L'Oréal Wanted Thin, White Women For Jobs

Skynews - L'Oréal has been found guilty of racial discrimination after it hinted that it only wanted young, white women to sell its shampoo in France.

France's highest court heard how a fax was sent saying Garnier hostesses, part of L'Oréal's beauty division, should be 18 to 22 years old, size 8 to 12 and "BBR".

BBR or "bleu, blanc, rouge" are the colours of the French flag - widely understood to be a code for white, French people born to white, French parents.

Prosecutors said Garnier wanted to exclude ethnic minority candidates because they would be less likely to sell its shampoo in French shops.

The fax was sent by an employee of recruitment company Adecco, who was also found guilty of racial discrimation and fined £25.5k.

Thérèse Coulange, who sent the fax, said that she had merely wanted hostesses able to "express themselves correctly in French". But other employees said that they were given oral instructions to favour white sales staff.

L'Oréal: accused of lightening Beyoncé's skin

Before the fax was sent out, Adecco had been offering a pool of candidates in which 39% were from ethnic minority backgrounds.

But only around 5% of the total number hired were black, Asian or Arab.

The Paris Appeal Court fined both L'Oréal and Adecco £25,500 and ordered them to pay the same again to SOS Racisme, who have been fighting the case for three years. Full story here
 

LOReal isnt that great.

Post 3

2 replies

Lin JinTzu (Hong Kong) wroteat 15:41 on 27 June 2009

[Prosecutors said Garnier wanted to exclude ethnic minority candidates because they would be less likely to sell its shampoo in French shops.]

Does this mean L'Oreal didn't think they could do the job as well, or that White sales people and models actually do get higher sales numbers?

If it's the latter, then it's just like in East Asia where White models actually sell better than Asian faces, and it's due to still-prevalent colonized thinking from minority consumers, as well as White supremacist or racist thinking from White consumers.


Post 4

2 replies

Glenn Scales replied to Lin's postat 15:35 on 29 June 2009

It has been reported that whenever a magazine such as Cosmo, Vogue, Harper's, etc features a non-white covergirl, newsstand sales plummet (subscribers have no choice).

The West will win because of its advertising and media industries, not necessarily through its military strength. Win the hearts and minds of one Chink at a time. Ads depicting white models is the BEST way to undermine native self-esteem and culture while elevating the cultural neo-colonial people as the acme of beauty.

How about Estee-Lauder, YSL, Maybelline, etc...

Someone in China needs to post some Chinese companies using white models as their coverpersons. It's one thing is YSL or whoever uses a westerner, but for a Chinese/Korean/whatever company to do that same is tantamount to cultural genocide.


Post 5

邱偉 Qiu Wei (Singapore) replied to Glenn's postat 22:54 on 29 June 2009

<< The West will win because of its advertising and media industries >>

until the west becomes piss poor and begging for our money. the world will change, it is inevitable. >:)
this is why we should just concentrate on building our economic might and ignore the decaying western culture.




Post 6

1 reply

Dae Jang replied to Max's postat 23:13 on 29 June 2009

Personally I don't care if white people want white people for models in their countries. Non-issue for me. I'd imagine they prefer to look at their own kind.

However, what's wrong is Asian countries specifically looking for white models in Asia, even getting Western "pen" names like "Joe Cheng" "Ariel Lin" etc. when they can't even pronounce them well. You don't see Westerners adopting Chinese names


Post 7
Que Tran wroteat 08:41 on 30 June 2009
So what? I don't see what wrong with French people preferring to look at French people.



Post 8
Keith Eng (Pratt) replied to Glenn's postat 13:36 on 30 June 2009
There's a Chinese fashion store in my local chinatown that is apparently a major label in China. Cabeen.
Their catalog is always filled with this white dude wearing the Chinese clothes. And the white dude is so ordinary-dime-a-dozen looking. Here, the dude would be serving my mocha-lattes at Starbucks. But in China he can be a super-model.


===

Here is their website. All you see on it is ugly white males.

http://www.cabbeen.com/main.html



Post 9
1 reply

Edwin replied to Lin's postat 14:28 on 30 June 2009

[If it's the latter, then it's just like in East Asia where White models actually sell better than Asian faces, and it's due to still-prevalent colonized thinking from minority consumers, as well as White supremacist or racist thinking from White consumers.]

