Avon apologizes after criticism mounts over anti-cellulite marketing campaign

Avon has issued a mea culpa following backlash over a recent ad that many categorized as “body shaming.”

Time reported:

The advertisement was for Avon’s Smooth Moves Naked Proof product, a cooling gel that is meant to reduce the appearance of cellulite. “Dimples are cute on your face,” the advertisement reads. “Not on your thighs.”

The Drum reported:

The campaign appeared in a brochure for Avon’s North American customers. The series of ads promoted its ‘Smooth Moves Naked Proof’ anti-cellulite cream as a tool to combat the condition that causes lumps and bumps over the body’s surface.

The beauty brand has been accused of capitalising on people’s insecurities by presenting cellulite as a defect, rather than a normal body feature, which between 80-90% of women will experience in their lifetime.