Calls for Clicks to explain itself after offensive black natural hair advert
The health and beauty retailer has come under fire for the campaign, which has been slammed for promoting negative sentiments towards black natural hair.
JOHANNESBURG - While Clicks said it understood the responsibility it had to remove prejudice from society, calls continue for the company to explain how an offensive advert ended up on its website in the first place.
The health and beauty retailer came under fire for a campaign which has been slammed for promoting negative sentiments towards black natural hair.
The advert shows an image of black hair labelled as dry and damaged while an image of white hair appears with the phrase fine and flat.
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
It’s an all-too-familiar occurrence of a major company running an ad and later regretting doing so.
Clicks has now apologised after the campaign sparked widespread outrage on social media, with some customers accusing the company of racism.
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
Afro Botanics supplies the retailer with natural black hair products.
CEO and founder Ntombenhle Khatwane said they were appalled.
“We are very appalled and when I saw the ad, I didn’t understand it because it goes against the values and everything my business stands for. So, I am waiting to hear from Clicks to hear what measures are they going to take.”
Clicks has now made a commitment to ensuring its content reflects the diverse voices and experiences of its customers.
