What not to do when you get canceled
Lessons from Youthforia
You can’t make this up.
The recent controversy surrounding Youthforia is a masterclass in how not to handle a crisis. Back in April the Gen Z beauty brand Youthforia, a company that's no stranger to controversy, found itself in hot water after releasing a tar-black foundation that resembled “black face paint” in the name of inclusivity.
Instead of addressing the issue, the brand went on a month-long social media hiatus. If you think they spent that month working with a crisis PR agency to plan a thoughtful comeback, you’d be wrong.
Yesterday, Youthforia finally broke their silence with an Instagram carousel:
TLDR:
they’re hiring someone to develop inclusive products
no apology or accountability
nothing being done in the interim
no actionable goals for the future
I’m obsessed with brands and even more obsessed with the controversies surrounding them. This has to be the worst response to backlash I’ve ever seen.
The new position
Youthforia is hiring a Director of Product Development who holds a commitment to “DEI initiatives.”
The “DEI initiatives” in question are actually just a commitment to creating inclusive and accurate makeup shades, which isn’t even DEI? This is just part of product development for a makeup company. I feel like they’re gaslighting us, and the position they should really be hiring for is a new CEO.
The real kicker: *the* shade is still up on their website:
What Youthforia Could Have Done Differently
This is a sticky situation and I understand that it’s difficult to respond to controversy when the world hates you and probably won’t respond well to anything you put out. That said, I think there were a few obvious steps that could have been taken that would have given them a better handle on the situation and paved the road for forgiveness.
Communication: Address the issue with a clear statement admitting the mistake, explaining what went wrong, and outlining steps to fix it. When you have a controversy this large on your hands, lack of accountability will 9/10 times make people angrier. Some brands can get away with this. Youthforia prides itself on being diverse, and therefore cannot. Customers want to know that YOU know you messed up, and that you’ll be taking actionable steps to make things better.
Bumble posted a really good apology last month after their pro-celibacy billboards were poorly received online.
Collaborate with the community: This was an excellent opportunity for Youthforia to collaborate with the influencers who called them out - work with them to create a better shade range, develop new products, etc. This would show that they’re taking the feedback seriously and are actively trying to do better. It’s a a way to rebuild trust, and potentially even have the people who “ruined” the brand become brand advocates.
Revolve did this after Remi Bader called them out for not being size-inclusive, and they partnered to launch an extended size range. Genius.Product removal: Why is this still available for purchase? So that people can purchase it to mock you online? I’m begging you to just get rid of it.
In conclusion, I’m fascinated by this PR nightmare and am genuinely curious if it can get any worse. If anyone from Youthforia is reading this, I’m BEGGING you to take this advice.