Hong Kong beauty brand Woke Up Like This (WULT) is under fire after releasing a shade of blush named after Anne Frank, a Holocaust victim who hid from Nazi persecution for two years until she was found and sent to various concentration camps, where she ultimately died from typhus.
The blush shade, named “Dream Like Anne,” was released in a collection called “Face Dabs.” The collection was meant to recognize influential female leaders in history in order to promote Sexual Health Awareness Month, encourage consumers to break through gender barriers, and inspire people to “live their dreams.” The collection includes other historic women including Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and philanthropist Melinda Gates, each of whom has her own shade in the collection.
However, people across the internet have expressed their objection to the use of Frank’s name to label a makeup product. Jewish author and educator Ben Freeman went to Twitter to express his disapproval for WULT’s actions, stating, “Dead Jews are not a marketing opportunity.”
In addition to this criticism, many have brought up that the shade name is insensitive and disrespects Anne Frank’s experiences. The “follow your dreams” message attached to the collection may fit the other women like chemist Rosalind Franklin or English writer Virginia Woolf who achieved their career dreams, but Anne Frank’s dreams were different. Frank dreamed of the day she could stop hiding, the day that she could become a published writer or journalist, but instead she was killed by Nazis. Frank’s story does not accurately fit into the framework for which the cosmetic collection was created, and it ended up causing outrage across the internet.
But just how far has WULT gone to tell the stories of the women after whom they named their blush shades? After all, the collection is meant to recognize these women and their achievements, right? Taking a look at the beauty brand’s Instagram and website, they seem to make no effort to educate their followers about these influential women. Aside from a few Instagram posts of models wearing the blush product and the shade name in the caption to “pay tribute,” no information is supplied regarding their efforts not only to recognize these women, but to bring awareness to Sexual Health Awareness Month and overcome gender barriers — the entire purpose of the collection.
This issue sparks the question: Is it ethical for a beauty brand to name a product after someone like Anne Frank? Well, some may argue that WULT’s intentions were not to disrespect anyone, but to pay tribute to these women. However, just because one’s intentions were pure does not mean a decision is automatically ethical. It is insensitive to use the name of a deceased, historic person, especially one who was a victim of the Holocaust and antisemitism, to name a shade of blush — and ultimately just for profit.
Regardless of WULT’s intentions, their lack of effort to produce a campaign around these influential women suggests that their primary motive for making this business decision was for profit. Like Freeman mentioned, deceased individuals are not a marketing opportunity. Businesses need to be more aware of the impact of their decisions, especially ones that include sensitive topics like religion, violence, death, and specifically the Holocaust. In this case, WULT’s team failed to consider the implications of their actions among consumers, and now they are paying the price as their reputation dissolves.
That’s today’s life lesson: always consider the impact your actions will have on other people. Just because you have good intentions, does not mean that those around you will react positively to your actions. Sometimes mistakes happen. and it’s completely normal. Just make sure to offer a sincere apology and learn from the situation. In WULT’s case, they issued a public apology and removed “Dream like Frank” from the collection.
Let’s just hope they learn from their mistakes.