Lessons from the Glutamax Ad Fiasco

Just this week, Glutamax has been in hot water for their ad that discriminates morena skin tone; it's part of their campaign #YourFairAdvantage that tackles the disadvantages of having dark skin and recommends a solution that to be able to have the advantage, one must whiten their skin.

Here's a screenshot of the ad that drew flak on social media; this was also published in billboards along EDSA. The ad has since been deleted online and as of this writing, I do not know if the billboards have been taken down.

WTF???

I read a study a long time ago that reports at least 1 out of 3 Filipina women has used a whitening skin care product in their youth; I'm one of statistics.

Growing up, I was teased for having morena skin; I was fat, oddly tall for a grade school student, and morena; a lot of my schoolmates made fun of me and I was never the popular girl because my skin is dark; sadly, it was the same case at home as well. My mother was encouraging me to whiten my skin; she even supported my skin whitening purchases. I grew up believing that having fair skin was the only way for me to be successful in life, but the sad part was, I could never be white because my skin does not respond to skin lightening products too much; it was a very frustrating  and sad journey towards skin whitening, and a confusing time because deep down, I liked my skin color, but I was torn because my family and community have been instilling in my head that I should be white because it's more acceptable.

Even if I realized it later on in my career, Beauty Blogging has been my own journey to loving my own skin a little bit more everyday; eventually, girls (and boys) who share my story joined in and even if there's a long way to go, I think we've gotten far already in this journey. Over the years, the discussion on beauty has changed for the better, but unfortunately, there are still ads like this that have escaped from the dark ages and into 2019.

Thankfully, through our voices, this ad has been taken down; there are a lot of lessons to learn from this ad, for consumers, brands, and marketers alike:

1. DISCRIMINATION IS REAL AND BRANDS CAN HELP US FIGHT IT

- I read an article online about a study on how skin color affects an individual's chances at the workplace; it said that those who have white skin immediately have an advantage because white skin=power and greatness while those with dark skin have to work harder to advance their careers, ask for a raise, or get a high paying, corporate job, at the very least.

That goes to show that discrimination is real and it happens everywhere; it happens directly and indirectly; you may think that you are not being affected by it, but when you get those weird stares from others, those half- meant jokes from friends and family, why you're not getting the job you deserve, the tv/film/theatre role you deserve, or the salary you deserve, it definitely has something to do with your skin color and ads like Glutamax do not help lessen this problem.

People now see brands and marketing as a way to advance the self- love movement; this strategy teaches brands that if you want to get closer to your target market and increase brand loyalty, you should bring out the best in people and help fight social problems such as discrimination, something that you, brand people and marketers, have experienced or continually experience every day too.

It's a win-win situation, right?

The influence of media marketing: screenshot from the presentation
HOW MEDIA ADVERTISEMENTS INFLUENCE SELF- ESTEEM by Lisette Hernandez

2. MARKETING IS A POWERFUL INFLUENCER

- The biggest influencer, I believe, is marketing itself. Marketing has been around possibly in the middle ages, but it's not until the early twentieth century that marketing has been formalized as an arm of organizations. It has been a powerful tool in shaping the mindset of consumers for the benefit of the company and unfortunately, at the expense of the consumer: marketing has led us to believe for so long that we are not good enough, we are not thin enough, we are not beautiful enough, we are not successful enough; this has been the message of brands to us through marketing since the 1920s, but as I said, times are changing and marketing is now seen as a huge force to bring out the good in people.

I want consumers to understand that everything is just about marketing; they just want to sell products to you; that's actually alright, but support brands that use it positively because they contribute to the positive narrative of body image and self- esteem, thus helping advance the individual mindset and the society as a whole.

3. AUTHENTICITY IS IMPORTANT

- Empowerment and inclusivity are the biggest buzzwords in beauty nowadays and a lot of brands are cashing in on this, but at the end of the day, authenticity is now more important than ever. People, especially those in social media that are open to more sources of information, can smell BS from a mile away so as a brand, be careful how you use these concepts.

Between empowerment, inclusivity, and authenticity, always go for authenticity; because there are brands that do not fit the narrative of empowerment and inclusivity so might as well stick to what your products stand for; there's nothing wrong if you can't fit in all these concepts as long as your message resonates with your brand and products. Glutamax could have just highlighted everything that's good about their products and why they're the best whitening brand, and have taken it from there.

4. BE CAREFUL OF THE KIND OF POWER YOU CHOOSE

- I've read some people saying that Glutamax is simply saying "If you can't beat 'em, join them"; it's an unfortunate reality that dark- skinned women will always face discrimination, but is becoming white the answer? There is power in joining the majority, but in the realm of skin love, it doesn't always apply because there are people who don't respond well to whitening products and even if they do, they'll always be compared to someone who's whiter and will always be considered second best because they're not naturally white; because that's how society's standards roll. That said, I think this is a short- term kind of power.

Another kind of power is loving yourself for who you really are, flaws and all; this is a kind of power that strengthens you, builds your defenses against society's negative notions, develops your values,  encourages you positively, and brings out the light that will enable you to pull people out of darkness and frustration.

There are many kinds of power to help you achieve happiness, contentment, and acceptance, but not all kinds of power are the same so choose wisely.

5. EMPOWERMENT MEANS FREEDOM

- Glutamax has replied to one of my posts and said that the post is meant to "empower women" by giving them an option and that option is to be white. It's actually a trick statement. The problem with ads and reasoning like this is it dilutes the real meaning of empowerment; it's like the ad is saying "you are free to feel beautiful, but in our own terms"; where's empowerment in that? 

True empowerment is freedom and giving people the right to choose what's best for them; to lay out options and give them a story that allows them to decide whether a product or idea is right for them or not.

6. SOCIAL MEDIA CAN INDEED PROMOTE THE GOOD

- The ad was taken down and Glutamax finally admitted to their mistake, all thanks to the powerful voices that helped fight another tone deaf, discriminating ad.

So please, if you see a post or an ad that needs to be taken down because it is discriminating and hurtful, let your voice be heard. Glutamax's ad was taken down by collective voice on social media so please don't think that yours is not important. In numbers there is strength, always.

Now let's use our voices for the better for the upcoming local 2019 elections.

Glutamax's ad won't be the last of its kind that we will see; there will be more, but I hope this serves as a lesson to a lot of brands starting today that the narrative has changed and they should too, especially beauty brands. I hope beauty brands starting today will be more sensitive and smart with the kinds of campaigns they create and make more of the ones that promote beauty and good because after all, beauty products are supposed to make us feel beautiful.

To consumers, do not underestimate your voice. If you see something that is offensive, hurtful, distasteful, racist, and discriminating towards morena skin, call it out. Do it for young little brown girls who are looking forward to their place in the world, for morenas who are not in the authority and place to speak for themselves and fight discrimination, for fragile minds and hearts that rely on the community for positive affirmations and support. Let's hold brands accountable for their actions and let's look after each other, always.