Boycott L'oreal (Garnier, etc. products)!

envybeauty

New Member
I'm pissed
:angry2:
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L'Oréal guilty of racism
July 2007​

Part of the cosmetics giant L'Oréal was this month found guilty of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoo.

In a landmark case, the Garnier division of the beauty empire, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 (£20,300) each after they recruited women on the basis of race. The historic ruling - the first time a major company has been found guilty of systematic race discrimination in France - saw a senior figure at the agency given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

The French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics firm, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They sought young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers.

In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L'Oréal stipulated women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (UK size 10-14) and "BBR", the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag. Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.

Christine Cassan, a former employee at Districom, a communications firm acting for Garnier, told the court her clients demanded white hostesses. She said that when she had gone ahead and presented candidates "of color" a superior in her own company had said she had "had enough of Christine and her Arabs".

One woman working in the recruitment firm involved said foreign-sounding names or photos showing a candidate was of Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian or other African origin would ensure candidates were eliminated. Another said: "I once had a good woman candidate but she was non-white. I had to ask someone to pretend that our list was full. It was hard."

One experienced candidate said she realised she was not eligible because she was of mixed race. In a normal sample of women recruited for similar sales work, around 40% would be non-white. For the Fructis project, less than 4% were of "non-European" origin.

SOS Racisme said hundreds of jobs had been subject to discrimination in the case. Garnier and the recruitment company were initially acquitted last year, but the appeal court yesterday overturned the ruling. A former Garnier head and a senior recruitment agency executive were acquitted.
Anti-racism campaigners in France hailed the ruling. Racial discrimination in employment is a huge problem in France with a recent survey finding three out of four firms preferred white workers.

Samuel Thomas of SOS Racisme told the Guardian: "This ruling is an enormous victory for everyone currently suffering race discrimination in France. It shows that economic interests cannot be put before the law and morality. Companies here clearly thought that racism was in their financial interest."

He said consumers of L'Oréal products in the UK and the US would be horrified to learn about the racial discrimination.
L'Oréal owns brands ranging from Lancôme to the Body Shop, which it bought last year. It said yesterday it would immediately appeal against the decision, which it found "incomprehensible".

"We believe that diversity and difference are a source of richness and we do not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination," the statement said.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
 

fluffylocks

New Member
Interesting...

But wasn't Beyonce an "I'm worth it" girl?

I think so, and ol girl from Americas Next top model for Garnier ( it think she was riding a horse or something, and she had her natural hair, and she tied it really tight pilling both sides )

Anyway i just dont understand the point of this.....(discrimination)

It said customers in the US & Uk would be suprised, companies are always doing dirt in other places :nono:
 

gone_fishing

New Member
The practices of a company can be racist even if they have Black employees on staff.

Of course - however, I was just throwing that out there since the article's major claim was that no non-whites were being hired and not that there was "closet racism".

Also, I don't know much about how international businesses work but isn't the "HR" department for companies in various countries different from country to country.

What I'm saying is - is it possible that this issue is a reflection of that country's "whoas" (not saying we don't have more or less racism here) as opposed to being the views of the owner/pres/ceo/cfo etc. of the company?

That's a question and not an assertion.

I don't really use L'Oreal so it doesn't bother me either way.

But boy if Helene Curtis had an issue like this...I don't know if I could join the boycott. I'm still digging around for my discontinued thermasilk and it looks like I've found some connections.

Over time there have been lots of companies who I've heard are racist such as Tommy H. which turned out to be a bit embellished. http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/hilfiger.asp

And then I recall that snapple was owned by the KKK and there was a slave ship on the front of one of their labels...

http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/snapple.asp

So I'm always a little inquisitive about these types of things...of course this seems to be a bit different since there's more information to back up the claims of racism.
 

the_UnPrettiest_pretty

Beauty IS skin deep.
Wow, interesting article. Thanks for posting! This gives me a good reason not to buy their Fructis, Sleek n Shine, or any other lines from them. I do like the Brilliant Shine Water-based Wax though, it's a good product.

But something that always struck me as odd about Loreal's ad w/ Beyonce in it (I think she was promoting hair color) was how in the world can you use a person with weave to promote hair color?!?! I never really understood this marketing tactic. It doesn't matter though, I really don't use any of their products anyway (not that I can think of).
 

missty1029

New Member
I dont support companies that engage in racist acts. Or should I say I wish I didnt. Big Business is just that. And most big business in the things they do or what they portray do not represent me. The other side of this is if they did use black woman it would be just to fill that quota. Because the people in charge dont represent or support our interests. Its sad but it happens every single day. I guess I have learned to deal with it. Not that I should but one day Ill have a big business that represents me and those like me. Thats my goal.
 

chicacanella

New Member
Did anyone else find this odd?


Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.



North Africa still is in Africa, right? So why would they feel the need to seperate the North Africans from the rest of Africa?

And we wonder why some North Africans think they are so much better than the rest of the continent.:nono:
 

bellezanegra826

New Member
i wonder if this is something that they do across the board with all of their products. say for example they were doing a commercial for mizani products would they restrict white models from their advertisements? or do they just choose not to advertise products that would require non-white models in order to identify with their customers. it is one thing to refuse to have non-whites period and its a whole other thing to use certain models for certain products that target different races
 

cmw45

Well-Known Member
Did anyone else find this odd?


Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.



North Africa still is in Africa, right? So why would they feel the need to seperate the North Africans from the rest of Africa?

And we wonder why some North Africans think they are so much better than the rest of the continent.:nono:

For the same reasons that many African-Americans (descendants of black North American slaves) and African-Americans (newly immigrated Africans and their descendants) seperate themselves. Different cultures...different people. I mean East Africans and West Africans are also distinctly different.
 

cabellera

Well-Known Member
Did anyone else find this odd?


Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.



North Africa still is in Africa, right? So why would they feel the need to seperate the North Africans from the rest of Africa?

And we wonder why some North Africans think they are so much better than the rest of the continent.:nono:

Uh cos North Africa has the Arab groups or people with lighter skin, loose more European hair...oh shoot...dey be lookin mostly European in their features...nose, eyes, lips, etc....but not EXACTLY, nawmean?
 

cabellera

Well-Known Member

Hmmmm lemme see..... yeah....looks like I can live without these products! Unfortunately, Americans of African descent haven't collectively gotten together for boycott since....the MLK days and the bus boycott that was started by the actions of Rosa Parks.
 

KatKronicles

New Member
Did anyone else find this odd?


Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.



North Africa still is in Africa, right? So why would they feel the need to seperate the North Africans from the rest of Africa?

And we wonder why some North Africans think they are so much better than the rest of the continent.:nono:
There is alot of ignorance in america about africans. Africans are not one in the same. To ask someone from the continent of africa " what part of africa are you from " is ignorant. Africa is a continent, in that continent are countries. Africa is widely tribal. Africa is separated still by tribes. And it is offensive to group them in one catagory.
 

fluffylocks

New Member
There is alot of ignorance in america about africans. Africans are not one in the same. To ask someone from the continent of africa " what part of africa are you from " is ignorant. Africa is a continent, in that continent are countries. Africa is widely tribal. Africa is separated still by tribes. And it is offensive to group them in one catagory.


I dont understand how its ignorant or offensive (please hook me up, i hate to sound that way around anyone) even though they are in different countries, everyone that lives there is still in Africa right? Its not like those countries are islands. People who live there dont aknowledge the fact that they are in Africa, only their country?

Because America is a continent
Even though its not seperated by "countries" its seperated by "states".....But we are all still Americans, its not offensive to call us all Americans
 

AvaSpeaks

New Member
Did anyone else find this odd?


Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.



North Africa still is in Africa, right? So why would they feel the need to seperate the North Africans from the rest of Africa?

And we wonder why some North Africans think they are so much better than the rest of the continent.:nono:

Because in France, their is growing resentment against the North African populations. In lots of countries in Western Europe, people of Middle Eastern descent gets treated like Blacks here in this country. That's why they separated them. They mean the North Africans of Middle Eastern descent as well as Black Africans. They don't want both.

That's another thing. The article was talking about L'Oreal in general. It was talking about advertisements in France only. Not the North American division. Beyonce is not in any European ads for L'Oreal. I think maybe Naomie Lenoir might be in her native France, but that might be a longshot as well.
 

dynamic1

Well-Known Member
I would be interested to know which shampoo it was.
I haven't seen very many "white" Mizani models, have you?

I can live without the products on the list, but it is interesting. We know that one shampoo can work for different hair types, but there are still many more who refuse to believe this is true. How many white women believe they can use Mizani (not on nc.com) or any other products marketed to black women? How many times have we heard that we can not use that "white people" product or our hair will fall out/break off? All victims of clever marketing schemes...with products that have virtually identical ingredients. :sad: Questioning if this was the thought process behind the campaign in question. Not saying racism doesn't exist at L'oreal, just pondering.

L'oreal models - Noemie Lenoir, Aishwarya Rai, Beyonce to name a few...
 

