French high-end luxury design house Dior has deleted an IG post of an Asian model pulling her eye upwards to display her makeup after it was accused of racism over the photo. It was interpreted by online users as a mimicry of the Asian derogatory “slanted eye” pose.
Incidentally, the luxury brand actively collaborates with Asian brand ambassadors, such as BLACKPINK’s Jisoo and BTS’ Jimin, to name a few.
In the Instagram post, Dior intended to advertise its “Dior Beauty Mitzah” collection created by Peter Phillips Makeup by having the models display the looks. The caption talked about the sensuality and allure of the leopard motif that is “Perpetually” associated with Mizza Bricard, Brand founder and legendary designer Christian Dior’s legendary muse and advisor, explaining that the look was expressed through smoldering colors and accented with accessories.
The post was imminently taken down after people online began speculating that the model’s pose was a racist gesture towards Asians. The brand did not however address the concerns publicly.
People stormed to social media to call out the brand with many emphasizing that this was not the first incidence the brand was caught up in a controversy regarding Asians.
In China last year, Dior triggered public commotion after introducing a mid-length pleated skirt that resembled an ancient Chinese horse-face skirt also known as “ma mian qun”. An ancient skirt that was commonly worn by women during the Ming and Qing dynasties, dating back to the 10th-century Song dynasty. In an opinion piece published by People.cn accused the Dior skirt of being similar to the ancient horse-face skirt, “When many details are the same, why is it shamelessly called a ‘new design’ and ‘hallmark Dior silhouette’?” questioned the commentary regarding the Dior’s appropriation of Chinese culture and design.
The commentary added that China has left many cultural heritages and imprints over its long history, “Many designers who use Chinese elements will admit that their design inspiration comes from classic works in traditional Chinese culture. Chinese culture belongs to China as well as the world. We support learning from Chinese culture to enrich human life,” they added. “Dior is a big brand. To cherish its feathers, it should be more rigorous in both clothing design and marketing, and it should not do things that go against the law and reason,” the commentary explained.
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