A publicity photo of the world-famous brand Dior has recently caused controversy in mainland China for ” vilifying Chinese women” and “scandalizing the image of Asian people”. The photo has been described by Chinese netizens as a “horror movie poster” and a “netherworld photo”, and the photographer Chen Man has been questioned: “Why must you scandalize Chinese women to satisfy Dior”.
On November 12, Beijing time, the exhibition “Dior and Art” was held in Shanghai, and the promotional photo of “LADY DIOR – What I See” in the exhibition caused an uproar.
The Chinese media Observer described the photo on November 16 as “from bottom to top, the evil ghost-like white-eyed god, slightly swollen squinting eyes, dark and dying makeup, the long fingers of the Qing Dynasty, and the weird bangs, plus a face full of freckles, full of eeriness and weirdness.”
The photo set off controversy on the Internet in mainland China, with some Chinese netizens severely criticizing it as a Western stereotype and slur against the yellow race, arguing that this distorted aesthetic by photographer Chen Man was an attempt to gain international recognition and value.
Some Chinese netizens said that in addition to feeling disgusted and revolted, they really do not see where the artistic component of it is, unless Dior considers the malice towards Chinese women as a kind of art.
Back in 2012, photographer Chen Man took twelve photos of Chinese ethnic minorities for the British fashion magazine i-D, which also caused controversy, arguing that Chinese women did not show the beauty of Chinese women in Chen Man’s shots.
On November 16, Dior’s official microblog has deleted this photo, however, the exhibition publicity is still there.
The Observer said that foreign fashion brands like Dior have scandalized Chinese women more than once, and if anyone still thinks that this is just a matter of cultural differences or artistic perspective, it can only mean that they have lost even the most basic aesthetics, and all that remains is blind pandering, or even self-bastardization.
The promotional photos of some Western brands have sparked controversy more than once, after a makeup ad released by Spanish brand Zara on Weibo in 2019, the model was also a Chinese girl.
Although very different from the Dior campaign photo in terms of color and composition, the freckles around the Chinese girl’s eyes became almost a specific symbol, as well as the not-so-normal eyes.
Zara’s response at the time was “aesthetic differences” and eventually apologized, but not for this reason, but for its “JOIN LIFE” section, which incorrectly listed Taiwan as a “country”.
It is reported that Dior’s publicity photos were taken by the famous Chinese female photographer Chen Man, who did not respond until the evening of November 16. Source