Monday, 7 March 2016

(49) Beauty site apologises for mistaking Whoopi Goldberg for Oprah Winfrey at Oscars

Link: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/29/whoopi-goldberg-oprah-winfrey-beauty-site-oscars

88th Annual Academy Awards, Show, Los Angeles, America   28 Feb 2016<br>EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK PUBLISHING WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mandatory Credit A.M.P.A.S/REX/Shutterstock (5600270ka)
A.M.P.A.S. Presenter Whoopi Goldberg onstage during the live ABC Telecast of The 88th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre
88th Annual Academy Awards, Show, Los Angeles, America   28 Feb 2016
 
 
Summary: 

A beauty website has apologised after mistaking Whoopi Goldberg for Oprah Winfrey as part of its Oscars night coverage. Total Beauty was criticised on social media after tweeting a photograph of Goldberg, who has a distinctive tattoo on her shoulder, accompanied by the line: “We had no idea Oprah was #tatted, and we love it.” The tweet was quickly deleted and Total Beauty later posted: “We’d like to apologise to Oprah and Whoopi, as well as everyone we’ve offended. It was our error, and there are no excuses. We’re sorry.”
 
Key data/statistical information:
 
  • Total Beauty promises to donate $10,000 to charity after admitting there were ‘no excuses’ for its Twitter error
  • Goldberg, who won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1990 for her turn as a fraudulent clairvoyant in Ghost, was one of 12 black presenters at the 2016 ceremony
  • Many started to use the hashtag #ThatsNotOprah to make memes of the mistake that the beauty website made

What's my view?

I think that is a perfect example of 'Essentialize',  suggested by Fanon, which shows the undifferentiated mass meaning that all black people look the same. This article also shows that power of social media as through Twitter, Total Beauty was able to apologize for the mistake they made.

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