In all accuracy, white models sell better than Asian faces because there are NO Asian faces on these white products.

it doesn't make sense to do that in Asia but I would guess these advertising companies are being cheap on advertising and failing to adapt to the market.

In France L'Oreal white advertising may not unusual for the french since they are so conservative, evidently they are only targeting white consumers mainly comprised of European and Mediterranean descent.


Post 10

Glenn Scales replied to Dae's postat 21:15 on 30 June 2009

That's just called Asian people bowing down to their white masters.

Tha's right massa. Us chilluns be doin real good na. We duns be doin good


Post 11

Dae Jang replied to Edwin post at 21:23 on 30 June 2009
>>>In all accuracy, white models sell better than Asian faces because there are NO Asian faces on these white products.

it doesn't make sense to do that in Asia but I would guess these advertising companies are being cheap on advertising and failing to adapt to the market.<<<

Nah, Asians WANT this. Why? I don't know. Wherever there's a white face, people wills buy it, or shop wherever or whatever they believe a white person is shopping or using. 

Putting english words in our flippin' music. It's not like our music is sponsored by the West! Makes as much sense as Westerners saying a few Ni haos in the middle of the song.

Post 12
2 replies
Edwin  wrote at 23:46 on 30 June 2009

[Nah, Asians WANT this. Why? I don't know. Wherever there's a white face, people wills buy it, or shop wherever or whatever they believe a white person is shopping or using. ]

Relax ok they are foreign products, what do you expect it's just typical westerners advertising. It doesn't mean Asian's ask for it.

Ironically these foreign products could easily increase their earnings if they considered putting Asians on their products.

Post 13
1 reply
Dae Jang replied to Edwin at 23:55 on 30 June 2009

>>>Relax ok they are foreign products, what do you expect it's just typical westerners advertising. It doesn't mean Asian's ask for it.<<<

See, that's the thing: Asians are asking for it. It's because white faces sell more and people like to shop wherever white person likes to shop. They pay American actors big money just to shoot commercials for Japanese products in Japan.

Japanese commercials paying westerners to advertise their products: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgzgqOXcC0A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Kqt5YIXTs&feature=related

Taiwan billboard (taiwanese product):

http://www.bored.com/billboards/images/taipei_outdoor.jpg

>>>

Ironically these foreign products could easily increase their earnings if they considered putting Asians on their products.<<<

The opposite




Post 14

2 replies
Sean Luo (Taiwan) replied to your postat 23:59 on 30 June 2009
[ Ironically these foreign products could easily increase their earnings if they considered putting Asians on their products. ] 

That's what I don't get about the Western entertainment industry shutting out Asians. You'd think they'd want to exploit this rescource and reap the profits.

Post 15
Edwin replied to Sean's postat 00:16 on 01 July 2009

I would say it's because of the cross cultural ignorance in these marketing departments, it's not hard to hook up with an advertising agency in Asia to get a few photo shots of Asian models holding/wearing the items.

Your talking about a market of 60% increase of world revenue here if they only had the brain to diversify their products, not just blind market expansion.

Post 16
1 reply
Edwin replied to Dae's postat 01:19 on 01 July 2009

[They pay American actors big money just to shoot commercials for Japanese products in Japan.]

Yes thats because they are big actors like that Bruce Willis, and they've also used Japanese people before and even Ray Charles.

Although I doubt all Japanese know who Bruce Willis is anyway. If they don't know who he is then that is a waste of advertising money.

But before you go off drawing your conclusions that Asians ask for it then you need to consider this.

On the commercials that show white people, you are being ignorant of the fact that Japanese main export goods are cars, electronic devices and computers. Their most important single trade partner is the USA which imports more than one quarter of all Japanese exports.

So it would make sense for these Japanese to target these products to Americans too. I dunno why they threw in the AF in it. But other manfucaturers have used Caucasians.

When they advertise to Japanese and Asians they would probably use motor shows with Japanese race queens.

You may have it wrong on this one, the Japanese are not going to be making commercials of Japanese people driving cars on American Television.

