Dove has slammed the Oscar-winning film The Whale for giving Brendan Fraser a “fat suit” and calls for Hollywood to find “better representation,” but has in turn been accused of trying to “promote their product.” ‘ by jumping on the moving train.
The film drew backlash from critics in the run-up to the star-studded Academy Awards – many object to an actor playing an obese man when they aren’t overweight themselves.
In the final blow, the soap and hygiene brand took the moral stance in response to a tweet in which a user said, “Our identity is not your costume.”
Dove joined the bright bunch, saying: “Stop giving awards for fat suits. We want better representation in Hollywood. #LetsChangeBeauty.”
Dove has slammed the Oscar-winning film The Whale for giving Brendan Fraser a “fat suit” and calls for Hollywood to find “better representation,” but has in turn been accused of trying to “promote their product.” ‘ by jumping on the moving train
The Whale stars Fraser as the title character, an extremely obese man whose binge eating has strained his relationships with loved ones and made a normal life all but impossible for him.
Fraser was required to wear extensive prosthetic makeup and won the Academy Award for Best Actor, while the film’s hair and makeup artists also took home a gong.
Ahead of his prestigious honor, Fraser revealed that wearing a 330-pound fat suit during filming made him appreciate how “physically and emotionally” obese people are.
The film was a magnet for criticism, however, as director Darren Aronofsky hit back at critics, who called the film “lacking” for its “horrific portrayal” of Fraser, just months before winning.
A Twitter account accused the film of impersonating obese people in fat suits.
User KB Heylen wrote: “So disappointing that The Whale won the Oscar for best hair and makeup. Fat suits are harmful – they are not your chance to win prizes. Our identity is not your costume. Cast fat actors to play fat characters. #TheWhale #Fatphobia #Fatsuit #Oscars.”
The complaint seemed to resonate with the billionaire soap brand, although several prominent Twitter users took Dove’s complaint as a thinly veiled attempt to win consumers’ hearts and sell more of their product.
Complaints about the film’s portrayal seemed to resonate with the billionaire soap brand, although several prominent Twitter users felt Dove’s complaint was a thinly veiled attempt to win over consumers’ hearts and sell more of their product
The Whale stars Fraser as the title character, an extremely obese man whose binge eating has strained his relationships with loved ones and made a normal life all but impossible for him
Popular YouTube film critic ‘The Critical Drinker’ said: ‘Maybe because a weight of 600 pounds is extremely dangerous and film studios would rather use prosthetics and make-up than an actor who might not even survive the film?’
Popular YouTuber thatstarwarsgirl quipped, “You’re not for changing beauty, you’re for selling more soap.”
Another user said: “Thank you soap company for supporting the morbidly obese and helping them embrace their ill health and celebrate early death. That’s quite a marketing strategy.”
“When my skin gets dry, I call her. That being said, you don’t really need to hear from the soap company, especially if it’s a bad attempt at publicity at someone else’s expense,” said another.
Meanwhile, the Daily Wire’s Jeremy Boreing took the opportunity to promote his own soap product, ‘Jeremy’s Razors Body Soap’.
Boreing’s product bills itself as a hygiene alternative that refuses to embrace savvy marketing schemes.
He tweeted, “Many people are unaware of our growing product line at Jeremy’s Razors. Our soap is exceptional. Our shampoo and conditioner are great. Shower gel, moisturizer, cleanser, beard oil… We build alternatives.”
reached out to Dove about the tweet.
It’s not the first time Dove has been slammed for her misguided attempts at “bright publicity.”
In 2017, the company faced an avalanche of criticism after posting a picture of a black woman removing her brown shirt to reveal a white woman in a lighter-colored shirt underneath.
The brand was accused of racism over the online ad campaign and later admitted it “missed the mark” with an image posted to Facebook.
In 2017, Dove faced an avalanche of criticism after posting a picture of a black woman removing her brown shirt to reveal a white woman in a lighter-colored shirt underneath
Following the removal of the post, Dove, owned by Unilever, tweeted: “An image we posted to Facebook recently failed in its aim to portray women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the insult this has caused.’
In a further statement, Dove said: “As part of a campaign for Dove’s shower gel, a three-second video clip was posted on the US Facebook page.
“This did not represent the diversity of true beauty, which Dove is passionate about and is at the core of our beliefs, and it should not have happened.
“We removed the post and did not publish any other related content. We deeply and sincerely apologize for the insult this has caused.’