Dischem Pharmacy is still reeling from the backlash it received from social media after a ‘blackface’ mannequin was spotted at one of its retail stores in Killarney Mall, Johannesburg.
Why was social media outraged by Dischem?
On Friday, social media went into an uproar after a customer posted an image of a white mannequin — with only its face painted brown — draped in African couture and standing next to a poorly built rondavel and other African artefacts.
The entire display was bizarre but the internet was more perturbed by the mannequin that resembled blackface, a type of make-up used by a non-black performer playing a black role.
The subject in question — the mannequin — was obviously an object. However, it still indicated a lack of racial sensitivity from Dischem’s part and that’s why people were outraged.
Pharmacy apologises, claims it was ‘an isolated incident’
Following the backlash, Dischem noted that the display was part of their annual ‘African beauty campaign’ and that the intention was never to be controversial.
“Our annual beauty fair promotion is a celebration of South African beauty. We strongly condemn any kind of affiliation with blackface. This goes against everything that we stand for as a brand and as a company,
“We sincerely apologise, this is an ongoing investigation but we can confirm so far our initial investigation shows that this was an isolated incident with no malice or disrespect intended,” Dischem noted in a statement published on Twitter.
The publication credited for breaking the story, Business Insider, paid a visit to the store on Friday afternoon and while the mannequin had been removed and replaced with another display, evidence of it could still be seen throughout the store.
