Black-owned business owner, Bea Dixon’s Honey Pot company was attacked and called “racist” by white people after Target featured her in their commercial for #BlackHistoryMonth. Thanks to Black people, her sales have surged.
When they go low, we go high. On Monday, the company Honey Pot, an herbal feminine care company, began trending on Twitter. Honey Pot has been around for some time now, so most thought the company was just getting some well-overdue attention and credit. But once you clicked on Honey Pot’s hashtag, you were swarmed with white men and white women calling the company “racist,” and leaving misleading and false reviews about the company on websites.
Some of the comments included ratings about hair products – items the company has never carried. Others accused Dixon’s company of being exclusive to Black women. “Black girls are empowered using this product… I guess whites girls aren’t. I’ll be letting Target know about this racist company,” read one review, per Buzzfeed.
This is all started over Dixon’s feature in Target’s new ad campaign “Founders We Believe In” for Black History Month, which included Black business owners. In Dixon’s 30-second spot, she said it’s important that her company does well so she can be an example to the next Black girl. “The reason why it’s so important for Honey Pot to do well is so the next black girl that comes up with a great idea – she can have a better opportunity. That means a lot to me,” said Dixon in the ad that was uploaded last month.
Honey Pot’s page was temporarily shut down because of an “unusual influx of reviews,” according to a message published by Trustpilot. By Tuesday afternoon, the page featured numerous positive and truthful reviews about the company. In a statement to Buzzfeed, Dixon said she never mentioned her company being only for Black girls.
Target told USA Today that working with Dixon has been a pleasure. “We’re aware of some negative comments about the campaign, which aren’t in line with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from guests who love and have been inspired by Bea’s story.”
