Hair company apologises for advert featuring white women

A HAIR company has apologised after a social media backlash to its ad which only featured white women.

Hair company Shea Moisture’s attempt to market its products to white women caused a stir.

A HAIR product company that specialises in enhancing the natural curls of African-American women has apologised for an advert featuring white women.

Shea Moisture sparked heavy criticism on social media for the online commercial in which the women, along with a woman of colour, talking about “hair hate” and how Shea is their go-to product.

“Wow — we really f-ed this one up! Please know that our intent was not, & would never be, to disrespect our community,” the company’s official Twitter account, @SheaMoisture, posted.

What’s normal? No one defines it for you. We make 150+ hair products - for every kind of normal. #AMillionWaysToShea pic.twitter.com/a36BhWuYqv

— SheaMoisture (@SheaMoisture) September 14, 2016

Black women built SheaMoisture. And not the "I was teased for having good hair" Black women. Black women will take it right on down too.

— Kimberly N. Foster (@KimberlyNFoster) April 24, 2017

"More Shea Moisture products for me!" pic.twitter.com/arImFvJ7qo

— ᴅᴏʟʟᴀʀ (@callmedollar) April 24, 2017

It comes after a social media backlash in which the company, which stocks its products at Target in the US, was accused of “gentrifying” the line.

Longtime customers expressed outrage over the brand’s comparison of embracing red hair to embracing natural black texture, a highly politicised issue in the US.

Studies have found that black women who wear their natural texture, or who style their hair in dreads, braids or cornrows, are seen as less competent than those who straighten their hair.

The furore prompted one Twitter use to tweet an image of Rachel Dolezal, the curly-hair white woman who faked being black, with the caption “More Shea products for me!”

Shea Moisture posted a longer apology on its Facebook page, including: “You guys know that we have always stood for inclusion in beauty and have always fought for our community and given them credit for not just building our business but for shifting the beauty landscape.”

Originally published as Hair company apologises for advert featuring white women