Chinese laundry detergent advert sparks international outrage

Chinese laundry detergent advert branded the most racist commercial to be screened

The advert, which shows a woman using the detergent to
The advert, which shows a woman using the detergent to "white-wash" a black man, is being branded the most racist advert to ever be aired

A Chinese laundry detergent advertisement, being labelled the most racist commercial to be screened, is causing widespread outrage around the world.

The advert depicts a young Chinese woman doing her laundry, when a black man walks in with some paint stains on his face. After looking at him suggestively the woman proceeds to put an Oiaobi detergent tab in his mouth and stuffs the man into the washing machine. He emerges after some minutes as a fair-skinned Chinese man, leading to apparent delight for the woman.

According to reports the advert is actually a month old and it has already been shown across cinemas in China, but it was shared all over social media in the last 24 hours, after US expat Christopher Powell, a musician with the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra, and by DJ Spencer Tarring, shared it on their Twitter portals.

The reaction on Chinese social media so far has been muted, but the owner of Oiaobi laundry detergent has said that he didn’t know much about the advertisement.

"To be honest, I didn't really pay that much attention to the advertisement and didn’t realise it was racist until it was pointed out to me," he added.  

Racist adverts are not a rare occurrence in Asian media, with controversial whitening adverts being part of the beauty scene across the continent.

In the Philippines, once colonised by Spain, white skin is associated with mixed ancestry and annual beauty polls are conducted to rank the best whitening soaps, treatments and lotions.

Earlier this year a Thai advert claiming that “white makes you win” was withdrawn after sparking similar condemnation.