Swatch apologizes over ‘slant-eye’ ad after backlash in China

Swiss watch brand Swatch has issued an apology after featuring a model making the “slant-eye” gesture — widely recognized as a racist insult against Asians — in a recent advertising campaign. The controversy has sparked outrage in China, its largest market in Asia, where calls for a boycott are spreading. According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post and other Chinese media on Aug. 18, the company released promotional photos for its “Swatch Essential” series showing an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes outward with his fingers. The gesture, long used in the West as a derogatory stereotype mocking Asians for “small, narrow eyes,” has previously landed global fashion houses in similar scandals. French luxury label Dior, for instance, faced heavy criticism in April 2023 for directing an Asian female model to pose in the same way. The backlash in China was immediate and fierce. The photo was uploaded to Swatch’s official Chinese website but was quickly bombarded with criticism. On Weibo, the country’s major social media platform, some users demanded aWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times