Shea Moisture has decided to pull their latest campaign ad, which tried really hard to include the customer base they want as opposed to the dedicated customers they’ve had all along.
The hoopla happened Monday (April 24) when the company released the ad “Everybody Gets Love,” part one of a video series that tells the stories of women who were eventually learned to love their hair through the company’s products. After taking off in the 90’s, Richelieu Dennis, his mother Mary Dennis and Nyema Tubman found success in Harlem, NY with their hair, face and body products.
Thanks to women of color, the natural, certified organic, paraben-free products became the go-to product for natural girls. After there seemed to an absence of women of color from the ad (with the exception of woman with a curly texture and a few models), the company released a statement and another video showcasing black women and their natural hair journey.
“Please know that our intention was not – and would never be – to disrespect our community, and as such, we are pulling this piece immediately because it does not represent what we intended to communicate,” the statement reads. “You guys know that we have always stood for inclusion in beauty and have always fought for our community and given them credit for not just building our business but for shifting the beauty landscape. So, the feedback we are seeing here brings to light a very important point. While this campaign included several different videos showing different ethnicities and hair types to demonstrate the breadth and depth of each individual’s hair journey, we must absolutely ensure moving forward that our community is well-represented in each one so that the women who have led this movement never feel that their hair journey is minimized in any way.”
The second ad features models and influencers with natural styles like dreadlocks, coils and afros.
Check it out below.
.@SheaMoisture helped me break free from hair hate and taught me how to love my #naturalhair. #EverybodyGetsLove pic.twitter.com/FDWxis3tFu
— KinkyCurlyCoilyMe (@BlakIzBeautyful) April 24, 2017