The TikTok account for Dyson Beauty is getting flamed on social media after a now-deleted ad revealed how one of their products “works” on curly hair.
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In the ad, a Black woman is seen running Dyson’s $500 Airstrait Straightener through her 4C hair. The only problem? The product doesn’t appear to do anything to the woman’s locks.
In one video reacting to the clip, content creator Coco (@urfavgirlcoco) was left gobsmacked. “Y’all I got tears,” she said in her video, which has amassed more than 11.6 million views.
“I hope you’re hungry… for nothing,” one viewer commented under Coco’s reaction clip.
Do Dyson products work on all hair types?
The woman shown in the now-deleted Dyson ad had 4C hair, which has a tight zigzag pattern prone to shrinkage.
According to Cloud Nine, a hairstyling website, 4C curls are “the curliest of curls on the spectrum.” They described this hair type as containing “tight, springy, ‘Z’ shaped ringlets,” while noting that 4C hair tends to clump at the end.
“Your 4C hair is likely to be delicate, frizz-prone, and easily tangled and matted,” the site wrote. “So, it’s even more important to find the right 4C hair products and hair routine to help nourish and moisturize your coils.”
Despite Dyson’s latest ad, however, it does look like some of their other products work on this hair type. In a 2019 blog post, another content creator raved about the wide tooth comb attachment available for Dyson’s Supersonic hair dryer.
“It may seem insignificant to some, but I believe that this is the first high-end, mainstream brand that has produced a tool designed for afro hair,” the content creator wrote, noting that she, too, has 4C hair. “When you consider that Dyson only launched haircare products in 2016… it’s certainly commendable.”
Other women with 4C hair have praised other Dyson hair care products, including the Dyson Airwrap. “Used the Dyson Airwrap on my freshly straightened 4c hair to give it some extra bounce and body,” one redditor wrote in the r/NaturalHair subreddit.
Viewers flame Dyson for now-deleted ad
Since it appears that most Dyson products work well on all hair types, it’s not clear why they would run an ad that appears to show that the straightening tool would not help 4C hair.
In one response video, Mya (@stacksgonewild_) said that ads like this one showcase the importance of diversity.
“This is why we need to advocate when we are in those rooms,” she wrote in her video’s accompanying caption. “This is why it’s important as a company to educate yourself on the ppl that you’re marketing to. I couldn’t have been the model for this because I would’ve been like oh hell no!”
Ads miss the mark
In another clip, a third content creator, Jenn Jackson (@thejennjackson) said that “these ads are getting out of hand.”
“Dyson, so you woke up this morning and chose violence,” Jackson said. “As a woman with 4C hair… I’m not quite sure what you were trying to accomplish with this post.” Jackson said she owns some of Dyson’s products—and likes them—but criticized the brand for not having a more-inclusive marketing campaign.
“I’m not questioning the quality of your products,” Jackson clarified. But, she said reviews of Dyson’s Airstrait Straightener suggest it doesn’t work well for 4C clients. “If you wanted Black women with kinky hair to purchase your product, this ad did the exact opposite,” she said.
Viewers agreed that the brand messed up.
“Nobody with this kind of hair was anywhere to be found at Dyson,” one commenter said.
“We have to be included in the decision/meeting/board room or else the mark will continue to be missed,” another wrote.
Dyson, for its part, defended its products in a statement to the Daily Dot.
@urfavgirlcoco #greenscreenvideo ♬ original sound – COCO 🍒
“Dyson is engineered for all hair types and textures. Demonstrating how our products work is our priority, and for coily hair specifically, the Dyson Airstrait is best used to stretch the hair as a step in a haircare routine,” a Dyson representative said. “This social media clip did not demonstrate this effectively and so we have taken it down.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Coco, Mya, and Jackson via TikTok comment.
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