The Conversation (0)
Catherine Shuttleworth
May 26, 2023
Cecilee Max-Brown in the now deleted TikTok
@cecileemax on TikTok
Skincare brand Bioré and content creator Cecilee Max-Brown have come under fire after posting a branded TikTok that spoke about school shootings.
Max-Brown posted a now deleted TikTok to her account last week in collaboration with Bioré for their pore strips. The TikTok was created for mental health awareness month, with Bioré asking creators and consumers to share what they are ‘stripping away’.
In the TikTok, Max-Brown spoke about her experience of surviving a school shooting and told viewers that in collaboration with Bioré she was ‘stripping away’ anxiety. ‘We want you to get it all out,’ referring to Bioré’s mental health campaign, she adds: ‘not only what’s in your pores but most importantly what’s on your mind too.’
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The content creator and model then went onto explain that she’s be struggling with her anxiety ‘after seeing the effects of gun violence first hand.’
At the end of the video she says: ‘Join me and Bioré skincare in speaking up about mental health.’
The TikTok was accompanied by various videos of Max-Brown applying skincare products, taking walks, and journaling and more.
Viewers were shocked to see something so serious and sensitive as a school shooting spoken about in the context of a paid partnership video for skincare. Despite the original TikTok being taken down, users have re uploaded it, with people leaving comments such as ‘is this real?’ ‘This is disgusting!’ ‘WHAT?!’ ‘Capitalism wild…’ and more.
Some also took to Twitter to express their disapproval of the advertisement choices made.
\u201cwhoever is running influencer marketing at bior\u00e9 should \u2026 not\u201d— katy wellhousen (@katy wellhousen) 1684526309
\u201cThat Biore team deserves all the fire it\u2019s about to catch for that ad because WHY are y\u2019all running paid social using a school shooting survivor referencing said shooting as talking points in an ad for PORE STRIPS???\u201d— ThatGirlKita\ud83c\udf38 (@ThatGirlKita\ud83c\udf38) 1684531072
\u201cThank goodness we\u2019ve heard from Biore Acne Strips on mental health and school shootings\n\nif Arizona Iced Tea could chime in on Putin invading Ukraine that would be really helpful\u201d— @jason (@@jason) 1684620815
\u201cI don\u2019t know why my therapist or docs didn\u2019t tell that Biore pore strips could have helped heal the bullet wound on my stomach, or my anxiety after being shot, or my fear of loud noises, or stop my nightmares, or help me feel ok at school. Firing them and buying in bulk! \ud83d\udc40\ud83e\udee3\u201d— Mia Tretta (@Mia Tretta) 1684605992
In response to the backlash, both Bioré and Max-Brown have issued statements regarding the advert.
Bioré said that they were ‘so sorry’ for the TikTok, in a statement posted to Instagram. They wrote ‘we did it the wrong way. We lacked sensitivity around an incredibly serious tragedy, and our tonality was completely inappropriate.’ They added: ‘We are committed to continuing our mental health mission, but we promise to do it in a better way.’
Max-Brown issued her own statement on TikTok, writing ‘I am so sorry about this partnership video. This was strictly meant to spread awareness about the struggles that I have had with anxiety since our school shooting.’ She added, ‘I did not mean to desensitise the traumatic event that took place.’
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