The fashion world has recently seen a major incident of controversy. It all started with a controversial ad campaign from the French luxury brand Dior that upset many people in China and Korea.
The advertisement has sparked a wave of criticism due to its depiction of a model with her eyes pulled back in an unnaturally slanted shape. This portrayal is seen as disrespectful and perpetuating negative stereotypes about Asians and is thus considered racist.
Image | Global Times
Despite deleting the problematic photo, the brand still managed to anger netizens in China, Korea and beyond. Four days ago, allegations of racial discrimination were levelled against Dior in the comments section of an Instagram post.
A photo of an Asian model with her fingers stuck under and pulling up the corner of her eyes caused a stir online and was ultimately removed, as the image appeared unnatural. Screenshots of the photo were shared all over the internet.
Dior has had a long history of appropriating Asian stereotypes in their fashion and art displays. This year they received criticism for a pictorial that showed Asian models with exaggerated makeup features like lifted eye corners.
Image | allkpop
Several Korean and Chinese internet users have taken offence to this “slanted eye look” due to its past of being used to insult Asians. Thus, it can be seen as a highly insensitive gesture. The netizens are up in arms over the latest advertisement from Dior. Many users demanded an apology and boycott of their products due to the controversy they generated.
Dior has yet to make a public announcement, however, they were swift in taking down the advertisement from all their social media channels due to the negative response it received.
