Justice

What Happened When Mac Posted a Photo of a Black Woman's Lips on Instagram

February 18th 2016

A recent MAC Cosmetics Instagram photo of a Black woman's natural lips, which prompted a slew of racist comments, is now inspiring a conversation about double standards in the beauty world.

Mic deputy news editor Ashley Alese Edwards posted a screenshot of the racist and mean-spirited remarks on Twitter on Wednesday:

Racist Instagram commentsInstagram - instagram.com

Racist Instagram commentsTwitter/Instagram - twitter.com

Racist Instagram commentsTwitter/Instagram - twitter.com

instagram-comment

Racist Instagram commentsTwitter/Instagram - twitter.com

After Edwards' tweet went viral and caused a stir on social media, many commenters responded to the racism by saying the photo is gorgeous.

Commenters also pointed out the irony that white celebrity Kylie Jenner was praised for getting lip fillers last year, while the woman in this picture was subjected to racism and hurtful remarks for the natural appearance of her lips.

Some wrote that the mean comments stem from jealousy:

Racist Instagram commentsInstagram - instagram.com

Racist Instagram commentsInstagram - instagram.com

MAC released this statement via Twitter to ATTN: regarding the controversy:

How other brands have responded to intolerant social media comments.

This comes shortly after Adidas was widely celebrated for shutting down homophobic comments in a recent Instagram image. The photo, which was posted on Valentine's Day, shows two women romantically embracing in matching pink shoes:

When some commenters complained that Adidas should not have featured a lesbian couple, the brand took the high road by responding with a kiss emoji and reminding the critics that Valentine's Day is all about love, not hate:

Many were pleased with Adidas' reaction to the negativity:

H/T: Ashley Alese Edwards

This article has been updated to include a Twitter statement from MAC.

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