Despite what you may have heard, gingers are people, too.
And the people are igniting a social media firestorm in response to an offensive ad that makes fun of freckle-faced red heads!
The Advertising Standards Authority received about a “half a dozen” complaints about a billboard for Match.com that suggests red hair and freckles are “imperfections.”
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People of varying skin tones weren’t too pleased with the cheeky ads that appeared in subway stations in London.
Several people called out the dating site on Twitter, blasting it for “profiting by bullying.” They shared:
Thanks https://t.co/aJZcvXM0Ss. Lovely to learn I’m covered in “imperfections” #LoveYourImperfections pic.twitter.com/dQVTPquoar
— Fleur Bone (@FleurBone) April 11, 2016
Dear @Match – these are my #freckles, not my #imperfections – whether people like them or not. pic.twitter.com/5ipUTTnLjW
— Charlie Clemmow (@charlieclemmow) April 8, 2016
Hi @Match. Think you need to rethink your latest campaign. There’s nothing wrong with freckles. #match.com pic.twitter.com/AteHsJVFt2
— Max KC (@maxkc6) April 11, 2016
Advert fixed now! Judging on the colour of skin… FAIL #advertisingfails #freckles #skincolour #dating @Match pic.twitter.com/eB3i8Zntyz
— Heather DeLand (@HeatherDeLand) April 11, 2016
On Monday, the dating site apologized for the ads and said it planned to remove the offensive billboards as soon as possible.
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A spokesperson for Match.com said the ad was misinterpreted and the company thinks “freckles are beautiful,” releasing the statement:
“We have taken note of the response about our advert concerning freckles. Following this feedback, we are in discussions with our relevant partners about removing these posters as soon as possible.
We believe freckles are beautiful. The intention of our ├óΓé¼╦£Love Your Imperfections’ campaign is to focus on the quirks and idiosyncrasies that people wrongly perceive to be imperfections ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ this can include freckles, a feature that is sometimes seen as an imperfection by people who have them.
“We’re sorry if this ad has been interpreted in a different way and we apologise for any offence caused, this was not our intention.”
Hopefully, Match will be more sensitive when suggesting that someone’s physical appearance is an “imperfection.”
As for all you gingers out there, just know that we love each and every one of your freckles!
[Image via Twitter.]
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