Update: Black-owned hair company has since issued an apology.
This week’s major company advertisement flub: Shea Moisture.
The hair care company is under fire after releasing a new advertisement that features white women who experience “hair hate” and have come to finally love their hair thanks to Shea Moisture products.
The hair care line was founded by two Liberian refugees from Harlem, New York, in the 90’s and has since been associated almost exclusively with black hair. The release of the new ad has caused some people to think that Shea Moisture is abandoning its original target audience and trying too hard to include white women.
https://twitter.com/girlswithtoys/status/856563772223365122
“Shea Moisture really went all hair matters on us. Wow,” wrote one Twitter user alluding to the Black Lives Matter/All Lives Matter movement.
A few other people pointed out that black women were the ones that have been supporting Shea Moisture from the start and are even the ones who promoted their products, resulting in their continued success.
“Black women have supported and gave free press to Shea Moisture for YEARS,” commented another user. “And then they have a “hair hate” commercial with white women?”
Others took the new ad to be the company’s attempts to gentrify its hair care products.
What on earth? Did they just gentrify Shea Moisture? Well it's been nice knowing them pic.twitter.com/ymvCi0ohe1
— rosechocglam (@rosechocglam) April 24, 2017
See some of the best Twitter replies below.
https://twitter.com/Liberiangyal/status/856565720137834496
https://twitter.com/EssTee11/status/856564583745638400
https://twitter.com/CeceTMach/status/856566651705204736
I'm sorry but since when did white people use Shea Moisture pic.twitter.com/nw5bOWPr9W
— tight azn twink (@thesubazn) April 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/_Petty_Adjacent/status/856569443018821633
Since Shea Moisture is being gentrified, here's a thread and reminder that my Miracle Oil is great for highly textured hair. 🙃 https://t.co/yUJt1Lldar
— fine. (@PettyMurphy08) April 24, 2017
Shea Moisture…that was a marketing fail. Y'all need a new PR team, today. pic.twitter.com/HaifAcLe0I
— B. (@bnicole322) April 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/ira/status/856573481244164096