Obtaining views from pain
From "violent cheek powder" to "toxic skin standards", brands are digging holes to bury themselves when crossing ethical boundaries in exchange for temporary attention.
Amidst the race to gain attention, the boundary between "breakthrough creativity" and "insuring customers" becomes fragile.
Fashion history has proven a paradox: The more intentionally brands use sensational tricks to "touch" women, the faster they push themselves into the abyss of boycott.
Starting 2026, the Vietnamese fashion and cosmetics market is shaken by two names: 3CE and Chautfifth.
In just 48 hours before International Women's Day March 8, the "red line" of public opinion was brutally crossed by unimaginable scenarios.
3CE caused outrage when releasing a video promoting blush with content normalizing domestic violence. The image of a wife admitting to letting her husband "slappe" thousands of times to keep her cheeks always rosy has turned the real pain of millions of women into a ridiculous sales tool.
At the same time, the domestic brand Chautfifth continued to "add fuel to the fire" with the campaign The Art of Being Her. The excessively suggestive camera angles of women's legs under the guise of art have made the "power-giving" message offensive, turning target customers into degraded subjects.
The obvious lesson from international brands
Looking broadly into the world, the mistakes of Vietnamese brands seem to be repeating the scenario of "big guys" who once stood at the peak of glory but collapsed because of disregarding the real values of women.
In 2014, Victoria's Secret launched the "The Perfect Body" campaign with a lineup of skinny models. Honoring and praising the skinny beauty caused this brand to be strongly criticized.
Pressure from global women was so great that the company had to rename the campaign to "A Body for Every Body" to appease public opinion. However, conservatism still lasted until 2018 when the company's leaders made statements insulting oversized and transgender models in Vogue magazine.
The inevitable result came in 2019, for the first time in 24 years, the company's million-dollar show was officially canceled. This was a milestone for the collapse of an empire that could not transform in time to follow the voice of modern women.
The disrespect for women is not only limited to appearance, but also lies in the lack of respect for intelligence and culture.
In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) received a fatal "slap" in the Chinese market.
The promotional campaign depicting an Asian model using chopsticks to eat Italian food clumsily, along with a mocking explanation, ignited a flame of anger. The climax was when insulting consumer messages from designer Stefano Gabbana himself were leaked, causing "The Great Show" in Shanghai to be canceled right before the opening.
All D&G products were removed from major e-commerce platforms, turning this brand into "abandoned" for many years afterwards.
The slide of brands sometimes comes from deliberately challenging social ethics to create media heat.
In 2022, Balenciaga caused a global shock when launching a campaign using images of children holding teddy bears wearing suggestive accessories (BDSM).
The abuse of child images – the most sensitive issue for women and parents – has caused the company to be widely "banned". Despite making a series of apologies and blaming third parties, the company's reputation has bottomed out when major ambassadors like Kim Kardashian publicly spoke out to reconsider the relationship. This shows that: When ethics are violated, all creative efforts become meaningless.
In the digital age, an attitude mistake, a momentary sensation can lead to the collapse of an entire empire.
