Zara has been accused of 'uglifying' China by baring the freckles of a top Chinese model in its latest make-up advertising campaign.
The Spanish fashion retailer sparked debate after model Li Jingwen, professionally known as Jing Wen, appeared in a lipstick commercial with little make-up and her freckles showing, prompting a backlash among Chinese social media users on Friday.
Outraged net users blamed the brand for 'insulting' and 'defaming the Chinese' as it is often considered unattractive for Chinese people to have freckles. For years, clear and 'unblemished' skin is the dominant beauty norm in the country.
Spanish fashion retailer Zara sparked debate after model Li Jingwen, professionally known as Jing Wen, appeared in a lipstick commercial with little make-up and her freckles showing
Outraged social media users blamed the fashion brand for 'insulting' and 'defaming the Chinese' as it is often considered unattractive for Chinese people to have freckles
'Does Zara mean to say that all Asian girls have faces fully covered by freckles?' read one of the comments on the Zara release on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.
'Sorry, but us Asian girls don't have freckles. Even if we do, it's only a small proportion of us,' wrote another user.
'Such pictures featuring an Asian model with freckles and an expressionless pie-shaped face mislead Westerners' impressions about Asian women and can lead to racism against Asian women,' one person accused.
Some even called Li's appearance 'ugly'.
Jing Wen, who is from Guangzhou, southern China, is one of the country's top models and has been featured on the cover of Vogue China and in adverts for Calvin Klein, H&M and Prada. She said in an 2016 interview with Vogue that she used to hate her freckles
For years, clear and 'unblemished' skin is the dominant beauty norm in China (file photo)
Others jumped to her defense and called for acceptance of different perceptions natural beauty.
'I think she looks beautiful and unique,' one user said.
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