By YANNISE JEAN
June 15, 2017
“There aren’t many beauty brands created and designed specifically for black hair, so it was shocking to many consumers that the ad did not feature any black women with “kinky” hair.”
Last month the hair care line, Shea Moisture, released a new ad that promoted versatility within their products. Many of the women in the ad were white with straight hair, while the only one who wasn’t had loose curly hair. The end of the ad then says that we must reject “hair hate” and embrace the love for our hair.
Quickly the ad incited backlash from black consumers, who claimed that Shea Moisture was trying to whitewash the brand that had always catered to the needs of African American women.
There aren’t many beauty brands created and designed specifically for black hair, so it was shocking to many consumers that the ad did not feature any black women with “kinky” hair.
This is the type of hair that gets a bad reputation for being “bad hair” because it isn’t as smooth or straight as other hairstyles.
Hair isn’t supposed to be political, but when concerning black women it becomes just that. While hair may be just another attribute for many other women, for black women it sometimes means the difference between succeeding and failing. Black women are judged by their hair, when applying for jobs, going to school and even by potential romantic interests.
Hair isn’t supposed to be political, but when concerning black women it becomes just that.
Rules in the office and in schools always call for hair that is neat and clean, which never seems to apply to women who wear their hair in afros. Their hair is deemed unclean and a distraction to others.
Some schools even suggest that young black girls with natural hair straighten their hair in order to abide by school standards despite the fact that straightening hair chemically or with heat can create damage over time.
Shea Moisture did issue an apology over Facebook after a number of dislikes to their post, but many black women, like Sandra Williams, scoffed over the apology.
Wow, okay – so guys, listen, we really f-ed this one up. Please know that our intention was not – and would never be – to disrespect our community, and as such, we are pulling this piece immediately because it does not represent what we intended to communicate. 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. So, the feedback we are seeing here brings to light a very important point. While this campaign included several different videos showing different ethnicities and hair types to demonstrate the breadth and depth of each individual’s hair journey, we must absolutely ensure moving forward that our community is well-represented in each one so that the women who have led this movement never feel that their hair journey is minimized in any way. We are keenly aware of the journey that WOC face – and our work will continue to serve as the inspiration for work like the Perception Institute’s Good Hair Study/Implicit Association Test that suggests that a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their textured or natural hair. So, you’re right. We are different – and we should know better. Thank you all, as always, for the honest and candid feedback. We hear you. We’re listening. We appreciate you. We count on you. And we’re always here for you. Thank you, #SheaFam, for being there for us, even when we make mistakes. Here’s to growing and building together…
“I’ll never buy Shea Moisture again,” Williams said. “I have no problem with inclusivity. I have a problem with exclusion. How can you claim to include all hair types and then ignore the one that makes up 90% of your consumer base?”
But while Williams was upset, there were many others such as Marie Alexis who wasn’t as upset with the ad.
“I didn’t care for the ad,” Alexis said. “I agree the execution wasn’t done right, but I think some people are overreacting. Hair is hair. If white people want to use Shea Moisture, we shouldn’t stop them.”
But the issue isn’t wasn’t around white women using the products, rather around the lack of brands that are designed for black hair in an industry that constantly caters to white standards of beauty.
Nila Barry, a frequent Shea Moisture buyer, threw out her products.
“I used to love Shea Moisture,” Barry said. “But a couple of years ago their formulas changed. I guess they wanted to make it appealing for all hair types. But these products are not one size fits all.”
Barry compared the ingredients used in products for black hair versus the one used for straighter hair types.
“It’s just not the same. I would never buy Pantene,” Barry laughed. “I know it’s just not made for someone like me. It’s just disappointing. Why is it so wrong for black women to want to have something that is designed for them? The whole industry is designed for them[white women].”
But the issue isn’t wasn’t around white women using the products, rather around the lack of brands that are designed for black hair in an industry that constantly caters to white standards of beauty.
Even though many complaints were made and many accused black women of overreacting and excluded these same black women from the conversation.
Martha Gilbert, a white consumer didn’t see a problem with the ad.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Gilbert said. “Shea Moisture just wants to make beauty inclusive. Isn’t that what we should be promoting?”
Many women of color would disagree with this statement.
White women have not faced the same discrimination or judgment that women of color have faced. It’s true that hair is a big deal, regardless of race, but when women of color are told that their hair is ugly and must be altered to fit the white ideal it can destroy confidence and provide an unrealistic view of beauty.
Shea Moisture is just a small problem in an industry that fails to recognize the beauty in all hair types.
