All across Latin America, and the world as a whole, people value white skin more than other skin tones. It means that Afro-Latinxs and Indigenous folks face discrimination at higher rates because of the color of their skin. So when a campaign attempted to reclaim the word “Indio” – which is often used as pejorative to denigrate Indigenous people – it may have had good intentions, but the delivery was anything but.
Indio Beer reportedly launched the campaign #OrgullosamenteIndio to draw attention to the bigoted language we employ. For the ad, models wear shirts that read “Pinche Orgullosamente Indio.” Unfortunately, the company used mostly white Mexicans to spread its message, which feels rather tone deaf. As such, people have called out the campaign and the company for missing the mark and for once again prioritizing white skin. Some are even comparing it to the recent Hershey’s campaign. To celebrate its 50 years in Mexico, Hershey’s launched #HacerElBienSabeBien, a more than $1 million campaign, where (mostly white) influencers photographed themselves helping (mostly brown) people from low-income communities. It also didn’t go over well.
On social media, people have used the #OrgullosamenteIndio hashtag – which Indio Beer probably hoped would elicit positive feels – to denounce the campaign. Check out a few reactions below.