Earlier this week, hair care brand SheaMoisture launched its “Break Free from Hair Hate” campaign and some social media folk are NOT happy with their (ahem) new approach.
The video featured four women sharing their personal stories about “hair hate” and embracing their natural hair. One woman is very light skinned with long curly hair then, there is another woman with blonde hair and the last two women were red heads.
But there was something very clearly missing from the footage–models with kinky hair and deep brown skin.
Perhaps worsening matters, the video ended with the slogan, “Everybody Gets Love.”
At the very end of the video, for about two seconds, there were a few darker skinned models, but they were not a main feature in the clip. After the video was posted, the comments started rushing in, and it wasn’t exactly to compliment the brand.
A comment from a Facebook user by the name of Shanika Moses received lots of attention.
The video even sparked a debate on Twitter as well. Some wondered if women with darker skin couldn’t be located in time for the shoot:
https://twitter.com/HeyAprill/status/856558997809352706
According to its Facebook page, the Harlem-based brand started in 1992 with a focus on natural hair products catering to textured hair needs.
In September of 2015, they announced a partnership with a minority, non-control investor. “We are still an independent, family-owned and operated company – and we are still at the helm…running the business, making the decisions and focused more than ever on YOU,” SheaMoisture said in a statement.
For a brand designed to cater to women with natural and textured hair, this video didn’t seem to align with its mission.
Take a look at the video here and let us know what you think:
Do you think the brand was inclusive in its new campaign video? Are folks overreacting or is this the new wave of multicultural marketing for hair products? Comment below!
UPDATE
After becoming a top trending topic on Twitter, Shea Moisture issued a statement about their ad campaign, stating, “Wow – we really f-ed this one up! Please know that our intent was not, & would never be, to disrespect our community.”
Hmm…thoughts?
