Archive for the ‘Brands’ Category

Garnier Fructis Hates Afro Hair

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Naturals are offended by Dr. Miracles commercials, yet somehow, we allowed Garnier to slide past our radar, and continue to buy their products. BEAUTIFUL Afro Hair

Everybody knows how Garnier Fructis commercials go. They usually start out with a woman with a head full of hair (usually naturally straight hair) that’s either limp, or all over the place. It’s not the straightest in the world, but it’s easy to tell that this is damaged straight hair. There’s nothing offensive about that.

However, the commercial that I saw recently was far different. This time, it showed a white woman with an afro that would actually be considered well pampered amongst others, especially among naturals with a similar hair type. I honestly couldn’t find anything wrong with it. All I could do was laugh at their ignorance and think “Are they serious?”

And why does Garnier have to overexaggerate when it comes to showing straight hair at it’s “worse” by insulting people who have a natural texture that looks very similar? The average naturally straight-haired woman’s hair does not look like that when their hair is damaged, so why all the extra?

I couldn’t find the commercial that I saw, but in my search, I came across this video. In this particular commercial, they look down on both afros and locs. From what I can tell, this commercial was actually released last year, portraying afros and locs as “unkempt,” “dirty,” or what have you. And they compared our hair to dog hair, ya’ll! I have never seen this particular Garnier commercial in my circuit, so I may have missed it. It’s also in a different language, so it’s possibly shown in a country other than the United States.

I actually loved Garnier Fructis products. Not only were their products great for straight hair, they were great for curly and kinky hair as well (when it comes to simply moisturizing and adding sheen to the hair). I loved their curl cream (before it went off the market), along with their styling foam. I haven’t bought from them in a while, but after seeing these particular commercials, I sure as heck won’t be buying from them in the future, whether rich or poor. Unknowingly, we were supporting a company who looks down at our hair type. Guys, be careful who you buy from because some of that money will be used to make commercials such as these.

Shame on you, Garnier. I sincerely though you were better than that. I really did.