We’re used to advertising being criticized for promoting unrealistic and even unhealthy body images for women via excessive airbrushing and photoshopping, but it’s skin tone, not body type that has H&M under attack for it’s latest swimwear campaign.
If you haven’t come across the 2012 swim line yet, the advertising features Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana a few shades darker than sunkissed as she models the retailer’s affordable bathing suits along the beach. On first glance, you might think the model is a woman of color due to the bronze shade radiating from her skin, and if she were, ideally, there wouldn’t be a problem. But since the fair-skinned model’s tone has been made several shades darker either by makeup or digitization, the Swedish Cancer Society says the images are dangerous.
“The clothing giant is creating, not least among young people, a beauty ideal that is deadly,” the cancer society wrote in an opinion piece in Sweden’s paper of reference, Dagens Nyheter.
“Regardless of how the H&M model got her tan, through sunning or a computer programme, the effect is the same: H&M tells us we should be very tan on the beach.”
That concern is obviously one that affects white and fairer-skinned women more than those of color, and although H&M has since apologized for seemingly promoting this overly tanned beauty ideal, it’s still worth asking whether the backlash is warranted. These days, society is becoming increasingly PC and always seems to be on the hunt to find something wrong so much so that there is hardly any room for artistic expression. It’s obvious H&M wanted it’s swimwear to standout against beach-bronzed skin, which done with a minority model would have saved them this headache, but is it fair to say these photos would encourage women to darken their skin to this degree all because of an ad? Even a slight tan can be achieved at the beach or with tanning bed—which is what most girls opt for nowadays—is all bronzing in fashion spreads now unacceptable?
At some point we have to leave some responsibility in the hands of the consumer to know what is art, what’s simply an image on display to be admired, and what’s a physical look to try to achieve and recreate. Most women would probably know that distinction with this campaign.
i was thinking about this the other day and i seriously thought she was Black, with the negative outcomes that come with tanning i do think that having ads that portray it to be glam are sending a bad message. perhaps the mother from jersey saw this and seeked to look as tan as the model
Tanning, applying dangerous chemicals to hair, lead in nail polish……trends in beuty all come with a cost.
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The real gag is the fact that instead of hiring someone with beautiful natural dark skin like Ajak Deng to make the swimwear standout they had to darken Fontana’s… I’m in this stupid industry and I still don’t get it.
I agree….I think naturally dark skin is prettier than fake tans.
I couldn’t agree with you more. What exactly is wrong with simply hiring a naturally dark skinned model for the shoot instead of darkening a fair skinned model to this extent? Is the bias of the fashion industry that extreme? It is disgusting
When I initially saw these ads upon being the store last weekend my concern for them came from a slightly different reason than the physical health factor. It immediately made me think of the historically mocking of African Americans when whites were painted in blackface. While this may not have been the advertiser’s intent, it is still reminiscent of such. And as Antifash says above, if they wanted dark skin to make their swimwear stand out, why not just hire a woman of color?
I’m going to live this to white people to worry about.
I’m going to leave this to white people to worry about.
I also thought she was black in some of the ads. I think there was an ad of her in this month’s Essence magazine and I was like OMG, I thought she was black! That was until I saw her face. I think they should have hired Emanuela de Paula and could have definitely saved themselves from backlash if they would have used her. She’s naturally this bronze and beautiful color and she has the look that most people in the fashion industry like: A black (minority of color) girl with white features.
I’m pale as heck and with this ad showing her look really glowy, I think it would be no surprise if people suddenly went out to tan to get her skin tone. I’m looking at my skin thinking the same way.
I didn’t mistake this model for black, and I don’t believe that H&M was participating in the “black face” trend in fashion. Her skin looks bronze. Like the way self tanner makes white women look. I really like the ad. H&Ms marketing strategy worked on me. It immediately made me daydream about an island getaway. The way her hair is slicked back, the shiny look of her skin, and the way the sun bounces off of the water and then highlights her skin. And she looks this amazingly sexy wearing $10 swim suit? LOL.
Rather than putting H&M under fire, the cancer society should remind readers that this look can be achieved with a visit to a spray tan salon, or at home with a self-tanning product.
#agreed. She doesn’t look Black, and any backlash from this ad is ridiculous.
Everybody wanna “look” black bit nobody wants to “be” black. (Lips, hips, butt, etc.)
Well, I didn’t mistake her for a black woman. I do think she is overly tan for this shoot, I understand wanting a healthy dose of color but she looks BAKED! Honestly she is a few shades way from being the Tan mom the news was joking about earlier this week. And I kind of agree with the comments above of them hiring a woman whose natural skin complexion was a darker/tanner shade in the beginning.
I agree w/you, Binks…this just isn’t cute to me. I’m very fair and sometimes I wish I had more of a golden or honey or even chocolate complexion so I could rock short shorts and skirts, but I would never damage my skin to be darker. Skin cancer isn’t sexy. Neither is looking like an Oompa Loompa or a leather purse.
I also agree that if they wanted somebody with a deeper hue, they should have hired a naturally dark-skinned or brown-skinned model.
it sounds the same as encouraging skin-lightening to darker-skinned people to me.
um..the model is Brazilian? she is probably already naturally bronzed.
If you google her, you will see she is not nearly as dark as that picture.
Nope. When Isabeli first started out, she was very fair-skinned.
too dark? is that even possible? I love the ad. her skin makes the pink really pop out. what i think is dangerous to young women is seeing popular celebrities’ lightened on ads to something that is unnatural. It is natural for a brazilian or woman who is not naturally dark to be along the beach for a few days and get this color.
It is indeed possible to be too dark if one isn’t blessed with much melanin in the first place. If a Caucasian person or an extremely light-skinned person of color tans to this point, it can be pretty extreme and there is a chance that skin cancer could develop. Lighter skin can burn or blister very badly from sunlight and UV radiation. I tried to tan when I was younger…it didn’t end well, lol.
Whether a person lightens or darkens their skin to an extreme, it can be damaging. There is nothing wrong with a bit of a golden glow if a person wants more color, but some people take it way too far. I believe natural is best, whether a person is pale or dark or somewhere along the spectrum.
I believe that people should simply learn to be comfortable with the skin they’re in…but if a person wants to lighten/darken their skin, they should find safe methods of doing so.
I wonder if she was spray-tanned or if this is the result of sun exposure? Maybe both.
I dont understand why they didnt just use black models or someone naturally dark skin if they wanted that look.
Does anyone want to be pale? I am black woman and I try to get darker in the summer. I have a white step-sister who can’t tan and she has always hated it. Brown skin on brown people or on white people looks healthier. Just use self-tanners.
Really H & M?……. Really? smh 0_0