Nivea's Racist “Re-Civilize Yourself” Afro Ad (picture)

[Liberal_in_LA]

Nivea Apologizes For Racist “Re-Civilize Yourself” Afro Ad

Nivea has apologized for an advertisement they placed in Esquire that featured a clean cut African American male throwing a mask of a face with an Afro and beard with the title “Look Like You Give a Damn. Re-civilize Yourself.”

People quickly turned to social networking and Twitter to voice displeasure over the ad.

“The image isn’t going over well, particularly with those who think the head kind of looks like Cornel West. There is a white-man version, but there’s no talk of re-civilizing him,” AdWeek.com wrote today

http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/racist-nivea-ad-afro-mask/

Nivea, an international skin–care company released a print ad featuring a African American man attempting to throw a decapitated head away in an effort to reach out for a wider demographic to men, particularly in the black community.

The ad copy read: “Re–Civilize Yourself.”

Apparently, the company’s message deems that an Afro­–style haircut is not civilized, and that particular hairstyle is predominately worn and favored by people in black communities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia.

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Aside from the ad being racially offensive, the idea of featuring an African American man holding a decapitated head in an ad to appear in a National Magazine shows a lack of creative direction.

http://www.examiner.com/marketing-in-los-angeles/nivea-for-men-ad-pulled-for-being-racially-offensive-to-black-community

[Dawson Leery]

1. A big head of hair makes one "uncivilized"?

:eyes:

[hedgehog]

3. What about the mow the lawn" ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBkR09sP4T4

[Xithras]

17. Depends on your social circles.

It's like long hair on a white man. Some people are OK with it. Some aren't. Depends on your style and social norms.

[hedgehog]

2. Has Esquire apologized for running the ad?

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. not sure. The ad company has apologized here:

The ad was created for the company, which is owned by Beiersdorf USA, by the creative agency Draftfcb, according to AdWeek. In AdWeek, Beiersdorf USA issued a statement that came down strongly against the advertisement.

“This ad was inappropriate and offensive. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values at Beiersdorf and we do not tolerate insensitivity. It was never our intention to offend anyone and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Beiersdorf, as a company, represents diversity, tolerance and equal opportunity. Direct and indirect discrimination must be ruled out in all decisions and in all areas of the company.”

The company also issued a similar statement on its Facebook page, thanking fans for “caring enough to give us your feedback.”

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/nivea-pulls-ad-after-online-outcry/

[Poll_Blind]

5. Jesus that's fucked up. BTW, ppl should watch Chris Rock's doc. "Good Hair"

PB

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. saw "good hair". Good documentary.

[Aerows]

7. Men shaving and getting haircuts is racist these days?

I thought it was just called good grooming.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. large afro does not always equate with 'bad grooming" and no mention of civilization

in the same ad featuring a white man.

[Aerows]

11. I was thinking about it from a military perspective

Nobody has hair, period. Again, I didn't realize that meant racism.

[Lost-in-FL]

12. I am curious to see the ad featuring a white man.

Too bad it is not shown in the links.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. Here is the other ad

[Aerows]

18. That dude has long, mangy looking hair

I'm still wondering how either looks racist, rather than just unkempt.

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. Different terminology used. "uncivilized"?

[Aerows]

25. I didn't catch the "uncivilized" part

but still, if you show up with nasty hair that hasn't seen conditioner in weeks, a long ass beard and generally looking like a cave man, "uncivilized" is going to pop into the mind of females whether you are black, blue, purple or white.

[Lost-in-FL]

29. First ad head looks "decapitated" while the other is clearly a mask. Nuff said. nt

[Aerows]

31. Now THAT is valid criticism

bitching about the hair and beard wasn't.

[Liberal_in_LA]

It's the sum total of the ad - even the fact that the black man is portrayed as an athlete.

[Lost-in-FL]

38. Clearly an idiot the person that came up with this.

They could have gotten away with any criticism if at least they added a reference to the second guy being a "barbarian", or a "savage", "neanderthal" etc. Those terms could have work well against "uncivilized"... but not even that. The ads seem almost as a visceral reaction, not something that was well thought.

[WinkyDink]

20. (Wrong place.)

[Lost-in-FL]

28. Well... that changes everything for me.

This happens, unfortunately, more often than what appears. To give you an example that is similar but with both sexist and racist overtone to something I saw once: I was in a flight going to a Latin American country with my husband. We had the same magazine in the same flight but his magazine was in English and mine was in Spanish. We opened the magazines to the same page to an ad in which a model was advertizing a fragrance.

Same model... same outfit... In the english ad, the model had a heavy necklace and the dress was fully buttoned. In the Latin American version the model did NO wore any necklace, the first button of the outfit was undone and the breast size and cleavage were enhanced (push up bra perhaps). I could not believe that marketing agencies can get away with this sort of crap. I felt deeply offended as both a woman and a Latina, and part of me lost faith in woman reaching their full potential in society once I saw that ad. It was literally like getting a slap in the face. My husband was shocked too.

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. yep. Someone thought it was "ok" to represent the Latina that way.

The "saucy" "hot" latina is also overrepresented in advertisement and media.

[Aerows]

33. I do get that

But I still think that men are getting too worked up about this ad. Cut your damn hair. Shave on occasion. You expect women to groom themselves, but have a conniption fit when society expects it of you. Unless you are 12, let me introduce you to a razor and a pair of scissors.

[Liberal_in_LA]

35. I see your point of view but I still see the racism in this ad

[Lost-in-FL]

36. Actually, the model was European, Caucasian with green eyes.

I don't know if the ad was directed to a male business audience but it clearly played on the stupid stereotype of the superficial Latin Americans and their sexuality. That since Latinos breed like "animals" (not my opinion but the opinions of European and American quotations present in now historical documents describing Latinos) they would be inclined and easily seduced by sexualy charged ads.That they are incapable of being attracted to figures representing sofisticated, professional-working women like the one represented in the English magazine. That is why my husband was shocked due to the "in-your-face" view that Latinos are "more" sexual than your average "civilized" person.

[Liberal_in_LA]

45. the "more" sexual stereotype is also applied to African Americans

[Lost-in-FL]

46. I know...

:hi:

[Quantess]

43. Thank you.

[WinkyDink]

19. Since when does letting hair grow naturally = "BAD grooming"?

[Aerows]

21. Since when it has split ends

is dirty and isn't conditioned.

[WinkyDink]

24. I'm SURE that's what you got out of that ad. "Spit ends." More like "Split from neck."

[Aerows]

27. Not sure what you are arguing

But hey, I'll go along with it. Okay, both guys had heads in their hands with men with awful looking beards and hair.

I think men are getting far more offended over this ad than women, and many of the women at home are thinking, "Yeah, he needs to shave before he gets a nest built in that beard."

[shanti]

44. actually, we all aren't thinking that

personally, i really like long hair/dreadlocks and a big beard on a guy, and i doubt i'm alone. that old hippie in me never left...

[Quantess]

42. Throwing the skinned portion of a decapitated head isn't just good grooming.

It's hard-core, awesomeness, shit-your-pants grooming.

[Lost-in-FL]

9. I don't know... This is a hard one to comment.

Decapitated head? It looks more like a mask to me than a head.


... and, I am sorry, but Cornel West isn't that hot.

[Bok_Tukalo]

10. I can think of few things more civilized than flinging a decapitated head

<OEM>

[slackmaster]

13. So, a well-groomed white guy holding a Joe Dirt mullet-head would not be racist, I take it.

[gratuitous]

15. Ad Week.com is quoted in the story

They said that there is a white man version, but that ad apparently does not refer to "civilizing" oneself. I don't know what the white guy ad looks like, but it seems there are different messages aimed at different demographics in the ads.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. Other ad here:

[gratuitous]

26. Hmmmm

The mask in the white guy ad is more clearly a mask than the black guy ad, but that can probably be explained away as an innocent mistake. I could see the images reversed pretty easily, depending on the photo used. But there are also culturally-loaded histories that distinguish the white experience from the black experience. I had a younger acquaintance look at photos from civil rights-era marches with protestors holding signs that said "I Am A Man." He didn't understand the significance of the sign: "Of course he's a man; why does he need a sign saying it?" Similarly, the notion of "civilizing" oneself carries a different connotation and subtext applied to black and white guys.

Verdict: The ad is highly unfortunate, and should be pulled. I can't say if the people at Nivea or its ad agency are racist, reckless or simply insensitive. I like "edgy" ads as much as the next chap, but this one crossed a line.

[uponit7771]

39. yeap, the historical references in US ad companies is the center of the issue here. They've been...

...less than "civil" when it comes to portraying people of color in a good light

[slackmaster]

40. Looks like the head of the cave man in the Geico ads

:shrug:

[WinkyDink]

22. HOLDING A DECAPITATED HEAD IS "CIVILIZED"??

[theHandpuppet]

32. WOW

I wonder what advertizing genius came up with that one. Unbelievable!

[Bluebear]

34. Wow says it!

[fishwax]

37. wow

:puke:

[Quantess]

41. The Onion?

I sure hope it is...I'll have a look.

[Scurrilous]

47. ...

:kick: