In today’s day and age, social media rules communication. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites link friends and family to one another, as well as linking buyer to consumers. Individuals and corporations alike use these platforms in order to tell the others what they want to know about them. While it has its cons, such as a lack of nonverbal cues, it has for mostly been a convenient way for companies to further relate to those who consume their products. Companies create an image of themselves that their target demographics align with, making them more personable. However, when they make mistakes, which no one is immune to, everybody notices.
Just yesterday around 10PM EST, Urban Decay, a popular makeup brand among beauty gurus, tweeted this:
Ready for some Razor Sharp Swatches, UDers? #UDAllNighter pic.twitter.com/mo7XXGTb2I
— Urban Decay (@UrbanDecay) August 24, 2016
In the image is an arm with swatches of their new collection of eyeliners named Razor Sharp, the caption reading, “Ready for some Razor Sharp Swatches, UDers? #UDAllNighter”.The backlash was immediate, as Twitter users felt outraged over the apparent allusion to self-harm. While the reference was most likely an oversight on the part of the marketing team, it tarnished the nearly perfect image of the brand. Known for being a vegan and cruelty-free brand, it appeals to a base of consumers who care not only about quality but impact greater than themselves as well.
This afternoon, the brand tweeted a response:
We swatch on the inner arm to show texture & shades. We didn’t intend to reference self-harm as the product is named Razor Sharp Eyeliner.
— Urban Decay (@UrbanDecay) August 24, 2016
While acknowledging users’ concerns, they did not apologize. Perhaps they do not understand how deeply triggered those who have struggled with self-harm in the past were when they saw the tweet. As previously stated, making a joke of something so serious was not their intent. However, what is more important than intent is the impact, and this had a big one. To the naked eye, it was just another tweet, To their target demographic, mainly young women and girls, many of whom have faced issues around self-harm and body image, there was a coded message alongside it.
As a company that represents people of all backgrounds, it is important that they listen to the concerns of the people that support them. A simple apology and rewrite of the tweet would help smooth over the issue and help create an open dialogue. In the future, having more than one person read a tweet before sending it could allow them to see others’ perspectives to prevent incidents like these from happening.
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