Dove apologizes for ‘racist’ ad that caused outcry on social media

Posted: Oct 8, 2017 / 12:26 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 8, 2017 / 12:34 PM EDT

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Soap company Dove is apologizing for a Facebook ad it says “missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully.”

The ad has since been deleted. But according to screen grabs, it showed a black woman wearing a brown shirt remove her top to reveal a white woman wearing a lighter-colored shirt.

It then shows the second woman removing her shirt to show a third woman with a shirt of a third color.

NBC News reports that the screenshots of the ad were first shared by make-up artist Naomi Leann Blake before going viral.

Dove issued an apology on Twitter and Facebook Saturday:

An image we recently posted on Facebook missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully. We deeply regret the offense it caused.

— Dove (@Dove) October 7, 2017

Dove has not responded to NBC News’ request for a comment.

The ad has since gotten a lot of backlash on social media:

https://twitter.com/TshwaneloFokazi/status/916904031217487872

https://twitter.com/jonalisag/status/916859267717713920

That's it for me and your products. That's up there with the creepiest advertising imagery ever.

— Natasha Mitchell🎧🎙 (@natashamitchell) October 8, 2017