How Sway: ASOS Used a Black Model to Showcase a Range of White Foundations

Online beauty and fashion retailer ASOS is catching all sorts of criticism for a recent promotional campaign — and rightfully so.

The advertisement in question depicts a Black model promoting a series of foundation by Maybelline that caters towards lighter skin tones.

The company’s decision to use a darker skinned model to show the range of colors has folks outraged, especially because of how difficult it is for women of color to find shades of foundation that works with their skin tone.

One Twitter user pointed out the advertisement saying, “Hey! Black ppl! u don’t need to wear this foundation, but we will use u as a measure of others lightness!”

The tweet has now gone viral, with many speaking up to voice their distaste for the advertisement.

The company decided to respond, addressing the photo and why it wasn’t their best marketing move.

“Thanks for bringing this to our attention,” the company said. “We’re looking into getting this imagery removed ASAP. Apologies for any [offense] caused.”

Take a look at some of the reactions to the campaign in the tweets below.