What do you make of the whole Shea Moisture Commercial situation?

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

So as some of you may or may not know a beauty brand by the name of Shea Moisture sparked controversy yesterday with an advertisement they released.
 

 

So what made this Shea Moisture ad so controversial is that they're originally and are usually a brand for natural type 4 (aka black people) hair. And Black Twitter went off on Shea Moisture because of the women in the ad, especially the blonde and red-head woman. For a more deeper and detailed explanation watch this video.

 

Here is my take on this. As a biracial (black/white mix) with natural type 3 kinky curly hair (like the first girl that showed up in the ad), Shea Moisture was one of the brands I used for my hair. I personally have no problem with having all of those girls in the commercial, however, I would of strongly preferred if they had pure black women with natural coiled curly hair in the video as well along with the white girls to make it truly diverse. So it did bother me and see what the full and pure black people with natural coily or nappy hair are coming from. Although Shea Moisture apologized, I still feel some type of way because their past advertisements showed diversity with people of all hair types like so.
 

 

So this to me is a complete turn around. Call me sensitive, butthurt, whatever, but I'm going to have to stick with the other brands I use, and for my fellow black women that also want to switch from Shea but don't know what brands, here they are as recommendations that you can give a try.

• Cantu
• Beautiful Curls
• Kinky-Curly
• Creme of Nature
• Dark & Lovely
• As I Am
• Maui Moisture
• Frizz Free Curls
• ORS Olive Oil
• Alikay Naturals
• Camille Rose Naturals

So what do you make of this? Do you think people including myself are over exaggerating, or do you agree?

 

Update: CEO of Shea Moisture, Richelieu Dennis publicly addresses response to current backlash

 

A lot of netizen responses to Dennis still aren't buying it. I respect where Dennis and his company are coming from and I love how he stated how he's not denying they messed up so very bluntly,  but I still feel some type of way because as I stated, they had diverse commercials before yet they decided not to be like that in this one.

[Soilei]

as a person that doesnt watch TV, i'll be honest,

i had no idea there are "types" of hair products that are for different races. my first time hearing that o.o

well i guess you learn something everyday haha

 

idk  im not gonna stop using a product thats good.

if its bad then i wouldnt use. but because of commercial nah. well thats how i am

[NSFL]

I'm a red-head and never in my life have I experienced or seen hair hate for it lmao

[Aearom]

That advert is so fucking ridiculous too? Like "I dyed my hair blonde!!! Poor me!!!" wtf lol 

[MeiLyn]

As you said they should have added a 4B/C type of hair to make it more diverse.  That old ad is perfect!

 

I love their curl enhancing smoothie tho, not gonna stop using it 

[HVC's-Octoputhy]

I think that the commercial was trying to show that they can cater to everyone but the thing that is off about it is that it does not feature a full black woman with a natural 4c curly hair when they apparently make products for people of that hair type.It seems a bit weird to be honest.

 

 

And I love Cantu, their products are the shit

 

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

as a person that doesnt watch TV, i'll be honest,

i had no idea there are "types" of hair products that are for different races. my first time hearing that o.o

well i guess you learn something everyday haha

 

idk  im not gonna stop using a product thats good.

if its bad then i wouldnt use. but because of commercial nah. well thats how i am

Me neither, I learned yesterday. I knew there were different types but didn't know how to categorize them or even knew there were categories invented. It's not so much the race, more so the texture of the hair and the texture goes along with the genetics of the race.

[Iceprince]

Oh dear here we go again... people really need to take those sticks out of their a**es and have a life...

[Soilei]

Me neither, I learned yesterday. I knew there were different types but didn't know how to categorize them or even knew there were categories invented. It's not so much the race, more so the texture of the hair and the texture goes along with the genetics of the race.

 

oh wow lol

well thats quite useful to know so that i dont look that dumb in front of people when discussing hair products LOL!

 

i use only natural oils for my hair so i dont know this

thanks

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

I think that the commercial was trying to show that they can cater to everyone but the thing that is off about it is that it does not feature a full black woman with a natural 4c curly hair when they apparently make products for people of that hair type.It seems a bit weird to be honest.

 

 

And I love Cantu, their products are the shit

 

Exactly I agree, they had a good intention and were simply trying to branch out, but the execution came out tone deaf, just like the Pepsi commercial.

 

AND CANTU'S COMMERCIALS ARE CREATIVE & ON FLEEK!

