*Racist White women are big mad because a Target commercial featuring a Black-owned business doesn’t center on them. So they hit back by posting a slew of negative reviews about the company, only to see it backfire.
Beatrice Dixon, founder of the plant-based feminine care line Honey Pot, was featured in a Target commercial where she spoke about how she hopes her business paves the way for Black female entrepreneurs.
“The reason why it’s so important for Honey Pot to do well is so that the next black girl that comes up with a great idea, she can have a better opportunity,” Dixon says at the end of the ad (see above). “That means a lot to me.”
The ad was released in early February but only recently was targeted by fragile whites who accuse Dixon and Target of being racist because Caucasians are not featured in the commercial .
As reported by nbc.com, many of the one-star reviews were left on consumer review website Trustpilot.
“Boycott The Honey Pot Company, and Target. RACIST. White people hating comments not going to be tolerated,” one reviewer wrote.
Another review accused Dixon of fueling racism because she specifically mentions Black girls, “why should the color of her skin matter- totally racist and inappropriate,” the user wrote.
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Honey Pot, a black woman owned natural hair care line that’s sold in Target, had a commercial where they said they want to empower black girls.
Now white women are mad and have been leaving them a low rating.
Please give them 5 stars https://t.co/FABhpr4ZkH
— I’m 10 Years Older Than Mark (@eleven8) March 2, 2020
One Twitter user noted that the outrage is “drumming up more business for sis and the BEAUTY is she didn’t spend a dime on marketing.”
ESSENCE spoke exclusively with Dixon about accusations that she’s racist for specifying Black women in the ad. While her products are for all women, she explained why Black women deserve a shout-out.
“I wasn’t necessarily blindsided [by the negative reactions], but I also didn’t have an expectation,” said Dixon, sounding calm and unbothered as always. “This was not Honey Pot’s commercial, it was Target’s commercial. It was shot during Black History Month and for Women’s History Month. They chose that particular clip for a reason. I’m here for that story and that’s why I said it. I know that there’s a huge disparity when you look at the funding of businesses. I’m always going to be a proponent of us doing what we have to do so this isn’t even a conversation. The only thing we as Black women business owners can do is make really successful businesses.”
She also wants the haters to know that there is nothing racist about wanting Black girls to succeed.
“I think we’re human and race shouldn’t even be a conversation, but it is because of the society we live in. We understand the responsibility as a Black-owned business that we have to be successful because if we’re not, we’re not doing anything for the culture to move it forward so that [race] isn’t a topic.”
Trustpilot has suspended reviews on the company’s page due to the racist comments which “violates Trustpilot’s guidelines.”
“Due to the high influx of reviews we can not guarantee that reviews provide a genuine presentation of the company,” the website said.
Target also issued a statement in support of Dixon:
“We’re proud to work with Bea Dixon and The Honey Pot team to highlight Bea’s journey to build her brand and bring her products to Target,” the statement said. “We’re aware of some negative comments about the campaign, which aren’t in line with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from guests who love and have been inspired by Bea’s story.”
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