The version of this campaign targeting African-Americans features the added tagline “re-civilize yourself” to the already condescending “look like you give a damn.” This wording is accompanied by an image of a well-groomed Black man holding what is supposed to be his own head with an Afro and a beard, his “un-civilized” self.

The imagery coupled with the words offends me on several levels. For one, the implication that wearing an afro or beard is uncivilized is terribly ignorant. Dr. Cornel West, who sports a very prominent Afro and beard, is one of America’s foremost thinkers. You can disagree with his personal politics all you want, but you can hardly call him uncivilized.

Secondly, being clean-shaven is not an option for all of us. Like many African-Americans, my skin keloids and close shaving of the face and head is not always a good idea. It can create in-grown hairs which result in bumps for the average person, but can be permanent for those of us that keloid. This is not to say we can’t be NEAT or well groomed, but that crew cut standard is not universal. Many Black people I know wear their hair long to prevent (or even cover) keloid scars.

RELATED: Natural Hair Pat-Downs Bring Charges Of Racial Profiling

RELATED: Bye Bye Relaxed Hair, Hello Natural Hair!

Thirdly, one of the ads targeted at white men features a man with a low-cut beard. It’s edged up but not clean. Why was this not a viable option for ads targeting Black men?

I get that advertisers rely on extremes to make their point in the 30 seconds that they have our attention, but this attempt to reach Black men was just lazy. Below is how they targeted the “general population.” There is no “re-civilize yourself” tag for them. They just look smooth and ready for work or play.

Furthermore, the Black man in the ad looks like he is holding a lifeless, decapitated head. It’s a jarring, violent image that would seem more befitting in a Mortkal Kombat game. But maybe that’s exactly what they were trying to say. “Finish Him.” Conform or be killed. Isn’t that what “civilized” nations do?

Lastly, for the women who insist this isn’t racist (there are many of you out there saying that it isn’t) and are happy to have another ally in the crusade to get your men to be neater, consider this. If the ad were for a woman’s grooming product featuring a straight-haired black woman holding her severed, afro-sporting head, getting ready to hurl it down aisle sixteen at Target celebrating her new self, would you feel civilized?

Let me know on Twitter @JLBarrow

UPDATE: Nivea’s parent company, Beiersdorf USA, emailed us this statement to Adweek apologizing for the ad:

“We are deeply sorry for a recent ‘Re-civilized’ Nivea For Men ad. This ad was inappropriate and offensive. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values at Beiersdorf and we do not tolerate insensitivity. It was never our intention to offend anyone and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Beiersdorf, as a company, represents diversity, tolerance and equal opportunity. Direct and indirect discrimination must be ruled out in all decisions and in all areas of the company.”

Evidently, Questlove took exception to this ad as well:

Master P is claiming broke, and Nivea is claiming rich!

Nivea’s mugshot has been released along with the deets about her unfortunate arrest. And despite her going off on Twitter yesterday about NOT drinking and driving, all details released by the cops beg to differ.  Get them all inside….

According to details obtained by TMZ, Lil Wayne’s baby mama and The Dream’s ex-wife, Nivea, plowed her 2006 Mercedes into a tree that had fallen into the street after a recent storm at 1:30am on Sunday. 

Cops said when they pulled her over she had “bloodshot, glassy eyes and smelled like alcohol.” And she then told the cops she ONLY had 3 drinks earlier in the evening.  Nivea girl…we saw the wedding reception pics.  You LOOKED it.

She also told them she didn’t see the bright yellow crime tape and the traffic cones directing cars away from the downed tree. *red flag*

The singer was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and reckless driving and the child who was in the car with her was not injured and released to her boyfriend.  

Now……how did all those people (including her baby-mama-circle-o-besties) at the wedding reception of Toya and Memphitz let her get behind the wheel of a car with a child?

