International product advertisements are oftentimes the subjects of laughter for people around the world due to the presence of many cultural references or jokes that simply don’t translate well. Although these advertisements may not necessarily bring upon waves of international sales, they still usually manage to bring about fun conversation and good times. However, in the case of a viral advertisement for Qiaobi, a Chinese laundry detergent company, the only feelings being brought out of viewers are confusion and disgust. The advert, created to target Chinese audiences, was intended to be an outlandish, comedic take on just how effective Qiaobi detergent is at fighting dirt and grime to provide the most pristine clothes possible with every washing cycle. Ironically, all the advertisement has done is drug the company’s name through the mud. In a decision that can hopefully be defined as an ignorant, uninformed mistake instead of a prejudiced attack, the company decided that the best possible avenue for displaying the product’s cleaning power was to wash the melanin off of a black man. If this jumps out at you as being completely inappropriate and offensive, then congratulations; You’re at least not a blatant racist. Unfortunately, this advertisement is, in addition to some of its misogynistic elements.

The advertisement opens with an appearance of normalcy as it focuses on a young Chinese woman putting a load of laundry into a washer. However, the peaceful scene is immediately interrupted by the entrance of a black man covered in paint who stares at the woman provocatively before catcalling her. This scene is already triggering as it seems to paint catcalling, an offensive, misogynistic practice that many women, unfortunately, have to experience, as acceptable. Delving deeper into the scene, one can easily see how it upholds the racist idea that black people are sexually deviant, predatory creatures. These notions date all the way back to the Jim Crow era South where they were adopted by the white populace, still reeling from their defeat in the civil war, in order to accuse black men of rape and justify public lynchings.  This allowed the Southern community to put fear in the hearts of the local black populace while simultaneously supporting the power of the white authority in America. Unfortunately, these sentiments did not remain in America and have instead infected the cultures of countries across the globe. This can be seen in India where skin lightening creams are heavily marketed as the only way for women to be attractive or in countries such as Venezuela where the media is dominated by fair-skinned women. In addition to these issues, the scene itself is just unnecessarily triggering. Women experience harassment continuously in our problematic society, and this is only made worse by the trend in media to continuously use situations such as this just to add drama. Honestly, why does a commercial about laundry detergent need harassment to get its message across? Surprisingly, the woman beckons the man forward and seemingly reciprocates his attraction but instead shoves the man into the washer, before turning it on. I can honestly admit that I am a big fan of cartoonish violence in the right context, but I can’t help but feel uneasy about the image of a black man being roughly forced into a washing machine. The washing machine runs for a few seconds and then through some manner of tv commercial magic, the man exits the machine. However, when he exits the washing machine, he is now a fair-skinned Chinese man, much to the woman’s approval. We the viewer are then reminded that this is somehow supposed to be a commercial for laundry detergent when the company the logo appears on the screen as their signature jingle plays. This scene highlights the largest, most glaring issue within the ad, which is that it pushes the narrative that blackness is tied with impurity and filth while on the other hand whiteness is connected to purity and cleanliness. This sentiment is not a new one as it has been used to justify and further prejudice against all colored peoples.

Racism and colorism run so deeply in our society as humans that even our vocabulary reflects it. For evidence of this one only needs to delve into the pages of a dictionary of the English language. In the entry for the word “black”, we see definitions such as “dirty” and “characterized by hostility or angry discontent”. On the other hand, under the term “white” we see definitions such as “free from moral impurity” and “favorable”.  

Advertisements such as this one only serve the purpose of further ingrain these notions into our vocabulary and minds. It’s glaringly obvious why this advertisement went viral and rightfully received its badge of notoriety. One has to wonder; how did the advertisers think viewers with black skin (that doesn’t come off) would feel? Or did they simply not care?