India, Aug. 18 -- Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologized and pulled a series of advertisements after images featuring an Asian male model making a "slanted eye" gesture triggered widespread backlash in China.
The campaign, promoting the Swatch Essentials collection, showed the model pulling the corners of his eyes upward and backward a pose condemned online as a racist caricature. Social media users in China accused the brand of cultural insensitivity, saying the imagery echoed long-standing racial taunts.
In a statement posted in both Chinese and English on its official Weibo account, Swatch said it had "taken note of the recent concerns" and removed all related materials worldwide. "We sincerely apologize for any distress or misundersta...