Durban - The SA Human Rights (SAHRC) Commission says a hair-care advert posted by Clicks that negatively described natural black hair, has showed that there is a “huge need for extended human rights education” in the country.
The advert, from a campaign by TRESemmé, appeared on Clicks’ website and had pictures of black hair labelled as “Dry and Damaged” and “Frizzy and Dull”, while white people’s hair was called “Fine and Flat” and “Normal”.
Both Clicks and TRESemmé have issued apologies for the advert and it has since been taken down, however, it has sparked public outrage and black women have shared on social media how proud they are of their natural hair.
SAHRC advocate Andre Gaum said: “The SAHRC has noted the advertisement which prima facie appears to amount to racial stereotyping and an infringement of various human rights, including the foundational values of equality and human dignity. The commission rejects any form of overt or covert racial stereotyping and finds it astonishing that there are still corporates that violate the Constitution in this regard.”
He said the SAHRC also noted Clicks’s apology.
“The commission will look into complaints if such are received or, in the absence of complaints, initiate an own-initiative investigation,” he said.
The retailer issued an apology on Friday and removed the advert. “We sincerely apologise for offending our customers and letting you down.
“We acted swiftly and immediately removed the offending images which were provided by a supplier as part of their marketing campaign,” said Clicks chief commercial officer Rachel Wrigglesworth. She said the company knew that it needed to do better and committed to making sure that their content reflected the diverse voices and experiences of their customers.
“As a brand we recognise that we have a responsibility to use whatever influence we have to remove implicit and explicit prejudice from society, the workplace and our advertising.
“We recognise that we have a role to play in how we represent our diverse customer base in our own and supplier advertising, and we sincerely apologise for failing you.”
In its apology: TRESemmé South Africa said: “We are very sorry that images used in a TRESemmé South Africa marketing campaign on the Clicks website promote racist stereotypes about hair.” TRESemmé said it got the campaign “wrong” and the images were not in line with its values or those of Clicks.
The EFF called for those responsible to be named and dismissed.
In a statement yesterday, the EFF said the response from Clicks to a letter the party sent on Friday was condescending and revealed a lack of remorse.
EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said the advert dehumanised black people.
The party called for all Clicks branches to close this week as it said the “only way to make capitalists apologise and feel genuine remorse is for them to lose money”. It said if Clicks did not close its stores, the party’s members would shut down all 880 outlets across the country from today.
Weighing in on the issue on Twitter, Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi posted: “Not only is this disrespectful to black lives, it is also evidence of an absence of representation and diversity within the organisation. And we are talking about a South Africa with a population of about 80% black people (stand to be corrected).”
In response to the EFF’s comments, Clicks in a statement last night said it would trade as normal today as it provided a “much-needed healthcare service to South Africans”.
It said contingency plans had been put in place to ensure the safety of customers and staff.
The hair-care advert that appeared on the Clicks website have sparked public outrage for portraying black people’s natural hair as being dry and damaged or frizzy and dull.
The Mercury