NEWS//Don't diss chopsticks
Dolce & Gabbana, an Italian fashion house, has ignited a firestorm in China after publishing a series of video ads that featured a Chinese woman using chopsticks in a strange way.
Dishonoring chopsticks
Dolce & Gabbana published three promotional clips prior to its fashion show in Shanghai on November 21. The videos show an Asian woman struggling to eat Italian cuisine with chopsticks. The narrator pronounces "Dolce & Gabbana" in a Chinese accent. He calls the chopsticks "stick-shaped cutlery."
Angry reaction
Chinese social media users have not been amused. They have angrily criticised the videos for mocking Chinese people. They charge D&G with racism. Local celebrities pulled out of the show.
D&G has "postponed" its Shanghai runway show. It has not determined a new date for the show.
Sources: C/NET, People’s Daily, Additional YouTube video 01
“The co-founders of Dolce&Gabbana apologized Friday in a video on Chinese social media after promotional videos seen as racist and subsequent Instagram messages stoked a furor in one of the world’s largest markets for luxury goods. [November 23].”