After the huge backlash Dior and Dolce & Gabbana faced in China over racial stereotypes in their ads, one would think brands would be more careful not to draw the ire of Chinese consumers. In fact, after the widespread “Anti-Asian Hate” campaign during the early pandemic, it is assumed that marketers and the general public are sensitive enough about Chinese and East Asian stereotypes and racism against them. However, Swiss watchmaker Swatch is now under fire as the latest brand accused of “insulting China” with a common racial stereotype: slanted eyes.
On 15 August, Swatch launched its new Essentials collection. For representation, it featured an East Asian male model sporting a colourful chronograph watch. However, the model posed with his fingers pulling at the corners of his eyes, creating a slanted eye effect. This pose reflects a racial stereotype and is widely considered offensive towards people of East Asian descent. Following uproar in China, Swatch deleted the image and videos the next day and issued an apology.
- #Swatch中国官网已找不到眯眯眼照片 Slanted eye photos can no longer be found on Swatch’s China official site: 23.92 million views on Weibo, ranking number 6 on the Hot Search list
Chinese netizens are rightfully outraged. Many pundits, however, are digging deeper into the root of the issue. The slanted eyes gesture was likely not trying to offend Chinese people for any nefarious reason, but rather was an uninformed attempt to emphasise Asian identity in the age of 15-second videos and laziness in execution, since no one thought to raise the issue before the campaign was launched. This, of course, won’t work in highly localised markets like China and East Asia. Maybe it is advisable for brands to recruit a Chinese cultural advisor, like Loewe has done.
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