Clicks comes under fire for racist rant

Clicks South Africa has come under fire for a racist rant. The giant store that sells a wide range of products including hair products recently threw some shade at black women’s hair. In a rather controversial marketing ad, Clicks claimed that black women’s hair is dry and damaged and that white women’s hair is smooth and flat. They even posted images of the said hair much to the disgust of the black community.

There was outrage on most social media platforms which prompted Clicks to pull down their advert and issue an apology. Black women were clearly offended by having their natural hair described as damaged and dry. They said the statement was racist and that natural black hair is unique and beautiful in its own way.

The backlash was so severe and some people even threatened to stop shopping at Clicks. The retail shop which has over 700 branches was the centre of a scathing attack as people lashed out at their sentiments on black people’s hair. To worsen the situation, most black women in South Africa love to keep their hair natural. Even top celebrities such as Masechaba Ndlovu, Rebecca Malope and miss South Africa herself Zozi Tunzi rock their own natural hair without giving it a second thought. Below is the apology issued from Clicks:

We would like to issue an unequivocal apology. We have acted swiftly to remove the images, which hi against everything we believe at Clicks. We do not condone racism of any sort and are strong advocates of natural hair. We are deeply sorry that we have offended our natural hair community and have out in place stricter measures on our website to ensure this does not happen again