Human Rights Watch Says This Thai Dunkin Donuts Ad Is 'Bizarre And Racist'
Human Rights Watch demanded that Dunkin' Donuts remove an ad running in Thailand that the organization is calling "bizarre and racist."
The ad, for a chocolate "Charcoal Donut," features a woman in blackface makeup with bright pink lips, evoking memories of the minstrel shows that once mocked black Americans in the United States.
Here's the ad:
"It's both bizarre and racist that Dunkin' Donuts thinks that it must color a woman's skin black and accentuate her lips with bright pink lipstick to sell a chocolate doughnut," Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, told the Associated Press. "Dunkin' Donuts should immediately withdraw this ad, publicly apologize to those it's offended and ensure this never happens again."
The Thai franchise runs independently from the American operation, which told NBCNews.com that it is working to pull down the ads immediately.
"We recognize the insensitivity of this spot and on behalf of our Thailand franchisee and our company, we apologize for any offensive it caused," Dunkin Donuts spokeswoman Stephanie Robinson said in a statement to NBC News.com.
On the other hand, the head of Dunkin' Donuts Thailand, Nadim Salhani, was unapologetic when first contacted about the ad.
"We're not allowed to use black to promote our doughnuts? I don't get it," Salhani told the Associated Press. "What's the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white, would that be racist?"
Last year, Ashton Kutcher incited anger over a Popchips video in which he wore brown makeup to portray an Indian character.
British cosmetics brand Illamasqua has used blackface as well.