the 12th, critical posts targeting Dior have been continuously uploaded on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. Chinese netizens responded with comments such as "Let's boycott Dior. Brands that practice racism must be rejected," "Never buy Dior products again. This is not the first time," and "We express regret over Dior posting racist content again."
Earlier, Dior recently posted on Instagram a close-up photo of an Asian model pulling the outer corner of her eyes upward. Pulling the outer corners of the eyes sideways is considered a representative racist act by Westerners depicting East Asians. Chinese netizens pointed out that Dior's advertising photo also evokes racism.
This is not the first time Dior has been embroiled in a racial discrimination controversy in China. In November 2021, at the opening of the 'Lady Dior' exhibition in Shanghai, Dior displayed a photo of a model with a freckled face and heavy eye makeup wearing traditional Chinese clothing, which sparked controversy over belittling Chinese people. In response to the criticism, Dior removed the photo from the exhibition and also took it down online.
The controversial photo was taken by Chen Man (陳漫), a famous Chinese photographer and visual artist. Chen also apologized, saying she was "immature and ignorant." She stated, "I am Chinese. I was born and raised in China and deeply love my homeland," adding, "I will read more about Chinese history and participate in more educational programs."
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