Dior is in hot water because of its new video ad for their Sauvage perfume, featuring Johnny Depp. The brand was accused of cultural appropriation and an overall damaging and stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans in the commercial, making many very angry and disappointed.
That being said, it did not take social media long at all to slam the brand and the actors involved.
The visual shows Johnny Depp playing a song by Shawnee guitarist Link Wray on his guitar and also walking around with the beautiful Utah wilderness in the background.
Furthermore, the ad also features Native American war dancer Canku One Star showing off his talent on a cliff in traditional attire.
It appears that Dior had no idea this portrayal alongside the claim that it was ‘an authentic journey into the Native American soul in a sacred and secular territory’ would be offensive in some people’s eyes.
Regardless, many argued online that it was wrong and should not have been made!
Reporter Graham Lee Brewer tweeted: ‘I keep seeing these @Dior Sauvage ads, and aside from breaking my heart with the racism and the stereotypes, I cannot help but wonder for what other race would we ever allow such an ad? It baffles me. The invisibility of Indigenous communities is real.’
Someone else on the platform also slammed the ad, saying that ‘The absurdity of the @Dior #Sauvage Ad w/ Johnny Depp: • Supposedly anti-appropriation, but goes balls deep in appropriation. • Titles the actress asmaiden and the native actor, warrior. • Says it is helping Native folx, but invokes stupid/ignorant ‘indian’ tropes.’
4. OMG the full @Dior/@LVMH ad is worse than the teaser!
This ad is unlisted on YouTube so that’s why it hasn’t gotten as much attention as the teaser in the first tweet in this thread.
WOW
h/t @andreagonram pic.twitter.com/MyqjqHC1Wd
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 30, 2019
Of course, many also mentioned how offensive the ad’s theme is since the perfume line’s name is Sauvage, a French word that means ‘savage.’
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About this, outraged people pointed out things like: ‘’Sauvage’ is the word the racist mobs were screaming when they stoned Mohawk civilians during the Oka crisis.’
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