Americans would make that mistake in the Asian market.

[Taiwan billboard (taiwanese product):

http://www.bored.com/billboards/images/taipei_outdoor.jpg]

I don't know about this one and I don't know what product that is but if that's in Taiwan they should be using Asians.

Post 17

1 reply

Sean Luo (Taiwan) wrote at 02:21 on 01 July 2009

http://www.bored.com/billboards/images/taipei_outdoor.jpg

Giant White Woman Terrorizes Taipei! 

Hide the children! She'll devour us all! 



Post 18

Sean Luo (Taiwan) wrote at 02:32 on 01 July 2009

That billboard is so lame. They probably thought that using a white model would make the product appear more international, which is kind of stupid because most western shampoo brands actually do use Asian models with long, straight, black hair to sell in TW. 

Clothes, perfume and makeup companies use the same marketing campaigns as they do in the west, so yeah, lots of white models. Also most manequins look white; maybe whites cornered the market on them.
 

Post 19
1 reply
Dae Jang replied to Edwin at 09:37 on 01 July 2009

>>>Yes thats because they are big actors like that Bruce Willis, and they've also used Japanese people before and even Ray Charles.

Although I doubt all Japanese know who Bruce Willis is anyway.
If they don't know who he is then that is a waste of advertising money.<<<<

Well, Japan's expected to use Japanese people. The reason why this happens though, is because Japan LOVES America. They roll the red carpet for American celebs that go there. When they think of Americans, they think of Caucasians with blonde hair and blue eyes.

>>>On the commercials that show white people, you are being ignorant of the fact that Japanese main export goods are cars, electronic devices and computers. Their most important single trade partner is the USA which imports more than one quarter of all Japanese exports.

So it would make sense for these Japanese to target these products to Americans too. I dunno why they threw in the AF in it. But other manfucaturers have used Caucasians.<<<

That would be the case if it were in America, but these are commercials targeted to Japanese IN Japan.



Post 20
Dae Jang replied to Sean's postat 09:38 on 01 July 2009

She's pretty, I don't mind looking at the woman on the building :P, but you know how mentally unstable asians are to begin with. They develop inferiority issues.

Post 21
Lin JinTzu (Hong Kong) replied to Sean's postat 20:16 on 02 July 2009
[That's what I don't get about the Western entertainment industry shutting out Asians. You'd think they'd want to exploit this rescource and reap the profits.]

Sean I think what is actually happening is even more depressing, which is that using Asian models actually makes less money. It's like those English-teaching companies in China who make more money hiring White teachers and discriminating against Asian American teachers.

I think Asians as a whole are still too colonized in mindset that they see Caucasians on a higher hierarchical level (ala Confucianism).

If it actually made more money to use Asian faces, we would see it more in East Asia. Also, somewhat related, if more Asian Americans paid for Asian faces in Hollywood, we'd see more Asian musicians and actors. Unfortunately, even in America Asian Americans still 'buy, dress, think, act, and talk' like White people.

Post 22
Edwin replied to Dae's post22 hours ago
[Well, Japan's expected to use Japanese people. The reason why this happens though, is because Japan LOVES America. They roll the red carpet for American celebs that go there. When they think of Americans, they think of Caucasians with blonde hair and blue eyes.]

Well I can't really argue against that, there no defense for the Japanese advertising to Japanese people using Caucasians.  A lot of them do worship Americans.

If it was a foreign product then maybe I might have understood.
This Asians suck on that part! what disgrasians.

Well be glad that it not all the time, if you watch Asian TV commercials most products and services will use Asians majority of the time.

BUT BUT can someone show me where it says Caucasian faces make more money on Asian products? How do you prove that?

