Model From Tone-Deaf Dove Ad Speaks Out: ‘I Am Not A Victim’“I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased.” By Cavan SieczkowskiXOne of the women featured in a Dove campaign criticized for racist imagery is speaking out in defense of the advertisement. Lola Ogunyemi, a Nigerian woman born in London and raised in Atlanta, penned an op-ed for The Guardian on Tuesday in response to the controversy surrounding a Dove soap ad on Facebook showing her removing a brown T-shirt to transform into a white woman wearing an ivory T-shirt. (The second woman also removes her shirt to reveal another model of a different skin tone.)The ad sparked backlash on social media last week, with many noting the historical use of racist images in soap advertisements. In her piece, Ogunyemi acknowledged the beauty industry’s continued issues with representation. “I know that the beauty industry has fueled this opinion with its long history of presenting lighter, mixed-race or white models as the beauty standard,” she wrote. “Historically, and in many countries still today, darker models are even used to demonstrate a product’s skin-lightening qualities to help women reach this standard.”

 FollowHannah Rose Woods ✔@hannahrosewoodsI cannot conceive of how anyone at Dove thought this ad was acceptable. This is literally how Victorian soap was advertised by Unilever...11:05 PM - Oct 8, 2017 5656 Replies   353353 Retweets   623623 likes

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 FollowTariq Nasheed ✔@tariqnasheedLet's be clear, Dove knew exactly what they were doing with their racist ad. Soap companies used to do this racist theme all the time4:51 PM - Oct 8, 2017 1,1221,122 Replies   45,64645,646 Retweets   53,52553,525 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacyOgunyemi said she chose to appear in the Dove ad to represent women of color globally, and saw the campaign’s objective as using “our differences to highlight the fact that all skin deserves gentleness.”Subscribe to the Politics emailHow will Trump’s administration impact you?However, Dove has been accused of racism in its advertising before ― a problematic 2011 ad showed a black woman standing in front of a “before” sign and a white woman standing in front of an “after” sign ― and that damages trust with consumers. “There is a lack of trust here, and I feel the public was justified in their initial outrage,” she wrote. “Having said that, I can also see that a lot has been left out. The narrative has been written without giving consumers context on which to base an informed opinion.”

 FollowKeith Boykin ✔@keithboykinOkay, Dove...
One racist ad makes you suspect.
Two racist ads makes you kinda guilty.4:27 PM - Oct 8, 2017 1,2591,259 Replies   24,52024,520 Retweets   33,67233,672 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacyDove ultimately apologized, but Ogunyemi thinks the Unilever-owned brand should have also discussed their decision to include her and what that means.“While I agree with Dove’s response to unequivocally apologise for any offense caused, they could have also defended their creative vision, and their choice to include me, an unequivocally dark-skinned black woman, as a face of their campaign,” she added. “I am not just some silent victim of a mistaken beauty campaign. I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased.”Head over to The Guardian to read the full piece. ALSO ON HUFFPOSTPHOTO GALLERYRidiculous Examples Of Accidental Racism Cavan SieczkowskiDeputy Director of News & Analytics, HuffPostSuggest a correctionMORE:U.S. News Arts And Entertainment Hate Speech Food Industry Dove  by Taboola Sponsored Links You May LikeBrilliant PPI Check Taking Britain by StormPPI Wise