NIVEA is a German skincare brand best known for its lotions, deodorants, and moisturizers. In this advertisement for its invisible deodorant, the phrase “white is purity” is featured across an image of the back of a woman. Sponsoring a new line of deodorant called “Invisible: For Black and White,” The ad implies that consumers should not let anything “ruin” whiteness, which the caption calls “clean” and “bright”. NIVEA received widespread criticism for the ad, which uses language that mirrors historically racist ideas about whiteness as “pure” and non-whiteness as “impure”. NIVEA withdrew the entire campaign just two days after releasing the advertisement due to negative public and media attention.

discussion

What do you notice about the setting of the ad (where it is) and how the woman is positioned? 

What underlying ideas or messages might the ad be communicating about beauty or cleanliness? Which messages do you think are intentional and which might be unintentional? 

After its release, this ad and its slogan “White is Purity” was co-opted by white supremacists. Why do you think they found this particular message compelling, and what does this tell us about the power of media?

Can you think of other examples you’ve seen where advertisements or media have used language or images that people found offensive or harmful? If you were those brands, what would you have done differently and why?