Woke Up Like This has now removed the Dream Like Anne blush from its collection and issued an apology. Wult / AP
Woke Up Like This has now removed the Dream Like Anne blush from its collection and issued an apology. Wult / AP
Woke Up Like This has now removed the Dream Like Anne blush from its collection and issued an apology. Wult / AP
Woke Up Like This has now removed the Dream Like Anne blush from its collection and issued an apology. Wult / AP

Lifestyle

Backlash after Hong Kong make-up brand names blusher after Anne Frank

Woke Up Like This has since removed the product and issued an apology

The National

September 21, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

A Hong Kong make-up brand has been criticised after naming one of its products after Anne Frank.

Woke Up Like This launched a new collection that aimed to celebrate female empowerment, including a liquid blusher that it labelled Dream Like Anne.

Woke Up Like This launched the Dream Like Anne blush as part of its new collection. Courtesy Woke Up Like This
Woke Up Like This launched the Dream Like Anne blush as part of its new collection. Courtesy Woke Up Like This

Among other products in the collection were blushers Woolf's Words, named after writer Virginia Woolf; Lift Like Melinda, a dedication to philanthropist Melinda Gates; and Viva La Frida to honour Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

Each product, Woke Up Like This says, was named after "inspiring, famous women" in the hope of moving the brand's customers to "live their dreams and break through gender barriers".

However, the company has received backlash for the product named after Frank, with Jewish author Ben Freeman tweeting his disgust.

"Naming a shade of blush after Anne Frank, who was a victim of genocide is revolting," he wrote. "Dead Jews are not a marketing opportunity."

"I am just staggered that at no point in the creative process did anyone on the Woke Up Like This team, or any of the other hundreds of people involved say 'ummm guys, this might not be appropriate'," fellow author Claire Coleman wrote.

Another commenter on Twitter pointed to the product description for the blush, which referred to Frank as a "Holocaust diarist".

"So many things wrong with this. Like she was doing it for a job during that time?"

The brand has since removed the product from its collection and issued an apology. "We are extremely sorry that paying tribute to her [Frank] in this way appears to have caused offence and is considered disrespectful," it said in a statement issued to the UK's Metro newspaper.

"Our intention was quite the reverse, to bring positive energy and shine a little light through unprecedented testing times during the global pandemic.

"We sincerely apologise for any miscommunication and Dream Like Anne is therefore officially withdrawn from our online store with immediate effect."

COMPANY PROFILE

Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2014

Number of employees: 36

Sector: Logistics

Raised: $2.5 million

Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

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