Racist maid advert causes outrage

 

 

A ”racist” insurance commercial depicting a male Chinese actor as a Filipina maid has drawn outrage on social media in Hong Kong, with groups representing the city’s legions of domestic helpers calling for an apology.

Aimed at the employers of Hong Kong’s 300,000 maids, who mainly hail from the Philippines and Indonesia, the domestic helper insurance advert for Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank shows the Chinese actor wearing dark orange make-up and a curly wig as he plays clumsy maid ”Maria.”

Hong Leong did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the bank appeared to have removed the link to the advertisement from its website. 

”I think they should make a public apology,” Eni Lestari, spokeswoman for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, said, describing the ad as ”very racist.”

”You are making comedy out of someone, out of a community,” she said. ”For (Hong Kong residents) it’s funny, but what they don’t realise is what’s funny is actually racist.”

She questioned why the bank did not hire someone from Indonesia or the Philippines to play the maid.

The row comes weeks after separate controversy over a Hong Kong school textbook, which critics said encouraged children to racially stereotype their neighbors.

The book asked children to match nationalities to the “appropriate” job description — such as Indonesian for domestic helpers, or Japanese for sushi restaurant owners.

See related:

Publisher dismisses discrimination in controversial textbooks

Hong Kong textbooks slammed for stereotyping

Story: AFP



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on