Via: theybf.com

Toya & Memphitz Wed Over The Weekend [PHOTOS]

Lil’ Kim Partying With Weezy’s Baby Mama, Nivea [VIDEO]

Say what you want about Lil Wayne, but don’t question his love for his kids. The family guy enjoyed the weekend with his 12-year-old daughter Reginae and son Dwayne Carter III, hamming it up for the camera in a photo booth. “Like father, like son, like daughter! Meet the carters!” tweeted Reginae after spending the day with her father. (Rap-Up)

Wayne’s manager, Cortez Bryant, recently spoke on Reginae’s multiple talents.

“Reginae is just a star,” Cortez said in an interview. “She wants to be singer, an actress, she does it all. A great personality. She takes after him. He’s going to nurture whatever she wants to do. He’s supporting her in anything that she wants to do. So, if she says she wants to sing, I know that Wayne is going to do everything in his power and help her fulfill that dream, and I’m going to be right there to nurture it.” (Celebrity Access)

One of Wayne’s baby mothers, Lauren London, talked about sharing a child with the rapper last spring.

“Motherhood has changed me alot,” she revealed in an interview. “I’ve definitely calmed down. I had a temper in the past and I don’t as much anymore. My son definitely puts stuff in perspective. The things I thought were really really important, aren’t. I don’t look at the surface as much anymore. A lot of things I was doing before were really selfish and now it’s not about me. It’s about him. I’m blessed that I am not parenting him alone. I have help and I get to do what I love. Wayne is a great dad. He’s a great father. I have no complaints!” (Necole Bitchie)

Last year, Wayne’s ex-wife, Antonia “Toya” Carter, opened up about her relationship with the rapper’s babies’ mothers.

“At this point it’s not about none of us,” Toya said in an interview. “It’s about the kids and I would go beyond for my daughter just to put a smile on her face. I would do whatever to have her around her brothers and just be cool and cordial. That’s what people don’t get… I been knowing Nivea for a long time and Lauren’s been around for a long time. We just never really talked like that until [her] baby was born… It’s not like I want Wayne. Some of us are really over him. We just put that to the side. We having time with the kids with their daddy. The whole situation isn’t ideal so we just gotta make the best of it. ‘Oh I don’t like having my kids around her?’ Nah. He just lucked up to have baby mothers that are just not on no real ignorant stuff.” (VIBE)

via. www.sohh.com

(ALL BABY MAMA DRAMA) While ex-wife Antonia “Toya” Carter and baby mama Lauren London move on to other love situations, Nivea may still be stuck on Lil Wayne’s “inches” of love. Nivea has released her version of one of Sade’s old jawns “Stronger Than Pride”. Check out Nivea and her 5-7-9 dress wading in the ocean Chattahoochee River in Georgia… from Bossip

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TMZ caught up with Lil Wayne, Nivea and their three month old son Neal as they left a New York hotel earlier this morning:

Check out Nivea and Weezy getting cozy in Nivea’s new video “Love Hurts”

GALLERY: Nivea shows off her post-baby bod

Two months after Lil Wayne’s son with actress Lauren London was born, another baby boy fathered by the rapper and another starlet has come into the world.
According to a tweet from Young Money president Mack Maine, R&B singer Nivea gave birth on Nov. 30 to a baby boy named Neal.

“Thank god,” Mack Maine said via Twitter. “Baby Neal was born healthy to Nivea Nash and Dwayne Carter!!!! Thanx 4 all the blessings n support!!!! Love ya heard me!!”

The baby is Lil Wayne’s third son and fourth child overall, including ten-year old daughter Reginae with reality star Toya Carter of BET’s “Tiny & Toya.”

Nivea also has three children from a previous relationship with producer The Dream, who is currently married to R&B singer Christina Milian.

Article courtesy of: eurweb.com

It appears that Nivea has not gone into labor with Lil Wayne’s baby just yet:

But we all know that when it comes to babies she coulda went into labor right when she hit “send” (or when I hit “publish” on this post). We’ll continue to wish her well and a safe delivery…whenever it happens.

Follow her on Twitter by clicking HERE.