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Cosmetic company Dove have found themselves in hot water over a controversial advertisement which brought about the racism issue.

In the ad, a black woman in a brown t-shirt removes it and underneath emerges a white woman in a lighter-colored tee.

Critics were on Dove’s neck as soon as it was put up on their Facebook page. On realizing the heat and online uproar that the ad stirred, the company took it down and posted an apology on their Twitter and Facebook pages admitting that the advert “missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully” adding: “We deeply regret the offense it caused”.

Now, it seems this isn’t the first time Dove has done this. CNN political commentator Keith Boykin posted another advert of a “before-after” theme. On this one, the before picture is a black woman who ‘fades’ and becomes a white woman. On her post, Boykin captions it: “Okay, Dove. One racist ad makes you suspect. Two racist ads makes you kinda guilty.”

According to critics, the ad portrays the popular belief that “white” is beautiful and better. That black skin is something that requires a ‘dove’ clean up.
A sociology professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Abigail Sewell, aired her opinion on Facebook saying: “Dove’s marketing team is fundamentally racist. A clean body is not a white body. Black bodies aren’t systematically dirty. I’ve used their products forever, but it’s time to move on.”

In a tweet, Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard shares similar sentiments saying: “I’ll never use Dove soap again. #DonewithDove.”

The director of Ava DuVernay also criticized Dove’s apology in a tweet:

Much as Dove has had campaigns to show how diverse they are, the fact that these two ads seem to highlight that they can wash black skin into white skin leaves a lot to be desired. One can only imagine what such adverts can do to black teenage girls and their self-esteem. What say you?