fbpx
Connect with us

News

Your Favourite Darlie Toothpaste May Be Renamed Completely In Light of The #BlackLivesMatter Movement

Published

darlieft
Source: Preitauer Black History Collection & NeoGaf.com & Belian Terbaik

Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest stories and updates daily.

What’s your favourite brand of toothpaste? For most Malaysians, it’s probably a split between Colgate and Darlie. Traditionally considered to be competitors in the mind of consumers, did you know that Colgate actually owns the Darlie brand? *mind blown* And they are also planning to rename the toothpaste entirely, in light of the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter movement and the toothpaste’s own origins.

So what are the origins of Darlie toothpaste? In order to find out, we need to go back to the very beginning of the brand itself, over 87 years ago, in Shanghai.

SCMP
Source: SCMP

Created by the Hawley & Hazel Chemical Company, Darlie toothpaste was initially sold as Darklie toothpaste. ‘Darklie’ was actually an extremely racially charged slur that was often used during the Jim Crow era to refer to people of African descent.

Promising to give consumers ‘dazzling white smiles’, a majority of the toothpaste’s branding surrounded the use of minstrel performers who painted their skin black, which often inadvertently highlighted their incredibly white teeth, according to South China Morning Post.

In 1989, Colgate agreed to rebrand the toothpaste and change the brand name from Darklie to Darlie, with its logo now featuring a more racially ambiguous man instead of a black man after acknowledging the racial undertones inherent to the brand’s name. But one thing remained: Darlie’s Mandarin name, which literally translates into ‘Black Man Toothpaste’.

But all of that is about to change as just yesterday (18th June 2020), Colgate-Palmolive announced that they will be reviewing Darlie’s branding as part of its ongoing effort to stamp out elements of racism from its product lineup, reports Reuters.

“For more than 35 years, we have been working together to evolve the brand, including substantial changes to the name, logo and packaging,”

“We are currently working with our partner to review and further evolve all aspects of the brand, including the brand name,” a Colgate-Palmolive spokesman said.

freemalaysiatoday
Source: FMT

This follows after other companies have made drastic decisions to rebrand products that feature blatantly racist iconography, such as PepsiCo’s 130-year-old Aunt Jemima brand of condiments, which features a racist 19th-century stereotype of an affable black woman working as a nanny or cook to a white family, according to CNBC.

What do you guys think of this development? 

 

Also read: Local Uni Receives Backlash For Huge Tone-Deaf Poster That Says ‘King Of Africa’

kingofafricaft

Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest stories and updates daily.



Just In

feat image parking feehike feat image parking feehike
News3 minutes ago

Roadside Parking Fees on Penang Island are Now 50% More Expensive to Ease Traffic Congestion

The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) recently announced that the public parking fees within its jurisdiction have been revised, starting...

collage 7 collage 7
News1 hour ago

Dashcam Captures SUV Intentionally Running Over Lorry Driver in Kajang Before Fleeing, 73yo & 65yo Arrested

Dashcam footage shared by a TikTok user has been going around online showing a lorry driver getting hit in a...

collage 4 collage 4
News2 hours ago

Malaysia Successfully Deposits Rice & Vegetable Seeds in ‘Doomsday Vault’ in Norway

Through the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia has contributed several types of seeds to the Svalbard Global...

collage 6 collage 6
News2 hours ago

Chinese Man Starts Exercising As Part of NY Resolution, Suffers Collapsed Lung After Doing Light Workouts

A middle-aged man ended up with a serious condition known as a collapsed lung after doing some light exercise as...

My Post 1 2025 03 03T102748.810 My Post 1 2025 03 03T102748.810
News3 hours ago

Illegal Racers Caught Using Kuching Airport Road as Race Track, PDRM Allegedly Orders Them to Do 10 Squats

The police have issued 396 summons for various traffic offences during an Op Samseng Jalanan at the Kuching Airport road...

feat image singapore vehicles feat image singapore vehicles
News3 hours ago

PDRM Issued Over 33k Summonses to Singapore-Registered Vehicles in Malaysia Since 2022, Only 4,391 Have Paid

The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) recently revealed that 49,598 summonses have been issued by its Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department...

maybankft maybankft
News21 hours ago

Maybank S’pore to Provide Junior Staff with One-Time RM4K Payment to Offset Rising Living Costs

Maybank Singapore announced on February 28 that it will provide its junior employees with a one-time payment of S$1,250  (RM4,127)...

bombaft bombaft
News22 hours ago

Boy in Shah Alam Gets Stuck in Clay Jar While Bathing, Had to Be Rescued by Bomba

A young boy had a frightening experience last night when he got stuck in a large clay jar while bathing...

Announcement

Latest Videos



TRENDING TODAY