Mercedes-Benz has removed an ad after facing backlash over it allegedly being racist.
On Christmas Day, Mercedes-Benz published a video ad that allegedly depicted Asian women with stereotypical “slanted eyes,” the New York Post reports. The “slanted eyes” were allegedly drawn on the women using makeup. The video was initially posted on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, and it’s since been removed.
The video gained over 170 million views on Weibo on Tuesday, and people called the makeup “controversial.”
“The premise is that Chinese cannot let the West shape our aesthetics,” wrote one critic, per Chinese news outlet Global Times. “For those malicious slanderers, we should maintain sufficient vigilance and counter-attack.” Others have criticized the company for allegedly trying to promote Chinese beauty stereotypes.
Mercedes-Benz is just one of the many companies that have been called out and accused of promoting racist stereotypes. Most recently, Gucci was called out over its new handbag ad that allegedly used “discriminatory” Chinese features. Gucci was also previously called out over a sweater that allegedly depicted blackface on it.
Mercedes-Benz has yet to speak out on the incident.
