‘Pulled Eye’ Ad: Dior once again embroiled in a racist controversy

Definitely not for the first time, luxury brand Dior is recently caught up in a controversy in China, one of its biggest markets.

The French label has been accused of racism by a number of Chinese social media users over an advertisement showing an Asian model with two fingers stuck between her eyes and pulling up the corner of her eye.

Internationally, this has always been viewed as a representative racist gesture against Asians, particularly in the US and European societies, state-owned newspaper Global Times reported, calling on the brand to make a sincere apology.

Amid the overwhelming criticism, Dior swiftly but quietly took down the controversial picture. It was uploaded on its Instagram account earlier this week to promote the brand’s latest makeup collection, with the caption “Channel your feline fierceness”.

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It was later reposted on Chinese social media platforms, where it drew intense flak. Furious netizens have also flooded the comments section of Dior’s Instagram account, with a top-liked comment reading: “It’s racial discrimination.”

Some social media users have also called on Chinese celebrities who model for the brand to end their association with it.

But for some, the discussion seems to have taken an exaggerated route. While one Weibo user wrote “An extreme unconfident person won’t be able to take any level of humour,” another said, “It’s always those who don’t buy [Dior] that are concerned by it.”