The well-known beauty brand Dove has been forced to change its product name to appeal to more consumers.
Dove soap maker Unilever will remove the word “normal” from its beauty and personal care products, as well as stop digitally altering images of models used in its advertising, in a push to be more inclusive.
The move from the London-based company, which is one of the top advertisers in the world, comes as it tries to move beyond the backlash it has faced for some of its advertising campaigns.
Unilever was pushed to rename its top-selling skin-lightening brand in India from Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely last year after facing consumer anger over negatively stereotyping darker skin tones
More than 100 Unilever brands around the world will have the word “normal”, used to describe skin type or hair texture, removed and replaced with terms such as “grey hair” for shampoos or “moisture replenish” for skin creams by March next year.
Unilever said a poll it conducted of about 10,000 people globally showed that more than half the respondents felt using “normal” to describe hair or skin made people feel excluded, while 70 percent said using the word in advertising had a negative impact.
The company also said it would stop digitally altering the body shape, size, proportion, and skin tones of models it used in its advertisements, or those of its paid influencers across all its brands, a move that started with the Dove brand in 2018.
AWM gives us more reactions from folks online:
While many social media users have praised the company’s effort to include more people, critics abound and are not shy about voicing their opinions on the change.
“Now @Unilever has gone woke. You won’t be able to buy shampoo for ‘normal’ hair anymore. Apparently, it’s offensive. Wouldn’t it be great if these companies reflected the views of normal people who haven’t been conned by this PC wokeness? Time to avoid @Dove @Sunsilk,” wrote one critic.
Another person thought that the change was positive.
“The fact that everyone is so triggered by this is pathetic. This is very necessary. Unlike different shade band-aids, classifying hair and skin types is very much needed. Black and white people can’t use the same hair or skin products.”
Another person thought the Unilever change made sense.
“Unilever dropping the word ‘normal’ in reference to hair/ skin types because people feel excluded from it. Well, yes, I’ve got super dry skin and hair, and this is outside the norm for healthy skin/ hair, but feeling excluded? Nah. Can’t wait to hear the new word, though.”
Sources: AWM, WashingtonPost
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