Bloggers force Mac to apologise over product launch

Premium cosmetic brand Mac has been forced to apologise after the launch of a new range of cosmetics, in partnership with Rodarte and inspired by the Mexican town of Ciudad Juárez, outraged beauty bloggers across the net.

Mac: cosmetics giant offends bloggers
Mac: cosmetics giant offends bloggers

The cosmetics range includes blusher, lip gloss and eyeshadows, with shades entitled Juarez, Factory and Ghost Town. The products – which are due to hit the shelves in September – have sparked a wave of protest across the globe.

Ciudad Juárez is the world's most violent place outside of an active war zone. The region is renowned for female homicides and the "las muertas de Juárez" (dead women of Juárez).

According to Amnesty International over 400 women have been brutally killed in the region and the majority of crimes remain unsolved.

The launch has sparked a huge outcry across the blogosphere and both Rodarte and Mac have issued statements in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

Mac, in a US statement, apologised for the offence the collection has caused. It said: "We are listening carefully to the comments posted and are grateful to those of you who have brought your concerns to the forefront of our attention.

"Mac will give a portion of the proceeds from the Mac Rodarte collection to help those in Juárez."

The views of many bloggers were summed up by beauty blog www.healingbeauty.co.uk, which wrote: "For both Mac and Rodarte to romanticise a place which is so full of violence, misogyny, and exploitation against women is baffling to me.

"It's astonishing really that Mac, such a huge global brand, based in the US, could have possibly overlooked the connotation between Juarez and female exploitation."

The highly regarded BritishBeautyBlog asked: "Who in their right minds thinks that this is a look that should be reflected for commercial purposes?"

Bloggers are now calling for all profits from the range to be donated to charity to benefit the women of Ciudad Juárez.

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