KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 ― The public backlash over a controversial video by Asia’s largest health care and beauty products chain Watsons yesterday elicited mixed response from some of the local celebrities who starred in it.

While several expressed apology for the impressions they gave fans with their participation, some defended the Hari Raya campaign that was criticised for using blackface and allegedly sexist themes for merely being “humorous” and just “for fun”.

“The truth is people in this era are overly sensitive, on social media, on the road, public areas, government office even hospitals … that’s the fact,” said popular actress Raja Ilya in the Instagram comments section of ex-Miss Malaysia Thanuja Ananthan, who also joined the campaign.
.

If you can stomach the full 15 minutes of the insufferable video, you’ll see that it tells the tale of a prince searching for the sweet voice that haunts his dreams. He holds an audition to find the Legenda Cun Raya, going far and wide to find the right woman. On the day of the audition, all of the “pretty” faces can’t carry a tune. That is until … a veiled woman appears singing. He asks to see the beautiful face behind the entrancing voice and … well – just go to minute 9:40 and you’ll see. They actually put someone in blackface, cuz you know, black is ugly. Don’t worry, she washes it off, it was just “a test”. Thank heavens! Can you imagine actually being dark?! EYEROLL

Think about it. Blackface. That thing that everyone, except the Dutch at Christmas, has pretty much agreed is one of the single most offensive things you can do. In a country like Malaysia, where we have so many races, cultures and people coming together, to say that the darker ones are ugly is so out of touch, so wrong and so damaging to the self-esteem of every single person out there who is on the more-tan part of the spectrum, that this video verges on the fringes of hate-speech.

Videos during Raya (the Malaysian term for Islam’s Eid holiday) are supposed to make you feel good about yourself, your family, your culture and your country. Watson’s Malaysia, we can think of a million ways that you could have spent the money you did to make this trash, and one of them includes “burning it for fun” and “giving it to a macaque to see what he does.” Shame on you, and everyone who let this go live.

“Only at Watson’s you’ll be beautiful” says the video at the end. Maybe on the outside, but on the inside is an ugly heart.

Star-studded Watson’s Raya holiday video uses blackface to show ‘ugliness’

..

Michelle Yesudas Retweeted Just Shobs

Michelle Yesudas added,