Beauty brand slammed for calling new eyeliner 'wax spastic'
People are not happy
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Your support makes all the difference.Makeup product names play an important role - not only will they affect whether someone buys the product, but they help create the brand image, be that playful or classic.
And one beauty company is being called upon to justify the name of one of its eyeliners.
As beauty blogger Talonted Lex pointed out, Smith & Cult are selling an eyeliner called ‘Wax Spastic.’
And many people are not impressed.
It’s worth pointing out, however, that the word “spastic” has very different meanings in the US and the UK.
Amongst Brits, “spastic” is and has for some time been considered a highly offensive, derogatory and unacceptable term.
It was originally used to describe someone with cerebral palsy, but soon came to be used as an insult for someone deemed a bit inept. It’s now seen as a taboo word.
In fact, a 2003 study by the BBC found that “spastic” was considered the second most offensive insult a person could use.
But in the United States, “spastic” is used casually to describe someone a bit clumsy.
Despite this, Talonted Lex shared the following comment from the brand:
They have now apologised:
“We fully understand the offence caused by the name of our product, and wholeheartedly apologise,” a spokesperson for Smith & Cult told The Independent.
“We have immediately removed the item from sale.
“Although the understanding of the word in US is very different we have to take responsibility, and recognise that as an international brand we must do better, and will take urgent steps to do this.”
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