*A toilet paper manufacturer in Brazil has ditched its slogan “Black Is Beautiful” to market its black-colored brand after worldwide backlash.
Personal VIP Black toilet paper was launched on Monday by Sao Paulo manufacturers Santher. The ad showed white actress Marina Ruy Barbosa draped in the black paper alongside the words “Black Is Beautiful.”
The phrase has since been pulled from the campaign after critics accused Santher of misappropriating a slogan synonymous with a historic cultural movement intended to empower black communities.
The term “Black Is Beautiful” emerged in the 1960s from African-American communities fighting for civil rights.
Rio de Janeiro-based writer Anderson Franca articulated why the term was offensive in a Facebook post.
“If you search ‘Black Is Beautiful’ anywhere in the world you’ll find references to Angela Davis, Malcolm X, The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, Fela Kuti, James Baldwin, and Nina Simone, but not in Brazil,” he posted.
“In Brazil, if you type #blackisbeautiful you will find toilet paper.”
