French fashion brand Dior is mired in controversy in China, one of its biggest markets

Photo: Screenshot of Xiaohongshu

French fashion brand Dior continued to face a lingering controversy on Chinese social media on Wednesday over a recent photo accused of tarnishing the image of Chinese women, with some Chinese netizens demanding an explanation from the company as well as the photographer.

Given the size of China’s luxury goods market, which is one of the biggest revenue contributors for many global fashion brands, such a prolonged controversy could pose a difficult situation for companies, as the Chinese public becomes increasingly sensitive to the portrayal and treatment of foreign companies. Chinese society and culture.

In 2020, China’s luxury goods market grew by 48 percent despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry data. Strong Chinese demand for Dior provided a $10 billion boost for its parent company LVMH, Bloomberg reported in April.

The controversy surrounding Dior started a few days ago. The photo on display at the Dior fashion show which opened at the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai on Friday, shows a model with single eyelids and dark skin wearing traditional Chinese clothes and holding a Dior bag. The photo was taken by renowned Chinese fashion photographer, Chen Man.

The photo has sparked controversy on Chinese social media over the past few days, with some criticizing the photo for depicting Chinese women in a way that fits Western stereotypes. However, some netizens also pointed out that the photo deviates from the typical beauty standard in China, which is often characterized by fair skin and large eyes.

The brand has since removed the controversial poster from its social media platforms but has not provided any explanation.

An article published by the China Women’s News newspaper noted that such photos by Dior show the “pride and prejudice” of Western brands in their aesthetics and culture, and that such images reflect an intention to tarnish the image of Chinese women and girls. distort Chinese culture.

The Global Times contacted public relations staff at Dior as well as at LVMH, Dior’s parent company, for comment, but had not received a response as of press time on Wednesday.

The topic “Dior’s photo accused of desecrating Asian descent” was on Weibo’s hot search list on Wednesday afternoon. Some demanded explanations from companies and photographers.

“Neither the proud creators of (the photo) nor Dior are ready to respond, as if they are belittling netizens who they say don’t understand art,” wrote one post.

But some netizens insisted on supporting the brand, saying that Westerners value the ethnic characteristics of Chinese people rather than just focusing on young, thin, white women as the only standard of beauty.

Dior is not an isolated case of sparking such controversy, as several international brands have been criticized in China in recent years for exhibiting what netizens call a “distorted” aesthetic in the way they portray Chinese models.

For example, some photos featuring Chinese model LV were criticized by netizens for having a “Qing Dynasty filter”, because the clothes and hairstyles of the models bear a resemblance to people living in Qing Dynasty China.

Earlier, Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana came under fierce criticism in China after its video showing a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks was accused of insulting China and Chinese culture.