Mercedes-Benz has drawn backlash in China over claims that it used models in an advert whose appearance perpetuated harmful stereotypes about Asians.
The German automaker was savaged on Chinese social media site Weibo for using models with ‘slanted eyes’ in the commercial for its new CLS luxury sedan.
The Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper reported on Tuesday that there was fury because the models’ ‘makeup reflects Western stereotypes about Asian people.’
