Swatch apologizes, pulls ‘slanted eye’ ad campaign amid backlash
Global News
The controversy is the latest in a series of challenges for the Swiss watch brand, including a stark drop in share value, which has fallen by almost half since 2023.
The Swiss watch brand Swatch issued an apology and pulled a recent ad campaign after customers in China condemned the imagery, which they say incorporated “slanted eye,” a racist gesture.
In an image for the Swatch Essentials collection, an Asian male model is shown pulling the edges of his eyelids upward and backward with his fingers — an action widely seen as derogatory and racially discriminatory against Asian people.
The company pulled the international campaign from all its platforms on Monday, writing on Instagram, “We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused.”
“We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide.”
The apology was also posted on the Chinese social network Weibo in Chinese and English, according to The Associated Press.
Some were left unimpressed by Swatch’s efforts to make amends.
“I can’t believe that such a large watch company could make such a careless mistake,” an Instagram user commented. “You should not bring discrimination against Asians into your product posters. This will only cause you to lose more Asian customers and bring no benefit. This cannot be forgiven.”
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