Samsung has pulled an ad it created especially for the Singaporean market that featured a local drag artist.
The advertising campaign featured people trying out a new Samsung watch and noise cancelling headphones. The clip showed people hearing a recorded message from loved ones including a Muslim mother hearing a message from her son who is a drag artist. At the end of the video the subjects are reunited with their family members, and the mother and son embrace.
The tech company issued an apology for the advertisement after there was an online backlash. Samsung said they understood the video “may be perceived as insensitive and offensive.”
“We acknowledge that we have fallen short in this instance, and have since removed the content from all public platforms.” the company said.
In the video drag artist Vyla Virus says to their mother, “You are just unbothered having people looking or judging you differently, having a son that does drag.”
The drag performer has uploaded a video to Instagram thanking all their fans that checked in to see if they, and their mother, were okay following the storm of controversy.
“It’s all about mother’s love in that video, nothing else was mentioned.” Virus said in the short post, signing off with a call to “spread the love”.
OIP Staff
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