You guys position yourselves too much on overrating westerners, giving Caucasians too much credit and Asian people too little credit. I mean look at this list of China's top 50 Beautiful people in 2005?
http://www.danwei.org/newspapers/chinas_50_most_beautiful_peopl.php

And here's 2008
http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-413748/the-most-beautiful-people-in-china-top-50/

1. Zhang Zi Yi
2. Tony Leung
3. Zhou Xun
4. Zhang Han Yu
5. Guo Jing Jing
6. Li Bing Bing
7. Zhang Guo Li
8. Zhao Wei
9. Sun Hong Lei
10. Zhang Yu Qi
11. Tong Da Wei
12. Fan Bing Bing
13. Jiang Wen Li
14. Jackie Chan
15. Jet Li
16. Gui Lun Mei
17. Chen Qi Zhen
18. Donnie Yen
19. Tang Wei
20. Eason Chen
21. Chiling Lin
22. Gao Yuan Yuan
23. Andy Lau
24. Zhao Pu
25. Ge You
26. Maggie Cheung
27. Big S (Barbie)
28. Chen Kun
29. Liu Ye
30. Lu Yi
31. Shen Bing
32. Liu Yi Fei
33. Han Geng
34. Duan Yi Hong
35. Wang Luo Dan
36. Takeshi Kaneshiro
37. Nicholas Tse
38. Cai Guo Qiang
39. Ma Wei Du
40. Zhang Xuan
41. Sun Li
42. Wang Bao Qiang
43. Yuan Quan
44. Chen Guo Kun
45. Shu Qi
46. Li Chen
47. Wu Qing Feng
48. Li Yu Chun
49. Peng Lei
50. Muo Xiao Q

Source: ChinaNews

I bet they sell products better in China.

 

Post 23
1 reply
Sean Luo (Taiwan) wrote 22 hours ago

S.H.E. could sell anything in TW. You can't get away from them. They even do Maxi-pad commercials. And Chen Chia-Hwa (陳嘉樺) is even damn ugly.
 

Post 24
Edwin replied to Sean's post18 hours ago

Yeah S.H.E are pretty big too, I remember them doing a Coke / W.O.W China commercial. They are examples of foreign products. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOSrapbPrzU

 
Nike has half the brain to use Liu Xiang to advertise their products
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJPJ7ivBc0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkTqGNLWWYA

yi jianlian nike commercial chinese basketball phenom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymoe2oalCvk


Yi Jianlian Liu Yifei and Taew Milk Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1czz5Sm6Mbk


Lebron James Nike Ad Banned in China was banned for reasons you guys might see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPJPe6Kti7g



Jet Li for San Miguel Beer commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHLnC7dZoVY
 
Yao Ming and Jackie Chan - Visa funny commercial!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Td-G3UDMQ

Too bad we don't see these things unless we had an Asian Channel.


Post 25
1 reply
Sean Luo (Taiwan) Edwin 17 hours ago

Also McDonalds always uses local stars in its TW ad campaigns, like super-cute Rainie Yang: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVOZeIO0BvU

She also does commercials for: 

Quaker: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARMHAz1S1GM&NR=1

Yoplait: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx4jhEDuQsw&feature=related

7-11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSbhqj0quKA&feature=related

Dailies contact lenses: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HCsPVxJ2uM


Not to mention local products like: 

milk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Z9Du67kMo&feature=related

Papaya drink (apparently it makes your boobs bigger): 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gUeIk48SOw&feature=related

tea: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujraRkKbb_I&feature=related

gold jewelry: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67U2G91AdRs&feature=related

Post 26
Hugh Humpp (Boston, MA) replied to Max's post11 hours ago

France is a country of predominantly white proportions. And we all know that TV icons need to be thin.

So, naturally, they pander to the populace they advertise to.

Duh?

Post 27
1 reply
Kurtis Winter (London) wrote11 hours ago

In this case, I could see some logic in not wanting black women to sell hair products for white women (and vice versa) as black women and white women have VERY different hair. However, arabs etc. I don't see what their problem would be. Stupid L'Oreal. They aren't worth it.


Post 28
Ashley Bonds (Carroll University ) replied to Kurtis's post9 hours ago
Right... L'Oreal produces makeup shades for women of different colors, so why can't women of different backgrounds model the product? I don't use L'Oreal, because its shit, but still.

Post 29
1 reply
Dae Jang replied to Sean's post5 hours ago

God, that annoying girl makes me want to poke my eyes and ears out.


Post 30
Sean Luo (Taiwan) replied to Dae's post2 hours ago
// God, that annoying girl makes me want to poke my eyes and ears out. //

LMAO! Yeah, I probably should have found a less annoying example.