Clorox Encourages The "Hispanic Maid" Stereotype

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Clorox Encourages The "Hispanic Maid" Stereotype

by:

YoungStar_OneLove

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 4:58:00 PM EST

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YoungStar_OneLove, also known as Isobel Hutchinson, is a member of Ohio Advocates. You can view the group's Facebook page here.

Is it sexist? Is it racist? What was Clorox thinking?

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — In the Hispanic community, a clean home is a happy home, but during the holidays, it is critical for the home to be reluciente – or sparkling clean! According to a new study conducted by Garcia Research, 40 percent of Latinas report the holidays as their peak season for cleaning.

Clorox recently released a press release with information from a new "study" conducted by Garcia Research, and many are saying it was a bad move for the company. Among the various websites investigating this story is the Jezebel blog for women. Anna North, the author of the post on Jezebel, asks:

[...] who at the cleaning conglomerate thought this was a good idea? Was nobody worried about playing into stereotypes about Latina women as maids and cleaning ladies? Did nobody think that trying to position Clorox products as part of some kind of Latina matrilineal tradition was kind of cynical and insulting?

One commenter, Angry Angel, said, "Clorox sounds like somebody told them that the point of a Quinceañera is so your foremothers can teach you how clean. Pretty soon they'll be branding them as 'Cloroxañeras.'" Another frequenter of the site, Morning Glory, states sarcastically, "Clorox: Brown people, make things whiter!"

Not only is the press release generalizing an entire race, but the women within that race as well. Therefore, it is both sexist and racist. Hispanics are given a hard enough time in this country as it is, with immigration and racial profiling, and now this issue is being thrown onto the pile.

Whether or not Clorox intended to be racist or to simply market their product to a certain group of people, the company is expected to be professional and respectful at all times. Clearly, that is not what's going on.

So, what can you do?

Boycott Clorox cleaning products.
Contact them.
Spread the word.

The Clorox Company claims they show great corporate responsibility — let them know that you do not agree with that statement!

Not to make light of the issue, but the comedy show Family Guy perfectly illustrates the message they are sending out: