'We made a mistake' - Clicks under fire for racist hair campaign
Health and beauty retailer Clicks has apologised for labelling Black people’s hair as “dry, damaged, frizzy and dull” and white people’s hair as “normal” in an ad campaign.
The images caused outrage on social media on Friday, with some calling for Clicks to be fined.
Not only is this disrespectful to black lives, it is also evidence of an absence of representation and diversity within the organization. And we are talking about a South Africa with a population of about 80% black people (stand to be corrected). No ways💔 @Clicks_SA https://t.co/HWtfH40HCY
— Zozibini Tunzi (@zozitunzi) September 4, 2020
The health and beauty retailer says the racially insensitive campaign was a mistake.
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"We would like to issue an unequivocal apology. We have removed the images which go against everything we believe in. We do not condone racism and we are strong advocates of natural hair. We are deeply sorry and will put in place stricter measures on our website," it says.
We would like to issue an unequivocal apology. We have removed the images which go against everything we believe in. We do not condone racism and we are strong advocates of natural hair. We are deeply sorry and will put in place stricter measures on our website.
— Clicks (@Clicks_SA) September 4, 2020
We have made a mistake and sincerely apologise for letting you down. We recognise we have a role to play in creating a more diverse and inclusive S.A, starting with our website content. We know we need to do better, and commit to ensuring our content better reflects this value.
— Clicks (@Clicks_SA) September 4, 2020
Many on social media, including activist Tumi Sole, have rejected the apology.
"You are issuing standard and fake apologies! Which agency did you use? What was the brief? Did this get authorized by your Exco?" tweeted Sole.
