#Unilever unit moves to increase diversity amid outrage over racist hair ad

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Members of the Economic Freedom Front protest outside a branch of drug store chain Clicks in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Reuters

The South African unit of Unilever will set up an advisory board and a diversity committee after apologizing for a hair care ad it admitted was “racist,” the consumer group said Friday.

The advertisement by its TRESemmé brand, was posted on drugstore Clicks website last Friday, and described images of black women’s hair as “frizzy and dull,” while white women’s hair was referred to as “normal.”

It caused an outcry on social media and sparked protests led by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters in a country where unfair treatment of black hair evokes painful memories of prejudice during apartheid.

The then-government used a “pencil test” to determine someone’s racial identity: a pencil was inserted into a person’s hair and if it did not fall, that person was considered not white.

“We were shocked to discover that we had supplied images for the Clicks website that portrayed black hair as inferior. This was racist and we apologize unreservedly,” Unilever said in a statement.

The firm is reviewing all the marketing campaigns and images in its South Africa portfolio “to make sure they match our commitment to celebrate all beauty and promote diversity and inclusion.”

It will also set up a new diversity and inclusion assets committee and an advisory board with internal and external experts to review how its hair care products in South Africa can offer consumers solutions, it said.

The household goods conglomerate behind the Omo, Sunlight and Domestos brands will also work with the new advisory board to develop programs to deliver immediate support to black hair stylists and small professional salons.

Lastly, Unilever will review its mandatory diversity and inclusion training to accelerate its training on unconscious bias for all staff.

On Thursday, Unilever agreed to pull all its TRESemmé haircare products from South African retail stores for 10 days to show remorse after some retailers had begun removing the products.