CityNews – Whitening lotion advertisements in Thailand have been called insulting and outrageous, and if not overtly racist, then it’s been said they have come across as mildly ignorant and prejudicial.
The winner
The latest ad selling promises of ‘beautiful skin’ via a whitening lotion is from a cosmetics company called Citra.
The first student they talk to is a dark-skinned girl, who seems nonplussed, and surprised that she was even asked such a question.
The interviewers then ask three more girls who have obviously applied to their faces a lot of whitening make-up. They all reply with the same answer, that they put on a lot of cosmetics to look good. A good looking boy then interrupts the interview, and looking into the camera he mordantly asks the viewer, “Too much [make-up], don’t you think so?”
The interviewers find a girl with naturally pale skin. She’s perfect. They ask how can she look so beautiful. The girl tells them she uses “Citra Wink 3D”, which is a new brand of Citra whitening lotion, “because it makes her look naturally pale.”
Then the ad announces its campaign, a campaign which offers applicants a chance to win some kind of scholarship, but it is open only to girls who have “Wink 3D” skin.
Many comments online have been negative towards the ad, saying that it’s not just insulting, but also racist as the offer is only open to girls with pale skin. Poeple ask what kind of message this ad sends.
Chaiwonf Udonboon and Pattanun Xsexcute both wrote in the YouTube comments section that such an ad would be liable to face criminal charges in other countries for false advertising claims and inciting racism.
Other psoters said that the ad was just another “stupid” campaign.