Dove slammed for ‘racist’ body wash ad showing black woman transforming into white woman

NEW YORK – Dove is facing heat for a body wash ad showing a black woman taking off her shirt to reveal a white woman, with many social media users calling it racist.

The company said Saturday it regrets the offence caused by the ad. It says it “missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully.” It has removed the post from its Facebook page.

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The ad was a gif showing a black woman taking off her brown shirt to reveal a white woman, who then took off her lighter-colored shirt, revealing a woman of colour in a slightly darker shirt.

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Circulating broadly online is a group of four images from the ad showing only the black woman turning into the white woman.

Dove is owned by British-Dutch company Unilever.