(Switzerland, 17th) Swiss watch brand Swatch has recently sparked controversy over a promotional image featuring "slanted eyes."
In the photo, a male model poses with exaggerated "slanted eyes," a look that is believed to carry racial discrimination against East Asians. In response, many Chinese consumers have strongly protested. Currently, the related photo can no longer be found on Swatch China's official website.
On the evening of the 16th, Swatch issued an official apology on its Weibo account:
The company has noticed the recent attention regarding the model's image in Swatch ESSENTIALS series photos.
The company attaches great importance to this matter and has immediately removed all related materials globally. We sincerely apologize for any offense or distress caused by this.
Previously, due to the use of "slanted eyes" imagery, several well-known Western and domestic brands or organizations have also faced public controversy, such as the 2021 Tsinghua Academy of Arts graduation project, photographer Chen Man's Dior photo, the characters' designs in the film "I Am What I Am," Three Squirrels' commercial ad, Mercedes-Benz's new car promotion, and others.
In the photo, a male model poses with exaggerated "slanted eyes," a look that is believed to carry racial discrimination against East Asians. In response, many Chinese consumers have strongly protested. Currently, the related photo can no longer be found on Swatch China's official website.
On the evening of the 16th, Swatch issued an official apology on its Weibo account:
The company has noticed the recent attention regarding the model's image in Swatch ESSENTIALS series photos.
The company attaches great importance to this matter and has immediately removed all related materials globally. We sincerely apologize for any offense or distress caused by this.
Previously, due to the use of "slanted eyes" imagery, several well-known Western and domestic brands or organizations have also faced public controversy, such as the 2021 Tsinghua Academy of Arts graduation project, photographer Chen Man's Dior photo, the characters' designs in the film "I Am What I Am," Three Squirrels' commercial ad, Mercedes-Benz's new car promotion, and others.