A television advert featuring a white woman wearing braids in a hair salon filled with black women, was not racist nor offensive, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled. Two viewers complained that the advert, featuring models wearing clothes by online retailer Superbalist, suggested that it was a bad thing for a white woman to be wearing braids, and was therefore racist, notes TimesLIVE.

Superbalist said the salon scene was a take on Kim Kardashian's Instagram post in January this year in which she was wearing similar braids, which led to debates on cultural appropriation. Superbalist said the commercial showed African fashion, that the continent could be a fashion trendsetter and was intended to inspire.

The authority ruled that the commercial explored topical debates by showing that all women have stories to tell.

'It does not favour either view; it is not clear, for example, that the black woman is rolling her eyes because she thinks that the white woman looks ridiculous or because she thinks it is ridiculous that the white woman has to account for her braids – an equally credible interpretation.'

'If anything, the voice-over implies that the story she is telling is hers to tell. Her choice is not labelled as definitively "appropriation" nor "inspiration", 'rather, the need to hear all our stories is recognised.'

The complaint was dismissed.

Full TimesLIVE report

Ruling