This week, Tesco has been the first supermarket to unveil their new plasters for diverse skin tones. The campaign debuted in the Evening Standard and Metro on the 24th February with the tagline, "About bloody time".
And it is. It really is. I was actually shocked to hear that this is actually the first supermarket to do this and for there to be a range to suit different skin colours. I’ll hold my hands up, I didn’t know this because of my pure ignorance. I am white, and I use the plasters that pretty much every single supermarket and pharmacy stocks. I’m lucky. So, what if you are of a deeper skin tone and want to discreetly hide that cut on your knee, but the only plasters available are much, much lighter than you, causing a focus on your poor knee. That isn’t right.
The fabric plasters are now on sale in three skin tones – light, medium and dark – for only £1. Hopefully, the launch will inspire other retailers to follow suit and offer a more diverse range of plasters to customers.
This was all sparked from when a colleague of Tesco saw a viral tweet in which a man described his emotional response after using a plaster for the first time that matched his skin tone. The Twitter post and comments highlighted the lack of representation plaster tones for the BAME communities (Black, Asian and minority ethnicities).
One comment I noticed under the tweet was a man expressing his dismay, stating “Clear plasters exist. Why are we creating more waste and asking people to consume more?” I was flabbergasted by this statement and his white privileged really jumped out. People won’t be consuming more plasters; they’ll be consuming the same amount but now plasters actually in their skin tone. Also, these plasters are fabric, not plastic. A woman responded to him saying, “People aren’t looking for injuries because they’ve found a shade match, bro.” and I think it hits the nail on the head. It goes to show, some people can’t be happy for others because the product isn’t targeted to them, so they try to create a problem and play victim. In the words of Tracy Beaker, bog off.
Paulette Balson, chair of the BAME at Tesco network, said:
"One of the main objectives of our network is to help Tesco better serve our customers from all backgrounds and communities. No UK supermarket had ever stocked plasters in a range of skin tones before and we saw this as an opportunity for Tesco to lead the charge and make a genuine difference.
"Through our research within the network, we know how emotive a product like this can be. For example, one colleague reported that their child had felt self-conscious wearing a plaster on their face to school recently, because it didn’t match their skin tone and stood out."
Tesco have recognised how influential they actually are, and as one of the largest retailers in the UK, they have understood that they have a responsibility to ensure their products reflect the diversity of their customers and colleagues. I think this is a really good step into inclusivity and hopefully other retailers will realise that they are actually excluding some of their customers.
"We believe the launch of our new skin tone plaster range is an important step and a move that we hope will be replicated by other retailers and supermarkets across the country."
I hope so too, Tesco.
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