‘Blackface’ advert where Chinese man plays Filipina maid sparks race row in Hong Kong
Malaysian bank pulls video featuring Chinese actor playing a Filipino domestic helper
An advertisement for domestic helper insurance starring a Chinese man as a Filipino maid has been withdrawn after it was condemned as racist – but the bank responsible insisted it never intended to cause offence.
The advertisement for Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank caused outrage on social media and was condemned by domestic helpers’ rights groups. It showed the actor wearing dark orange make-up and a curly wig as he portrayed a clumsy maid named “Maria”. The same actor plays her employer.
Watch: Insurance commercial depicting a male Chinese actor as a Filipina maid
The bank confirmed it had withdrawn the advertisement, but stopped short of an apology.
“We regret that our recent advertisement … resulted in comments about the advertisement being racist,” said spokeswoman Norlina Yunus. “At no time did Hong Leong … intend to offend any person or be to any extent discriminatory on grounds of race, sex or otherwise.”