 

 

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

oh wow lol

well thats quite useful to know so that i dont look that dumb in front of people when discussing hair products LOL!

 

i use only natural oils for my hair so i dont know this

thanks

[♥ jae's bae ♥]

A lot of black girls- though I've never had to deal with it (particularly those with kinkier hair textures) have listened daily to people saying their hair isn't appropriate for the workplace, the classroom etc. so the comparison of struggling with a hair colour is not the same at all imo.

Shea moisture is a joke at this point, I think I'm still gonna stay using their jbco leave in because that's the bomb lmao. for all the rest- it's back to 'cantu' and 'as I am' for me

[KrazyAjumma]

I'm not black but I love Shea Moisture. My 16 yr old has a lot of fine hair that gets oily super fast but has dry ends and their African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo is the only one she can use. A lot of shampoo for white people tends to focus on making everything super conditioned (for her that means greasy and heavy) and damage repair (I don't think she has ever used a hair dryer). 

I do see how the commercial could be seen as problematic, I think adding in more women with natural black hair would have evened it out a little. 

[chips27]

My take on it is: They are trying to brand to all types of people with all types of hair types. I do understand both sides though. I can understand how it comes across as controversial, especially after watching the video. I think they mentioned the girl with being bullied for having red hair, because they want everyone to embrace their natural hair color and pattern.

 

On a side note, imo Shea Moisture products aren't even that good. The only thing I like from that line is the JBCO line and curl enhancing smoothie lmao

[Reipaca]

Who cares it's just hair 

People are arguing over hair commercials when there are tons of more important issues all around the world. *shakes head*

[delirium]

 

I wouldn't stop using a good product because one commercial out of multiple ones didn't fit a diversity checklist. Some of the individuals in black social media are becoming a caricatures of themselves. 

 

The word racist used to be a red light, a warning that protected others from going down the wrong street, to the wrong store/town/gathering/school meeting/calling on the wrong cop/teacher/manager/person, and so on. Now people use it as punishment for someone sharing a difference of opinion over a hair product........

 

It's one thing to joke about how "bougee" a brand is becoming but something else entirely to make this into some faux social justice fight for reform. What you put on and in your hair, skin, body, etc. should be based on what's good for them and not on what social media outrage it's caused (which is as easy to do these days as breathing now). 

if MLK,/Malcolm/Harriot/Douglass/ec were alive today, they'd probably even get "dragged" by some of these peeps

 

.

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

 

I wouldn't stop using a good product because one commercial out of multiple ones didn't fit a diversity checklist. Some of the individuals in black social media are becoming a caricatures of themselves. 

 

The word racist used to be a red light, a warning that protected others from going down the wrong street, to the wrong store/town/gathering/school meeting/calling on the wrong cop/teacher/manager/person, and so on. Now people use it as punishment for someone sharing a difference of opinion over a hair product........

 

It's one thing to joke about how "bougee" a brand is becoming but something else entirely to make this into some faux social justice fight for reform. What you put on and in your hair, skin, body, etc. should be based on what's good for them and not on what social media outrage it's caused (which is as easy to do these days as breathing now). 

if MLK,/Malcolm/Harriot/Douglass/ec were alive today, they'd probably even get "dragged" by some of these peeps

 

.

I agree with you to a high extent. Racism surely is indeed being used too lightly when the definition really means to hate a particular race or races. Shea Moisture had good intentions, as I said in reply to another post here. It was just that the execution was poor, very poor, still doing poor! I just strongly felt they could've done it a different way, because they showed their commitment to being all about inclusion for all color & hair types in the past. If you were to watch the second video, the commercial was what just broke the camel's back, it wasn't the only reason why it's getting flack from the black community. They started out as a black business that sold products for type 3 and 4 hair. But overtime as of late, their products hasn't been as affective for such hair as it used to be, meaning it's slowly but surely becoming just another Garnier, Pantene, Dove, L'Oréal, or other hair brand made for type 1-2 hair aka fine hair. The problem with this is not only are there more fine hair focused brands than there are kinky or coily brands, but goes a lot more deeper economically in terms of race. For instance, black people to this day are often sent home from work or school because their natural hair isn't considered "appropriate". Statistics show that black women buy and use more products than whites or other colors. That's the whole issue!

