The battle continues. Fuse ODG is not done with Nivea and despite the company’s denials that they are promoting bleaching, the ‘Antenna’ hitmaker remains on the offensive.
In a new video released since Nivea’s statement, Fuse accuses them of missing the point and insists that they should come and take down their billboards and stop promoting self hate.
The battle over skin bleaching has been raging the past couple of days, instigated by the UK based Ghanaian recording artist. Fuse’s ire is at a Nivea campaign promoting ‘a fairer skin’, which he claims promotes bleaching, or at the very least self hating of blacks.
Nivea has denied that, and the issue has split celebrities in the country. GhanaCelebrities.Com editor Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri insists Fuse and his ilk are all cowardly hypocrties.
Fuse is not backing down though, and in a new post attacks Nivea for playing dumb. It’s not simply a matter of promoting bleaching or not, but selling the ‘ideal’ of getting a skin tone different from our dark skins.
Read his post below…
Dear Nivea,
It’s hard to believe but somehow you have managed to miss the reason that you have upset so many people with this advert.
The main issue here is not actually with the product that you are selling but the ‘ideal’ that you are selling.
Humans, as logical as we like to think of ourselves make ALL of our decisions based on our ideals and emotions.
Any advertising expert would tell you that you never sell the product, you first sell the ideal which in turn sells the product.
The sales man in the Ferrari show room doesn’t sell a car, instead he sells the ideal of a luxury, exclusive lifestyle and the ‘feeling’ of having something most people want. It’s these emotions that drive consumers to spend £250,000 on a vehicle when they could buy something for £2500 that does the same job of getting him from A to B . Hence proof that this consumer bought the ‘ideal’ (a luxury lifestyle) and not just the product (a car).
The ideal that Nivea is selling with this advert is based on the European/ Western global standard of beauty which since the days of snow white has linked “fairness” with beauty. This global agenda is having the most damaging effect on people across the globe. From Mumbai in India to Kingston Jamaica, we have to ask ourselves, why people are bleaching themselves.
Nivea is not the only culprit, but this dangerous ideal is sold across many industries and sectors and is causing people of a darker hue across the globe to lighten their skin out of insecurity in regards to their natural skin.
Let’s be real, A billboard is simply a pedestal that people look up to both physically and metaphorically. Anything on a billboard is selling an ideal.
Nivea, In your own words you are “a global leader in skincare”. This is indisputable, however you must be aware that if you guys are leaders, you also have followers. So with leadership comes responsibility. There are many skincare companies both large and small that will and are following your actions.
All this being said, it is also hard to believe that the main purpose of your product is about skin protection as you have mentioned in your statement.
If it’s about skin protection then sell the IDEAL of HEALTHY skin not “lighter” or “fairer Skin” as mentioned in this ad.
In regards to even skin tone, who’s got the right to set a rule for all skin tones to be even. Personally, even skin tone is not something that we should be made to feel we need, some parts of the body may be a bit darker than others but who cares?! Some parts may have stretchmarks, who cares? Some parts may have scars but who cares? Each and every human being deserves to feel comfortable in their skin the way it is. I have a little sister called Comfort who just turned 11 years old (Hi Comfort ❤) She’s bright, intelligent and beautifully dark skinned. I want her to grow up in a world that allows her to be comfortable in her skin and her imperfectly perfect temple.
As a musician, people may feel it’s not my place to voice out my opinion on this but I love me and more importantly I love my family and want my little sister to grow up in a fair world. No pun intended. We have to stand up for the things we love.
For my African people claiming I want to ruin people’s businesses. This is not my intention. I just care more about the messages we allow our children to be exposed to than a company who shows no respect for our natural state of being.
It would be awesome to live in a world where our insecurities are not exploited for profit. Where we can buy products that help us love and appreciate ourselves the way we are instead of what we are “meant” to be. A place where companies produce and sell products on “ideals” of SELF LOVE and not SELF HATE.
Companies like you (Nivea) should be taken to court for inciting internal and external racial hatred.
That said, we still stand firm as always and request you pull down your “fairer” billboards and videos in Ghana and across Africa. If you don’t, we will!!
With Love
Fuse ODG, New Africa Nation
#BlackIsBeautiful #PULLITDOWNNOW

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