Luxury fashion brand Gucci has come under severe attack in China after it released an advertisement on December 10 featuring a model with small eyes sporting an “unconventional” make up and “an exaggerated nose ring”. The advertisement was for its new series of bags with bamboo top handles. 

“She's wearing makeup emphasizing her pink, light eyebrows, small eyes, and high cheekbones that amplify the ‘Asian face’ typically depicted in the Western narrative,” the Global Times said.

Earlier, high end luxury car maker Mercedes Benz and Chinese snacks retailer Three Squirrels also stirred up a controversy after their advertisements featured Asian looking women with small, narrow eyes.

This has also triggered a debate on social media in China.

Also read: Nikkei survey pegs China's growth rate at 5.1% for 2022, lower than ADB's 5.3%

“While the advertisements must have been intended to be more inclusive in nature, there could have been better ways to portray a message. But the ads have turned to be stereotypical as Chinese and other East Asian people have often been made fun of for their eyes,” an analyst told India Narrative.

“Their Small eyes are seen as an identity and this applies to many Indian citizens as well,” the analyst said, adding that in a global platform, highlighting a particular area of the face is “absurd.”

An ad maker said that most luxury brands are now looking at the Asian markets, including India and China and the brands must be more sensitive towards the people of this part of the continent.

According to a report, China accounted for around 35 per cent of luxury goods sales before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.