Dior has deleted ads from its social media accounts promoting its Sauvage fragrance after it faced a backlash because of its use of Native American culture.
A video on Twitter featuring a Native American dancer and an Instagram post explaining the campaign that was crafted with Native American consultants was deleted hours after the fashion house was called out for cultural misappropriation and being insensitive.
As part of the Sauvage campaign, Johnny Depp stars in a film called ‘We Are the Land’ that is described in marketing materials as an ‘ode to Mother Earth’.
In the ad, the narrator says, ‘We are the land’, as a Native American man performs a traditional dance before the screen goes black.
It also featured Johnny Depp wearing a multi-colored poncho while playing guitar, and a dark-haired model with long hair in Native American dress.
Dior has deleted ads from its social media accounts promoting its Sauvage fragrance after outrage over its use of Native American culture
Sauvage in French has a variety of meanings, including wild, unspoiled and savage. The fragrance is not new and has been produced by Dior since the mid-1960s
Hours after it was posted on Friday, the video was deleted from the luxury designer brand’s social media accounts.
The company has not responded to an email seeking comment on the ads or their deletion. One of the deleted posts had promised more details about the fragrance ad campaign on Monday.
It continued to receive heavy criticism for being insensitive and for the fragrance having an offensive name.
Sauvage in French has a variety of meanings, including wild, unspoiled and savage. The fragrance is not new and has been produced by Dior since the mid-1960s.
A man in traditional Native American dress is seen performing a dance in the film
The video also features a dar- haired model in Native American dress
Critics were also outraged at Depp’s involvement. The actor is the celebrity face of the fragrance.
Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the 2013 movie ‘The Lone Ranger’ was also criticized, despite the actor working with consultants from the group Americans for Indian Opportunity, which also consulted on the Dior ad.
Depp was adopted as an honorary citizen of the Comanche Nation in a private ceremony by the group’s founder.
In the Instagram post that was later deleted, Ron ‘Looking Elk’ Martinez – a Native American who consulted on the film – said: ‘Cultural appropriation for us is a huge thing because we’ve been dealing with this since colonization.
‘Our presence on this project is really to help. So for us to make sure that the look and the identity is authentic is very important.’
Dior had posted trailers and other images from its new Sauvage campaign earlier in the week, but they did not generate similar reactions
One of the deleted posts had promised more details about the fragrance and campaign on Monday. The video features Johnny Depp playing an electric guitar
Soon after posting the video on Twitter and Facebook on Friday, users were quick to criticize the designer brand.
One user called @AmyBertrand: ‘if you wanted to be authentic you should of made a perfume called “colonizer,” a journey deep into the colonial soul , in a stolen territory.
‘Where markets itself on racism and stupidity. More to come. September 1st.’
Another @coffeestupidity: ‘This has got to be that thing where companies try to use outrage as a marketing tool, right?.’
@MissShugaCain also said: ‘I cannot with @Dior exploiting native culture for their fragrance… @sauvage and yes that’s SAVAGE! What the F**K?!?
‘Y’all are disgusting! You mean to tell me that NOT ONE person in your company saw this as an issue through the tiresome ideation process?!?.’
Soon after posting the video on Twitter and Facebook on Friday, users were quick to criticize the designer brand, accusing it of cultural misappropriation and other charges
Others claimed it was a targeted marketing ploy by Dior in the vein of ‘no publicity is bad publicity’, saying that the company had generated discussion about the campaign.
‘Dior, this bulls**t of yours is not only disgusting, hurtful and harmful but undeniably willful by this point just because you want to go viral.
‘That is a ‘Native American’ dancer clip that ends with their s***y colonialist slur,’ one summarized.