AvaSpeaks

New Member
Because in France, their is growing resentment against the North African populations. In lots of countries in Western Europe, people of Middle Eastern descent gets treated like Blacks here in this country. That's why they separated them. They mean the North Africans of Middle Eastern descent as well as Black Africans. They don't want both races in their ads.

That's another thing. The article was talking about L'Oreal in general. It was talking about advertisements in France only. Not the North American division. Beyonce is not in any European ads for L'Oreal. I think maybe Naomie Lenoir might be in her native France, but that might be a longshot as well.

You also have to realize something ladies. There is a HUGE immigration problem in Spain, France, Italy, even parts of Crete, with the North African population. Much like here in the US with the Mexicans crossing the borders. In Britain and France, there is a HUGE Muslim population and alot of times, these are the Muslims of Middle Eastern descent that live in African countries. But these Muslim or Middle Easterners are not "Black". Or some of them are not. Two perfect examples of countries in Africa where the people are not "black"; Algeria and Libya. Yes they are "African" because they live on the continent, but they are not "black" African, like somebody from Liberia, Nigeria or Ghana. Same thing in Peru. Yes, it's a country in Latin America, but Peru really is a Native American country. Most of the inhabitants of Peru and Chile are South Native American. But we assume or call them "Latin" or "hispanic" because they are on that continent. But that is not the case.

So that's why they separated those groups, and they included Asians as well. Because in Europe, Asians, whether they are from the Orient or the Pacific, most of the time do not fit in any of their standards of beauty.

So that was for the French division of L'Oreal.
 
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Jetblackhair

Well-Known Member

I dont understand how its ignorant or offensive (please hook me up, i hate to sound that way around anyone) even though they are in different countries, everyone that lives there is still in Africa right? Its not like those countries are islands. People who live there dont aknowledge the fact that they are in Africa, only their country?

Because America is a continent
Even though its not seperated by "countries" its seperated by "states".....But we are all still Americans, its not offensive to call us all Americans

I see what you are saying, but actually America, as in the United States of America is not a continent. North America is the continent and includes the USA, Canada, Mexico and others. Although other groups are on the continent of North America they are not called North Americans or Americans.

I guess it looks confusing because Africa fits together like one great puzzle as a continent. People confuse the continent with being a country. Africa is to North America just as the USA would be to anyone of the countries in Africa. The USA is just a huge country in itself, so we tend to overlook the other countries that comprise North America.
 

fluffylocks

New Member
I see what you are saying, but actually America, as in the United States of America is not a continent. North America is the continent and includes the USA, Canada, Mexico and others. Although other groups are on the continent of North America they are not called North Americans or Americans.

I guess it looks confusing because Africa fits together like one great puzzle as a continent. People confuse the continent with being a country. Africa is to North America just as the USA would be to anyone of the countries in Africa. The USA is just a huge country in itself, so we tend to overlook the other countries that comprise North America.

Oh:blush: Thanks, i understand now:yep: I wonder why it is divided up into countries.....or maybe America is the one that should be divided into countriess.....oh well. Thanks for clarifying, def. hate to offend someone
 

glamazon386

Well-Known Member
Did anyone else find this odd?


Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.



North Africa still is in Africa, right? So why would they feel the need to seperate the North Africans from the rest of Africa?

And we wonder why some North Africans think they are so much better than the rest of the continent.:nono:

I think by North Africa they mean Ethiopians, Egyptian, Morroccans, etc people in that area. Sometimes people isolate them from the rest of Africa because they don't have the "typical African look". :rolleyes:
 

shelli4018

Well-Known Member
Don't the French struggle with race in general? I don't think this is a company issue as much as a cultural one.
 

AvaSpeaks

New Member
I think by North Africa they mean Ethiopians, Egyptian, Morroccans, etc people in that area. Sometimes people isolate them from the rest of Africa because they don't have the "typical African look". :rolleyes:

Ethiopia is not North Africa. It's East Africa.

North Africans are separated because again, they are not Black African. Alot of them are descendents of Berber or Middle Eastern descent. Some are Black African and some have Black African blood. For the most part, North African peoples are not "black" African. That's why they are separated. Just like Pakistanis are of Indian descent, even though they are Muslim. But Jordanians are of Middle Eastern descent, It's not that hard to figure out.

And again, this is happening in the French ads and marketing campaigns. NOT the North American ones. You may see Ya Ya in a Garnier commericial here in the States but she IS NOT featured in any L'Oreal ads in Western Europe. That's what the stank is about, the fact that THEY, the French division of the company are being racist in their ads, not the ads in the US.
 
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