[delirium]

I agree with you to a high extent. Racism surely is indeed being used too lightly when the definition really means to hate a particular race or races. Shea Moisture had good intentions, as I said in reply to another post here. It was just that the execution was poor, very poor, still doing poor! I just strongly felt they could've done it a different way, because they showed their commitment to being all about inclusion for all color & hair types in the past. If you were to watch the second video, the commercial was what just broke the camel's back, it wasn't the only reason why it's getting flack from the black community. They started out as a black business that sold products for type 3 and 4 hair. But overtime as of late, their products hasn't been as affective for such hair as it used to be, meaning it's slowly but surely becoming just another Garnier, Pantene, Dove, L'Oréal, or other hair brand made for type 1-2 hair aka fine hair. The problem with this is not only are there more fine hair focused brands than there are kinky or coily brands, but goes a lot more deeper economically in terms of race. For instance, black people to this day are often sent home from work or school because their natural hair isn't considered "appropriate". Statistics show that black women buy and use more products than whites or other colors. That's the whole issue!

 

I've noticed that many products appear "watered-down", especially when it comes to perms/conditioners/shampoo/gels/moisturizers but whether that is because they are attempting to reign in the combinations and additions that may cause harm to hair or because they sold out (for lack of better word), I can't call it. A variety of products have had to change formulas and ingredients, especially when healthier and safer alternatives started getting attention. Regardless, I think that people get side-tracked by stories like these and in the process of getting side-tracked, the real issue continues to get drowned out.

 

For example, I read about a shooting in the U.S at a black church and it opened up communication about racism. Then, someone had the bright idea to shift the focus of discussion to some American flag; the media then made the entire issue about this flag so when they took the flag down, the talks about racism seemed to immediately began to die. A prime opportunity to talk about real racism and it was rolled over by a "controversy" about a piece of fabric - the removal of which did about as much good as putting clean clothes on a dirty body. Yes, deeper issues underlie many superficial problems but because people constantly refuse to address the deeper issues, they get stuck on all of the surface-level bs. The product becoming crummy should have recieved way more attention than it's "white-wash" commercial. These things are breeding grounds for band-wagoners who don't care, never cared, and never will care about the actual issues.

 

People are losing it over this but stories like the U.S. court agreeing that firing over dreadlocks is legal barely gets discussed as much? 

 

 

and nice sig

[Ta77]

Oh dear here we go again... people really need to take those sticks out of their a**es and have a life...

 

 

Who cares it's just hair 

People are arguing over hair commercials when there are tons of more important issues all around the world. *shakes head*

 

It seems you don't get why black women are mad. The commercial excluded black women, when black women have helped build and support the brand. Furthermore, the commercial featured women talking about having "hair hate" when their hair is considered the type of hair many try and imitate. It was very insulting to many African American women that a brand they supported not only changed their formula to not work with their hair type anymore but to also exclude them from a commercial. It simply is not just a commercial it years of black women being excluded from mainstream beauty industry and being taken for granted,

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

I've noticed that many products appear "watered-down", especially when it comes to perms/conditioners/shampoo/gels/moisturizers but whether that is because they are attempting to reign in the combinations and additions that may cause harm to hair or because they sold out (for lack of better word), I can't call it. A variety of products have had to change formulas and ingredients, especially when healthier and safer alternatives started getting attention. Regardless, I think that people get side-tracked by stories like these and in the process of getting side-tracked, the real issue continues to get drowned out.

 

For example, I read about a shooting in the U.S at a black church and it opened up communication about racism. Then, someone had the bright idea to shift the focus of discussion to some American flag; the media then made the entire issue about this flag so when they took the flag down, the talks about racism seemed to immediately began to die. A prime opportunity to talk about real racism and it was rolled over by a "controversy" about a piece of fabric - the removal of which did about as much good as putting clean clothes on a dirty body. Yes, deeper issues underlie many superficial problems but because people constantly refuse to address the deeper issues, they get stuck on all of the surface-level bs. The product becoming crummy should have recieved way more attention than it's "white-wash" commercial. These things are breeding grounds for band-wagoners who don't care, never cared, and never will care about the actual issues.

 

People are losing it over this but stories like the U.S. court agreeing that firing over dreadlocks is legal barely gets discussed as much?

 

 

and nice sig

Thank you so much!

[beanzino]

i'm not trying to be rude or anything but i go to basically an all white school and I'm afro latina so I have around 3c/4a curls.

I guess the kids at my school where shut down to different cultures and smth bc they make fun of my hair and tell me it look like the purple minion and the white girls can have puffy hair and they are not made fun of  

so I'm pretty upset that shea mos would centered a white women in a black women space.  itS H U R T FUL!!!!