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May 30, 2016

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Detergent maker apologizes for racially offensive advert

Source: Agencies | May 30, 2016, Monday | Print Edition

Program Code: 0909346160505015 Source: Miaopai

A laundry detergent maker apologized for the harm caused by the spread of an ad in which a black man “washed” by its product was transformed into a fair-skinned Asian man.

Shanghai Leishang Cosmetics Ltd said it strongly condemns racial discrimination but blamed foreign media for its “amplification” of the ad, which first appeared on Chinese social media in March but was halted after it drew protests last week following media reports.

“We express regret that the ad should have caused a controversy,” the statement issued late Saturday read. “But we will not shun responsibility for controversial content.

“We express our apology for the harm caused to the African people because of the spread of the ad and the over-amplification by the media,” the company said. “We sincerely hope the public and the media will not over-read it.”

The commercial for the “Qiaobi” brand — which has gone viral in the West — shows a black man whistling and winking at a young Chinese woman, who calls him over, puts a detergent packet into his mouth, and forces him headfirst into a washing machine.

She sits on the lid while the man shrieks. Moments later an Asian man emerges in clean clothes, and the woman grins.

The advertisement has provoked an uproar on US news websites, which cited it as an example of racist attitudes toward black people in China.

“We meant nothing but to promote the product, and we had never thought about the issue of racism,” said a spokesman for the Leishang cosmetics company, which produces the detergent.

“The foreign media might be too sensitive about the advertisement.”

The spokesman said a shorter version was broadcast in China, which did not feature the black actor, and he had no idea how the full-length clip ended up online.

But it has attracted little attention in its home country, with few comments on social media, and fewer than 2,000 views of the same ad on popular video-sharing site Youku.

Traditional attitudes prizing white skin in women have contributed to bias against dark-skinned people.

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