Nivea's controversial skin-lightening ad puts spotlight on the history of white supremacy

The skincare company Nivea makes dozens of products for women and men around the world. 

But what you probably didn't know until earlier this week is that Nivea also sells skin-lightening cream to consumers in Africa.

SEE ALSO: Oh look, another insensitive, wannabe 'woke' ad campaign.

While it's not the only company to market such products — L'Oréal and Pond's have their own whitening lines — a Nivea ad for a skin-lightening lotion called "Natural Fairness" went viral this week after black London-based entrepreneur William Adoasi shared it on Twitter.

The ad aired in Ghana as a product that "visibly lightens" skin color. It's the latest bit of beauty marketing called out for racist themes or messages. A few weeks ago, Dove published a GIF on Facebook that featured a black woman removing her top over her head to reveal a white woman. The company dropped the ad and apologized. Earlier this year, Nivea was criticized for a Facebook ad geo-targeted to Middle East users with the slogan "white is purity."  Read more...

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