Photo: Screenshot of the deleted photo of an Asian woman in  "slanted eye" pose

French fashion brand Dior again found itself accused of racial discrimination after it allegedly posted a photo of a half face of an Asian woman lifting her eye, which is widely regarded as "slanted eye" pose -- a derogatory gesture toward Asians. 

Although reportedly deleting the photo, the brand angered netizens in China and worldwide. Comments under the Instagram post, which was uploaded four days ago, accused Dior of racial discrimination.

The deleted unnatural photo, according to screenshots circulating online, showed only a half face of the Asian model with her two fingers stuck under her eye and another pulling up the corner of her eye.

This is not the first time the French brand has become mired in controversy. 

Last July, Chinese Hanfu (traditional Chinese costume) lovers accused the brand of copycatting the design of a traditional Chinese horse face skirt in its fall 2022 collection without clarifying the source of inspiration. Overseas Chinese nationals were quick to join protests against Dior's "cultural appropriation."

In November 2021, the brand faced a lingering controversy on Chinese social media over a photo featuring a model with spooky eyelids and dark skin dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and holding a Dior bag, an image accused of smearing the image of Chinese women.

This latest "slanted eye" posture again angered Chinese netizens with many calling for a boycott against the brand, saying its chronic failing to display cultural sensitivity toward Asians won't change.

"The brand has never literally apologized for its misconduct, and the public connivance would only make it worse," read a comment on Chinese Twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo.

Many netizens called Dior "recidivist," urging celebrity Chinese brand ambassadors to break ties with the label.

In fact, "pulling eyes back" is quite commonplace in American and European societies. It makes fun of the appearance of Asians, especially East Asians - Chinese, Japanese and Koreans - in Western culture. It has been widely criticized as racist, which has been reported by many mainstream media in the US and the West.

In 2017, Colombian footballer Edwin Cardona made a slant-eye gesture toward South Korean players, causing a huge uproar in South Korea. As a result, he was suspended for five matches by FIFA, and he publicly apologized to the Korean team. In 2021 a Serbian volleyball player was banned for two games, and her federation fined 20,000 Swiss francs (around $22,328) in an FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League match against Thailand. And an apology was also issued.

Dior should be aware that if it really cherishes its own reputation, the moment it bows down is the starting point for regaining trust. As of press time, the topic "Dior makeup advertisement suspected of discriminating against Asians" had attracted nearly four million views. 

Global Times